Report: Bynum could return before regular season ends

[nowagimp]

Bynum doesnt have to reach figures in scoring that top 20 ppg.... Gasol or Kobe gives them that. Bynum doesnt have to attain rebounding numbers such as 12 rpg.........Lamar Odom gives the Lakers that. Bynum doesnt even have to impose 2 bpg..........Turiaf off the bench can give them that. Bynum wasnt putting up stratospheric numbers, but his presence in the post and the fact that defenses now HAD to account for him, made Kobe much more lethal. Bynums defensive presence (size and long arms) allowed perimeter players to gamble much more with the understanding that they had an anchor who could block or alter some shots if they relinquished paint penetration.

We're not suggesting that Bynum will be dominant this year. He wasnt even close to dominant before he went down with the injury. What he was before this injury, was a FACTOR. And thats all he needs to be for the balance of the season. Even if that means being a decoy or even a garbage man cleaning up misses on the offensive end.

Bottom line is the Lakers may not have to rely heavily on Bynum to surpass Phoenix in a 7 game series. We already have the horses to run by you as evident with the 3-1 series record this season. Kobe, Gasol, Odom and a deep talented bench along with PJ's coaching is more than enough.

But we'll see.

*takes another sip of some Lakerade

We will see how his weak knee takes the pounding, as any team with a big will be testing it. Suns fans know this because this is what everyone, including the lakers did to amare when he came off the scope this year, and it wasnt pretty.

 

[cobbler]

Bynum doesnt have to reach figures in scoring that top 20 ppg.... Gasol or Kobe gives them that. Bynum doesnt have to attain rebounding numbers such as 12 rpg.........Lamar Odom gives the Lakers that. Bynum doesnt even have to impose 2 bpg..........Turiaf off the bench can give them that. Bynum wasnt putting up stratospheric numbers, but his presence in the post and the fact that defenses now HAD to account for him, made Kobe much more lethal. Bynums defensive presence (size and long arms) allowed perimeter players to gamble much more with the understanding that they had an anchor who could block or alter some shots if they relinquished paint penetration.

We're not suggesting that Bynum will be dominant this year. He wasnt even close to dominant before he went down with the injury. What he was before this injury, was a FACTOR. And thats all he needs to be for the balance of the season. Even if that means being a decoy or even a garbage man cleaning up misses on the offensive end.

Bottom line is the Lakers may not have to rely heavily on Bynum to surpass Phoenix in a 7 game series. We already have the horses to run by you as evident with the 3-1 series record this season. Kobe, Gasol, Odom and a deep talented bench along with PJ's coaching is more than enough.

But we'll see.

*takes another sip of some Lakerade

Couldn't have said it better. I'll have a sip too.

 

[D-Dogg]

Give me a break his name is Kobe that puts him on alot of those all NBA teams, so Marion must be a joke on D since he didn't make alot of those right? Big name players always make these teams, I trust my eyes and Kobe can be very good defensively he just doesn't do it all the time he the same as Amare expends most of his energy on the offensive end.

A) Marion is a forward. Have him take it up with Bruce Bowen. You are comparing apples to oranges...well, at least guards to forwards.

B) Yeah, I'm sure that Kobe's name recognition carries sway with the voters:

The voting panel consisted of the NBA’s 30 head coaches, who were asked to select NBA All-Defensive First and Second Teams by position

 

[nowagimp]

oh woops, my mistake. still, 6/7 is very impressive. Ben wallace was probably the last one to do anything like that.
he got 4 Defensive player of the year awards and 6 straight all defensive team selections if i remember correctly.

Yeah and all the while it appears that big ben needed rasheed and tayshaun to play D. His tenure on the bulls, the year after he won DPOY, opponents had scoring parties in the paint. ANd the pistons, look as good as ever on D without big ben. I wonder what that means, that real NBA defense is a team effort. The best defensive team in the NBA, the celtics, have one proven defender. I dont think anyone would have said before this year than ray allen or paul pierce were strong defenders, and the rest of the celtics supporting cast have never been mentioned as good defenders. And yet, they are the best defense in the NBA by every measure: scoring defense, opponents FG% and opponents 3pt %. I guess when you have a great defensive big behind you, a great defense isnt that hard, even eddie house and sam cassel can play on agreat defensive team.

 

[cobbler]

Personally, if there is any weakness in the knee... I would rather they sit him and not risk further injury. Were still a very competitive team without him.

as a note.... his injury was nowhere near the seriousness of amare's so comparing recovery time is moot. I'm impressed Amare came back at all considering the surgeries much less at the level he has.

