Must Be Nice to Be a Lakers Fan

[landho]

Originally Posted by Baron

At this point I'm wondering if Oden will be as good as Bynum. I think Bynum is bigger and has better offensive skills, though I wonder if I've ever seen the real Oden considering his wrist injury at OSU.
I wasn't sure how good Oden was until I saw him destroy Florida in the championship game. Even though Ohio State lost, he still had six blocks and was just dominating the paint on defense. With the lineup that Portland has assembled, he won't need to score so much. In the end, if he ends up being a 14-point, 12-rebound, 3-block guy, I think Portland will be ecstatic. I'm imagining him becoming an Alonzo Mourning-style player, except for bigger and with a little less offensive polish. The main concerns about Oden, though, are his lingering wrist injury and his myriad of other ailments. Sam Bowie could have actually been good (although obviously not Jordan-good) had he avoided all those crazy injuries. Instead, he became a productive role player--not quite what you want with the second pick overall. I don't think that's what lies ahead for Oden, but it's definitely a possibility. I think Bynum will ultimately be better than Oden, myself. Don't forget, Bynum has one of the biggest edges in basketball; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a special coach employed by the Lakers to coach Bynum specifically. Is it any wonder his offensive game has evolved the way it has in such a short time?

 

[Baron]

I could see the Kareem influence at the game I went to. Bynum has taken to palming the ball in the low post with his arm outstretched and his defender pinned on his hip while surveying the court for a coming double team. If it comes, he fires a baseball pass to the open man. If it doesn't, he goes into his post move. Classic Kareem.

 

[76classic]

Portland would lose 3 players and only get Devin Harris in return. Harris is good, but I don't believe that good. It also disrupts their chemistry. Harris is indeed an upgrade, but I think Portland loses too much. If you have Utah, Denver, Golden State, Houston, and Portland fighting over three spots; Portland has a good chance as any to make it. Denver and Houston always underachieve ( or should I say Mcgrady and Anthony ) and this year could be no different. I'm not a Portland fan ( the Pistons are my team ) but really Portland is 5.5 games behind first place. They have a good week and someone else has a bad one and boom they are in 5 or 6 position. It is really tight out West. It's way too early to call right now. Lakers lead the entire conference and boom....injury and loses drop them to 6th position. Anything can happen.

 

[whacked]

Originally Posted by landho

Don't forget, Bynum has one of the biggest edges in basketball; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a special coach employed by the Lakers to coach Bynum specifically. Is it any wonder his offensive game has evolved the way it has in such a short time?

You forgot the Kobe-in-a-parking-lot-videotape deal; probably the biggest factor in changing Bynum's work ethic. I remember reading he was quite the lazy and mentally soft kid before; but now:

That's because Bynum, whom Bryant once described as "much more passive than I ever was," has shown up for the advanced class. He decided to get serious at the end of last season, when he lethargically sat there 20 pounds lighter than when he started, having lost lean muscle mass, not just fat. His nice start to the season was a distant memory, replaced by public questions posed by Coach Phil Jackson about Bynum's lack of professionalism.

The Pampers were definitely soiled, and no one could change "Big Baby" (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's nickname for Bynum) but himself.

"Andrew started coming in at the end of May and showed the best work ethic we've seen from him yet," said Chip Schaefer, the Lakers director of athletic performance. "And he maintained that throughout the latter part of May and June and July."

Bynum was a regular on the practice court, diligently drilling with assistant coaches Kurt Rambis and Craig Hodges. Then Bynum went to Georgia to do specific routines with Sean Zarzana, who has relocated to Los Angeles for the season to continue sessions that Zarzana promotes as "Kobe-like" and Bynum believes have changed his life.

http://www.ocregister.com/sports/byn...152-first-work

 

[whacked]

I wouldn't be so quick to jump on a conclusion re: Bynum vs. Oden though. The latter's talent shone through even in his high school year; NBA scouting likes Oden so much he could've been the No. 1 pick after high school junior year had that been possible.

As for most big men, I'll give him another couple of years, at least.

