Report: Bynum could return before regular season ends

[arwillan]

Dude you are way to negative. I see if you guys were Cards fans why you would be so pessimistic, but the Suns were one cheap shove away from beating the Spurs last year and making the finals, last year and they are better equipt to do so now. Amare is at his normal spot and is just a Monster, he is replacing Marion who would turn into a Little girl come playoff time!! Factor that in Amare in the playoffs against Zero playoff experience Gasol. Suns now have Hill and Shaq's vet experience and defense come playoff time as well, GG was a compotent starter, Diaw no longer has to play as a big man solo as well. Diaw is always out there with Shaq, Amare or Skinner, we do not have to worry about that little girl being man handled in the post anymore. Your negative outlook is lame, Quit screaming the sky is falling, You act like the Suns suck!!

1) i never said we weren't close last year.

2) i never said diaw is a problem, i like his game myself.

3)i never said the trade for shaq was negative in any way.

4)i never said that we don't have enough experience.

5)i never said we haven't gotten better since last year.

so before you say i'm negative, go read what i've said. i'm not being negative towards the suns at all. might i also point out that skinner hasn't been getting minutes at all lately (other than a few last night), so diaw usually will not be out there with him. even if he was out there with skinner, it wouldn't really help him as he is better than skinner on both ends of the floor.

 

[arwillan]

It has to be more than 40 lbs. Shaq can clearly dominate the paint if Bynum is on him. Clearly dunking at will when down low. It is clear as day, he can move Bynum without exerting any energy. He might be far from what he used to be, but today's Shaq clearly is more dominate than a teenager.

Bynum is 285, shaq is 325. That's 40. Shaq may have been able to dominate the paint back in his day, but i'm not sure that dominate is the correct term for what he can do now. He really didn't dominate the paint against 250 lb gasol or even 230 lb Rasheed Wallace. He had a 95 lb advantage over 'sheed, and we wound up getting blown up by 30 or so in that game. I think you may be underestimating Bynum. He's held amare to an average of, iirc, 12 points in the 2 games they played each other this year. Not that it matters much in this debate, but Bynum also managed 14/13 and 28/12/4/2 against us this year. He's also 20 years old going on 21 this calendar year, so he isn't a teenager anymore

 

[Bufalay]

It has to be more than 40 lbs. Shaq can clearly dominate the paint if Bynum is on him. Clearly dunking at will when down low. It is clear as day, he can move Bynum without exerting any energy. He might be far from what he used to be, but today's Shaq clearly is more dominate than a teenager.

Didn't you just mention that you've never seen Bynum play? I guess everything you just said would be clear to me too if I had never seen Bynum play and was in love with Shaq.

 

[mojorizen7]

Is Shaq really 325 lbs though? He looks more like 340 to me.
Please don't quote a listed weight from yahoo or something....
Listed numbers are usually exagerrated(spelling?).

 

[Darth Llama]

It has to be more than 40 lbs. Shaq can clearly dominate the paint if Bynum is on him. Clearly dunking at will when down low. It is clear as day, he can move Bynum without exerting any energy. He might be far from what he used to be, but today's Shaq clearly is more dominate than a teenager.

A lot depends on the strength of Bynums knee as well. When fully healthy, Bynum is fast enough and athletic enough to give Shaq problems. Shaq has the weight advantage, but he has that on just about everyone, and has still struggled against even mediocre talent at times. As usual, you over estimate Shaq. He'll make things tough for Bynum no doubt. Bynum probably won't get 20/12 against Shaq, but Shaq won't get those numbers either.

 

[arwillan]

Is Shaq really 325 lbs though? He looks more like 340 to me.
Please don't quote a listed weight from yahoo or something....
Listed numbers are usually exagerrated(spelling?).

he was probably closer to 340 when he got here, but the reports were saying that when he started actually playing in phoenix, he was 325. either way, 15 lbs doesn't really change this argument much.