 

[LV-Suns]

i don't know why your list doesn't have Jermaine O'neal, but he is ahead of amare in B.P.G.

he has only played 33 games so far this season

 

[D-Dogg]

he has only played 33 games so far this season

Bynum as well, only in 35 games and is right behind Amare with 2 BPG, but doesn't qualify due to games played.

 

[nowagimp]

Personally, if there is any weakness in the knee... I would rather they sit him and not risk further injury. Were still a very competitive team without him.

as a note.... his injury was nowhere near the seriousness of amare's so comparing recovery time is moot. I'm impressed Amare came back at all considering the surgeries much less at the level he has.

Amare had a scope to remove loose cartiledge and missed less time than bynum, this was not the year of the microfracture. Bynum had a dislocated kneecap, and the associated ligament damage and a bone bruise. Ever had a dislocated kneecap? Bynums injury was worse than a scope, at last report he's running on treadmills under water in a pool after 8 weeks. Amare was on the court in light contact by that time. I can appreciate that as a laker fan you didnt know about the scope, but it was just a scope to remove loose cartiledge. And when you injure your knee and sit out, it will not get strong until you have played on it for awhile( an underwater tread,mill wont do it).

 

[arwillan]

he has only played 33 games so far this season

oh so i guess your list was total blocks, and mine was blocks per game. i get it now.

 

[Trophytown]

Amare had a scope to remove loose cartiledge and missed less time than bynum, this was not the year of the microfracture. Bynum had a dislocated kneecap, and the associated ligament damage and a bone bruise. Ever had a dislocated kneecap? Bynums injury was worse than a scope, at last report he's running on treadmills under water in a pool after 8 weeks. Amare was on the court in light contact by that time. I can appreciate that as a laker fan you didnt know about the scope, but it was just a scope to remove loose cartiledge. And when you injure your knee and sit out, it will not get strong until you have played on it for awhile( an underwater tread,mill wont do it).

Bynum's been off the underwater utility for some time now. He's running on a more conventional treadmill these days.

 

[Covert Rain]

They say a lot of things about Kobe.

I stand corrected. I had no idea it has been 7 times. That's good enough for me.

 

[cobbler]

Bynum's been off the underwater utility for some time now. He's running on a more conventional treadmill these days.

My bad. I thought you were refering to the microfracture surgery.

Bynums been out of pool and running on a special treadmill that reduces body weight. Kind of interesting. I think the cost 60 to 80 grand.

http://runtrails.blogspot.com/2006/08/alter-g-anti-gravity-training-my-first.html

 

[Covert Rain]

Bynum doesnt have to reach figures in scoring that top 20 ppg.... Gasol or Kobe gives them that. Bynum doesnt have to attain rebounding numbers such as 12 rpg.........Lamar Odom gives the Lakers that. Bynum doesnt even have to impose 2 bpg..........Turiaf off the bench can give them that. Bynum wasnt putting up stratospheric numbers, but his presence in the post and the fact that defenses now HAD to account for him, made Kobe much more lethal. Bynums defensive presence (size and long arms) allowed perimeter players to gamble much more with the understanding that they had an anchor who could block or alter some shots if they relinquished paint penetration.

We're not suggesting that Bynum will be dominant this year. He wasnt even close to dominant before he went down with the injury. What he was before this injury, was a FACTOR. And thats all he needs to be for the balance of the season. Even if that means being a decoy or even a garbage man cleaning up misses on the offensive end.

Bynum will be nullified by Shaq IMO form an offensive standpoint. I don't think Bynum is going to get any easy baskets. In addition, Bynum doesn't scare me with any kind of jumper to pull Shaq to far from the hoop. Also, I doubt Bynum can keep Shaq off the block when playing defense.

Bottom line is the Lakers may not have to rely heavily on Bynum to surpass Phoenix in a 7 game series. We already have the horses to run by you as evident with the 3-1 series record this season. Kobe, Gasol, Odom and a deep talented bench along with PJ's coaching is more than enough.

But we'll see.

*takes another sip of some Lakerade

Based on what? There is nothing evident by the 3-1 series so far. The Suns team you may face in the playoffs is a different team. We had zero plays to Shaq, tried to insert Shaq into the existing system without changing it. Shaq didn't know our offense or where to be on defense for the first 5 or 6 games.

Thank god D'Antoni has now come to his senses. In the last week, he has tweaked his system, inserted plays for Shaq. In addition, Shaq seems to be getting more comfortable with the play book on both ends. He was out of place before. Spacing was horrible and it impacted the entire team before the changes. I hope the team continues to improve. I hope this last week wasn't a fluke.

In fact, I would love to see the Lakers in the playoffs again. It would be a blast to watch no matter what.