 

[bachbeet]

Re: Bynum and the Kareem factor. I totally agree and have said so many times on the ESPN Lakers board. It is completely apparent that kareem has taught AB a LOT! And, that AB has been an excellent student. Respectful is an accurate word for this kid. If he keeps developing at this pace, he will be a great C.

As for Gasol, in a video of Steven Smith's comments on ESPN, they showed some of Pau's moves in the post and he was impressive. Completely different from Kwame "Stone Hands." Kwame can't catch, can't dunk, can't shoot FTs. I was not really impressed with his D either. Pau is a good passer who will learn the tri quickly (easier for him than those who have to move to open spots and get the passes from the post). That's how the tri works and Pau has the easier part of that formula. And, when Kobe breaks down the D and looks to pass to a good post mover, he'll see Pau making a sweet move and he'll know Pau can catch the damn ball!

 

[landho]

Originally Posted by whacked

I wouldn't be so quick to jump on a conclusion re: Bynum vs. Oden though. The latter's talent shone through even in his high school year; NBA scouting likes Oden so much he could've been the No. 1 pick after high school junior year had that been possible.

As for most big men, I'll give him another couple of years, at least.

They said the same thing about LeBron; but keep in mind that when Oden was a junior in high school, the number-one pick was Bogut, who, while good, doesn't possess Oden's sheer physical presence.

But I agree that it's a bit premature to make a judgment regarding Oden vs. Bynum. That said, if I were Kupchak and I were offered Oden for Bynum, I would say no. I think I would say no even if I could keep both players for the rest of their careers (that is, not making a decision based on winning championships immediately). This is not based solely on Oden's questionable health (what long-term health issues does he really have?), but certainly that plays into it. If Oden were healthy, it would be a much tougher decision, but Bynum seems to be a really good fit for the triangle.

 

[Brian278]

Unless Oden is hampered by injury his entire career, he's going to be better than Bynum. Oden is bigger, stronger, better defensively at the same age. He's also going to start out with a much better work ethic, though he won't have Kareem. Everyone is getting a little too excited abot Bynum at this stage I think---he's important to the Lakers because he makes defenses pay attention to his post play which is important because the Lakers have a lot of good shooters, but his numbers aren't really off the charts like you would think they were by the way everyone talks about him. I'd imagine Gasol is going to be their first option after Kobe the second he gets there, as he should be.

 

[whacked]

^ Erhhh... you fancy numbers a bit too much. See our Howard vs. Amare/CP3 vs. Deron Williams conversation.

Anyway, this appears to have evolved into a Lakers lovefest. Non-fans need not apply.

 

[mrpologuy]

The Lakers need a lot more than his help to win the West. Go Pistons!!!!

 

[bachbeet]

mrpolo: Well, the Lakers walloped the Pistons in Staples with Bynum and lost by only one in the Palace without AB. So, it doesn't look like they need much more to beat Detroit. The teams they must worry about are in the West. And, if they make it to the Finals, they'll most likely be facing the Cs.

 

[Baron]

Bynum is all of 3 months older than Oden. I don't think he's any smaller than Oden either. They're both listed as 7'0" and Bynum is listed at 285, Oden 250. Bynum's arms are freakishly long, too, but I think Oden's are too.

 

[Thracozaag]

No way man, Oden's at least 55 years old.

 

[Brian278]

Originally Posted by Baron

Bynum is all of 3 months older than Oden. I don't think he's any smaller than Oden either. They're both listed as 7'0" and Bynum is listed at 285, Oden 250. Bynum's arms are freakishly long, too, but I think Oden's are too.
Oden's frame is noticeably wider, and he's stronger, and I think more athletic on the whole for his size. Also, there's a reason he had so much hype coming out of high school and in college, he's much farther along than Bynum at the same age in nearly every aspect of the game. And I would put Oden's wingspan up against anyone's for their height, though Bynum is obviously no slouch in this area.

 

[landho]

Originally Posted by Thracozaag

No way man, Oden's at least 55 years old.

The Bynum vs. Oden argument is carried on ad infinitum here: http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8181 (Note that the argument takes place in 2006!)

P.S. Go Bynum!