Btw if you use firefox, there's a plugin where you get spell check built in to any text input (anytime you type something like in a forum). It's very handy for spelling. Exaggerated is how it's spelled, not trying to be an ass

 

[mojorizen7]

Shaq has the weight advantage, but he has that on just about everyone, and has still struggled against even mediocre talent at times

Struggled to what? Score? Maybe but he's become more and more comfortable scoring around the basket as of late.
Struggled to control the glass? I think not.
Struggled to defend one-on-one against other big men? I believe he's held his own nicely.
He's becomes a liability the further away from the basket that you can get him.
Bynum isn't a threat to go out and hit the 10-15 footer yet. Rasheed Wallace he's not.
Shaq & Amare will make things tough for anyone to score inside.
Of all people...Laker fans should realize how well Shaq is playing right now for a guy who most described as...."Done,lazy,unmotivated,and a liability in the running game."

 

[arwillan]

Struggled to what? Score? Maybe but he's become more and more comfortable scoring around the basket as of late.
Struggled to control the glass? I think not.
Struggled to defend one-on-one against other big men? I believe he's held his own nicely.
He's becomes a liability the further away from the basket that you can get him.
Bynum isn't a threat to go out and hit the 10-15 footer yet. Rasheed Wallace he's not.
Shaq & Amare will make things tough for anyone to score inside.
Of all people...Laker fans should realize how well Shaq is playing right now for a guy who most described as...."Done,lazy,unmotivated,and a liability in the running game."

I hope you don't mean that Rasheed can't shoot the ball well. He hit about 10 fallaway mid range shots last time we played them. He's also shooting 36% from 3 this year, which as a center is pretty remarkable.

 

[Darth Llama]

Struggled to what? Score? Maybe but he's become more and more comfortable scoring around the basket as of late.
Struggled to control the glass? I think not.
Struggled to defend one-on-one against other big men? I believe he's held his own nicely.
He's becomes a liability the further away from the basket that you can get him.
Bynum isn't a threat to go out and hit the 10-15 footer yet. Rasheed Wallace he's not.
Shaq & Amare will make things tough for anyone to score inside.
Of all people...Laker fans should realize how well Shaq is playing right now for a guy who most described as...."Done,lazy,unmotivated,and a liability in the running game."

I respect your opinion on that, but mine differs slightly. I personally think that the only things Shaq still does really well is rebound and passing. His scoring is average at best, and his defense isn't that great. O'Neal has had constant trouble this season with fouls because he's not able to defend like he used to. Is he easy to go through? Absolutely not, is he an elite defender? no he's not. All we really need Bynum to do is keep Shaq in check offensively which isn't a very tall order anymore. Shaq will likely keep Bynum to less then his average numbers as well, that's fine. Amare has to deal with Gasol and vice versa, that's fine. That still leaves us plenty of threats in Kobe, Odom, Sasha, etc.

I'm not saying Shaq isn't a good center, he is. But he's not the Shaq of old and that's just a fact. If the Suns don't use Shaq sparingly, and Bynum has enough strength in his knee, He'll foul Shaq out of the game.

 

[mojorizen7]

I hope you don't mean that Rasheed can't shoot the ball well. He hit about 10 fallaway mid range shots last time we played them. He's also shooting 36% from 3 this year, which as a center is pretty remarkable.

Sorry, no i meant that Wallace's range is far superior to Bynum's.

 

[arwillan]

Sorry, no i meant that Wallace's range is far superior to Bynum's.

oh gotcha, in which case i agree with you.

 

[arwillan]

I respect your opinion on that, but mine differs slightly. I personally think that the only things Shaq still does really well is rebound and passing. His scoring is average at best, and his defense isn't that great. O'Neal has had constant trouble this season with fouls because he's not able to defend like he used to. Is he easy to go through? Absolutely not, is he an elite defender? no he's not. All we really need Bynum to do is keep Shaq in check offensively which isn't a very tall order anymore. Shaq will likely keep Bynum to less then his average numbers as well, that's fine. Amare has to deal with Gasol and vice versa, that's fine. That still leaves us plenty of threats in Kobe, Odom, Sasha, etc.

I'm not saying Shaq isn't a good center, he is. But he's not the Shaq of old and that's just a fact. If the Suns don't use Shaq sparingly, and Bynum has enough strength in his knee, He'll foul Shaq out of the game.

i've heard a bunch of analysts say that they think shaq today is as good as a healthy bynum today. I'm not sure if i agree or disagree with that. Their stats are about identical, they are both pretty good at both ends of the floor, and they both can pass. Obviously shaq is on the downside and bynum is just starting to get going with his career, but it's an interesting comparison to make.