 

[YouJustGotSUNSD]

That's pretty odd since Bynum went down with an injury, then a couple of weeks later the Lakers made the trade for Pau. Pau and Bynum have not played together. Yet the Lakers were best in the West with Bynum, then faltered and reclaimed best in the West with Pau.

Pau will be back soon. Bynum soon after. Ariza first round of the playoffs. Mihm actually might be back next week too. Lakers are getting healthy, hopefully, just in time for the season to really start.

No thats karma for pulling one of the most tainted, lopsided trades in NBA history.

 

[D-Dogg]

No thats karma for pulling one of the most tainted, lopsided trades in NBA history.

Huh?

Again, Bynum got injured.

Then after a few games we made the trade for Pau.

 

[SirStefan32]

This would be such a great topic to debate if people wouldn't let their homerism blind them.

Comparing Amare's D to Kobe's D it the most ridiculous thing I've heard in a while. Kobe is one of the best defenders in the league. Has been for years. Amare doesn't play any D 75% of the time.

Claiming that Gasol and Bynum are better than Amare and Shaq is 2nd most ridiculous thing I've heard in a while. It is not even close.

Gasol is no closer to Amare than Barbosa is to Kobe. While Bynum will be an amazing player one day, and while Shaq is no longer THE most dominant player in the NBA, Shaq is still better than Bynum. In addition, Bynum is not going to be anywhere near 100%.

It should be a fun series to watch, and it could go either way, but I just wanted to insert a little bit of reality into this thread.

 

[arwillan]

This would be such a great topic to debate if people wouldn't let their homerism blind them.

Comparing Amare's D to Kobe's D it the most ridiculous thing I've heard in a while. Kobe is one of the best defenders in the league. Has been for years. Amare doesn't play any D 75% of the time.

Claiming that Gasol and Bynum are better than Amare and Shaq is 2nd most ridiculous thing I've heard in a while. It is not even close.

Gasol is no closer to Amare than Barbosa is to Kobe. While Bynum will be an amazing player one day, and while Shaq is no longer THE most dominant player in the NBA, Shaq is still better than Bynum. In addition, Bynum is not going to be anywhere near 100%.

It should be a fun series to watch, and it could go either way, but I just wanted to insert a little bit of reality into this thread.

i think the debate is how good is amare's d when he actually plays it in comparison to kobe's d when he decides to expend the energy on playing it. i agree with your post though, those 2 comparisons are ridiculous. i like the barbosa to kobe analogy, spot on.

 

[SirStefan32]

I think problem with Amare is the lack of understanding of low post defense. He can rebound and block shots when he wants to, but he has no fundamental understanding of defense.

He is either out of rotation or he allows somebody to get the position and then he tries to guard them. It is very very difficult to stop somebody from scoring when they get into position. He has to learn to deny the position and to deny the ball- he has to front his opponent. Once his opponent catches the ball, he needs to move his feet. You defend with your feet and rebound with your ass. If he ever learns this, he might stay out of foul trouble once in a while.

He makes excellent defensive plays every now and then, but he is NOT a good, or even a decent defender. That's something that he should have learned in High School. I think that he will eventually become a decent defender, but at this point he is not good at all.

 

[SirStefan32]

For the record, I heart Amare. He is by far my favorite player in the league. I would not trade him for anybody. Above post is not ment as "bashing" but rather as an objective assessment of Amare's defense.

 

[95pro]

I think problem with Amare is the lack of understanding of low post defense. He can rebound and block shots when he wants to, but he has no fundamental understanding of defense.

He is either out of rotation or he allows somebody to get the position and then he tries to guard them. It is very very difficult to stop somebody from scoring when they get into position. He has to learn to deny the position and to deny the ball- he has to front his opponent. Once his opponent catches the ball, he needs to move his feet. You defend with your feet and rebound with your ass. If he ever learns this, he might stay out of foul trouble once in a while.

He makes excellent defensive plays every now and then, but he is NOT a good, or even a decent defender. That's something that he should have learned in High School. I think that he will eventually become a decent defender, but at this point he is not good at all.

yeah that what i would say.

denying position first is STATS biggest prob on D.

gotta give credit to BARBS last night on Batttier(sp?). he worked really hard on D all night.

 

[Darth Llama]

Gasol is no closer to Amare than Barbosa is to Kobe. While Bynum will be an amazing player one day, and while Shaq is no longer THE most dominant player in the NBA, Shaq is still better than Bynum. In addition, Bynum is not going to be anywhere near 100%.

I agree with the bulk of your post, I just think that maybe you're selling Gasol a little short. Is he as good as Amare? Of course not, but I don't think he's as far behind him as Barbosa is behind Kobe. Gasol is a very solid #2 option, Barbosa is at best a third or fourth on most teams. Gasol can't score as well as Amare, right now, there probably isn't a power forward in the league that can. But while neither is a great defender, I give the defensive edge to Gasol even if only slightly, and Gasol is a much better passer. Rebounding is another close one, Amare might be a little better, but Pau is still usually good for 9-10 a game. If you're just talking scoring, Amare is going to be better then anyone at that position.

