BYE BYE BYNUM

I have learned the golden rule about writing for a blog.

I learned something new, in the harshest way possible.

Because of Kyle’s awesome post on the Dark Knight Rises being the best movie that he has seen this year, I put an Andrew Bynum post on the shelf, waiting for time to pass. His post was so amazing, I didn’t want anything to keep readers from seeing it at the top of the website.

Now Andrew Bynum has been traded for Dwight Howard.

Shit.

I wrote an article about how, one way or another, we need to get rid of Bynum. I don’t care who it’s for, but we just need to get rid of him. There is no way the Lakers are going to win an NBA championship with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol in the frontcourt with Nash and Kobe in the backcourt.

There is no way. Yes, they did it twice, but the league is changing. It’s getting point guard heavy, therefore the Nash acquisition.

There are 2 very important reasons and they are the only 2 I need. #1- Gasol and Bynum run the same speed. With Steve Nash, you need a baller, a high flyer, an Amare Stoudemire type, and you need a Dwight Howard type to defend with the best of them. The league is being ran by players who love to attack the rim, ie. Durantula, King James, Iggy, Josh Smith, etc. The Lakers need someone who can defend the rim with a reckless abandon. And that is what D12 brings. He is the Amare type, and he just so happens to be: Dwight Howard.

Nash has never had a Dwight Howard type. A player that will literally break his back defending the rim, grabbing 14 rebounds and shot blocking the way Serge Ibaka does so effortlessly. Amare was amazing in his years with Phoenix but he never played a lick of defense, something that is still haunting him in New York. And though his offensive bball IQ was skyrocketing, his defensive bball IQ was more of an Alberto Einstein, the mechanic down the street that does a horrible job and overcharges, than Albert Einstein.

But now Nash has more, and then some more after that. He has that nasty dude that will back him up and do everything defensively reminiscent of no other than the great Bill Russell. Yes, I am making that comparison defensively. And as for Amare’s offensive bball IQ, have you seen Pau Gasol play in these Olympics? He’s not that powerful as Dwight, as high flying as Amare, but he’s the Spaniard, and if you have forgotten, he is the most crafty post player in the NBA. Like it or not.

What makes Dwight that much more better than Bynum is the fact that Bynum cries for the ball. And he should, I’m sure without Kobe, Bynum will average over 20 points a game in Philly. And in a sense he deserves it. But here is the 1 reason why the Lakers desperately needed Dwight:

Dwight doesn’t need the ball, or want the ball to be effective. He is the 3 time defending NBA defensive player of the year. And to be honest, the Lakers rather have that, than someone who loafs around against the Washington Wizards. Someone who is 7’1” and wants to shoot 3’s, though the coach said no. Someone who says he doesn’t care where he plays next year. Someone who is not proud to don the purple and gold.

That person is Andrew Bynum. He has been a Laker since 17, and besides Jason Kidd trade talks, he has had his back taken care of from Jim Buss for his whole tenure here. But 18 points a game, and having Kendrick Perkins punk you in the playoffs for a whole series, is Bynum pretty much overstaying his welcome. Analysts and fans alike, keep saying, he’s young, he hasn’t hit his peak. How long do we have to wait? Till he’s 30 and his knees are even worse? Or when he’s jacking up a few 3’s a game. Or when he loses valuable playing time in important games to his back-up center, because of his attitude? Bynum has done all of the above. He’s not proud to be a Laker. He’s not proud to be walking the halls that Shaquille O’Neal dominated. Or wearing the same colors as his former mentor Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Or defying the odds and beating the crap out of the New York Knicks like Wilt finally did that 1 year with Jerry West. Though I hate Boston with a passion, they were taking a nap that year.

Bynum has such great potential, but the point of wanting him gone is because his career is going backwards. Usually young players, very young, have problems when they 1^st enter the league. Bynum has become a head case. No he has no pending rape cases, or any lawsuits or D.U.I.’s, but we are talking about his character on the court. He went from 12 points a game to 18, and I’m sure next year he will average 20. But that 30 rebound game was a huge let down. To be that powerful against the Spurs and not play like Howard or Kevin Love every game after that, says a lot. And what it says is not good.

Bynum has been babied by Jim Buss since he came to Los Angeles. The real person going through the most crap was Pau Gasol,  and he handled himself like a true professional. Hopefully Bynum will learn, and take the good things that he learned in LA and submit them the rest of his career.

Bye Bye Bynum, you’re Philly’s problem now.

It’s a fresh start. And do yourself a favor, don’t loaf around in Philly. Donaven McNabb gave his heart, and look where that took him.

We seriously all do wish you the best of luck. It’s not like you care, but we really do.

And on behalf of the Los Angeles Lakers fans and organization. We welcome Dwight Howard. We welcome you to walk amongst the Titans.

We welcome you to roam and protect the Staples Center rims amongst the goliaths that have been proud to don the purple and gold.

Welcome to the city of Angels.