As for Bynum, the only reason he won't be better then Shaq this year is his injury. Say what you like, but a healthy Andrew Bynum is a better NBA Center at this point and time then Shaq.

 

[SirStefan32]

I agree with the bulk of your post, I just think that maybe you're selling Gasol a little short. Is he as good as Amare? Of course not, but I don't think he's as far behind him as Barbosa is behind Kobe. Gasol is a very solid #2 option, Barbosa is at best a third or fourth on most teams. Gasol can't score as well as Amare, right now, there probably isn't a power forward in the league that can. But while neither is a great defender, I give the defensive edge to Gasol even if only slightly, and Gasol is a much better passer. Rebounding is another close one, Amare might be a little better, but Pau is still usually good for 9-10 a game. If you're just talking scoring, Amare is going to be better then anyone at that position.

As for Bynum, the only reason he won't be better then Shaq this year is his injury. Say what you like, but a healthy Andrew Bynum is a better NBA Center at this point and time then Shaq.

It will be interesting to watch. Somebody is gonna be eating crow once these teams meet in the playoffs.

As I said in a couple of other threads- Kobe is by far the best player in the league right now and any time you have a player like that- you are in a position to beat anybody at any time. Gasol is a very solid power forward, Bynum is, save for Howard of course, the best young Center we've seen in a while. Lamar Odom, to me, has always been one of the most talented and most underrated players in the league. Vujacic, Fischer, Radmanovic and the crew are very good role players. That is one hell of a team.

Having said that, I think that many people are crowning them too soon. Gasol is a nice player but I am sorry, he is not any better defensively than Amare, and Amare is not good at all. Amare will crush him. Is Gasol gonna score 15-20 points on him? Probably. Amare will drop 30-40 on him.

As far as Bynum goes, he is going to be an amazing player. Every once in a while, he will make a move and all I can think is, "young Hakeem." I think people are overestimating him a little bit and they are underestimating Shaq. I don't know if you follow Suns games on regular basis, but since Shaq got here, he is looking better and better every single game. I don't buy the whole "Bynum is a better player right now than Shaq right now." Regardless, he is not going to be anywhere near 100% anyway, so the whole Shaq Vs. Bynum discussion is irrelevant.

Kobe is Kobe and there is nobody who can stop him or even slow him down. Kobe is gonna get his 30-40 points per game, much like Amare, and there is not a damn thing anyone can do about it. Best you can hope for is that someone will make him work hard for his shots, maybe make him miss a couple of shots. I would be happy if Raja managed to hold him to 30 points or so, and score 10-15 on him, maybe rough him up a little bit.

Odom vs. Hill is going to be fun. They are two very unique players and both of them have always been my favorites. Odom does some things a little better, but Hill is a smart veteran player who will do what he needs to do.

Steve Nash- well, he is the key. He should easily dominate the Lakers. Nash should be able to do to Fischer and co what Kobe does to Raja.

All in all, it should be one hell of a series. Two teams are close. Kobe CAN put his teams on his shoulders and carry them to the title, but I still like our chances. I just think Amare and Shaq will dominate in the paint, and the team that dominates inside usually wins.

My whole point is that it comes down to "I THINK" that player A is better than player B and "I FEEL" that lineup A is going to be better than lineup B. We don't know what the hell is going to happen as both teams are excellent. I just can't stand it when people make insane statements like "Gasol is about as good as Amare" or "Amare is as good defensively as Kobe".

But anyway, I look forward to the playoffs.

 

[Darth Llama]

My whole point is that it comes down to "I THINK" that player A is better than player B and "I FEEL" that lineup A is going to be better than lineup B. We don't know what the hell is going to happen as both teams are excellent. I just can't stand it when people make insane statements like "Gasol is about as good as Amare" or "Amare is as good defensively as Kobe".

But anyway, I look forward to the playoffs.

Ahh, common ground. I couldn't agree more. I just want to clarify again, I don't think Gasol is as good as Amare. Amare is a legit #1 on one of the leagues highest scoring teams. Pau is a solid #2 option, he doesn't compare to Amare.

You're right though, it's all conjecture. I also agree that people are crowning the Lakers too soon. I do believe that Phoenix, and a couple other teams can beat LA in a 7 game series. I'm hoping it doesn't happen, but the Lakers are far from invincible. Even if the Lakers do emerge in the west, I'm still not sure they won't get pummeled by Detroit (My pick for the East) or Boston.