 

[Trophytown]

With the ball in Kobe's hands you will see Phil try and exploit the major crutch in O'Neal's game defensively: the vaunted pick n roll. He never played it well when he was 24, still doesnt play it well at 36. He's gotten a lot slower too.

 

[Andrew]

A lot of you tend to under estimate Shaq. I am not expecting giant dominate stats from him, but clearly on any given night he can make it difficult for ANYONE on him. Picking up fouls on guys and getting into the bonus early...

I have seen one game of Bynum, because I don't root for the Lakers. The game I saw, he had a nice spin move on Shaq, but Shaq clearly stuffed the ball down his throat the posession before...

It's all subjective until we get to a series against the 2 teams.

I just happen to think Shaq will be more of a factor in the series than Bynum.

 

[D-Dogg]

Andrew, do you realize how long ago that was, and how much better Bynum is now and how much Shaq has declined since? I know you are a Shaq fan, but come on man.

 

[Darth Llama]

I have seen one game of Bynum, because I don't root for the Lakers. The game I saw, he had a nice spin move on Shaq, but Shaq clearly stuffed the ball down his throat the posession before...

You have to be kidding me? I know exactly what series you're talking about, and that was in early 2005. That was Shaq's first game back to Staples after the trade, Bynum was 17 years old when he put that move on Shaq.

You're using a 3 year old exchange to validate your view point, that's just silly. Now that you mention it though, Bynum did embarrass O'neal on that move. As I recall, on the way down the court Shaq took a swing at Bynum because he was pissed that he got embarrassed. Bynum is a lot better then he was 3 years ago.

O'Neal can't say the same.

{EDIT} Damn you Donald, you beat me to it.

 

[Andrew]

Are you kidding me? Shaq can't spin like that anymore, but on sheer power, Shaq will always have the advantage.

And quite frankly, I think its funny everytime I post about this I have someone there to refute it. Like you are one upping me or something.

I had already said, I don't watch the Lakers. So my opinion on Bynum is from the game I saw of him.

 

[Darth Llama]

Are you kidding me? Shaq can't spin like that anymore, but on sheer power, Shaq will always have the advantage.

And quite frankly, I think its funny everytime I post about this I have someone there to refute it. Like you are one upping me or something.

I had already said, I don't watch the Lakers. So my opinion on Bynum is from the game I saw of him.

From what you say about Shaq, you haven't watched him play in a while either.

 

[Andrew]

I have seen every game he has played in for like years...

I am sorry, but anyone who says Shaq doesn't have an advantage of power over Bynum is either completely moronic or high as hell.

 

[Darth Llama]

I have seen every game he has played in for like years...

I am sorry, but anyone who says Shaq doesn't have an advantage of power over Bynum is either completely moronic or high as hell.

Find where I said Shaq doesn't have the power advantage. Start reading the posts in the thread before you reply.

 

[KCi]

I have seen one game of Bynum, because I don't root for the Lakers. The game I saw, he had a nice spin move on Shaq, but Shaq clearly stuffed the ball down his throat the posession before...

I'm sorry, but if the only time you've seen Bynum play was in that Miami game when Bynum was like 17, your opinion on Bynum is way off bro. He's a completely different player. As to how he'll come back from the injury, no one knows for sure. But a healthy Bynum is a flat out nightmare for any team. Boston was the only team that really defended him well. He was literally having his way with bigs like JO, Kaman, Chandler etc. Bynum was one of the main reasons the Lakers got off to that 25-11 start. Kobe was struggling, Lamar was struggling, it was Bynum's impressive improvement and to a lesser degree, Fishers hot start that kept the Lakers together. Farmar's improvement was also key.

A healthy Bynum is an impact big that shore's up the Lakers two biggest weaknesses with just Gasol, defensive rebounding and a defensive anchor that can block shots or alter dribble penetration. I'm not saying Bynum will immediately provide all of that for us this playoffs because there's no way to tell how a 3 month lay off will affect his game, but I have no doubt that a healthy Bynum will be absolutely huge for this Lakers team. He was averaging like 18 ppg ,12 rpg , and 2 bpg on close to 70 percent shooting during that hot streak right before his injury. There's a reason why Laker fans are very excited about the dude. The Lakers fan base are about as fickle and shortsighted as any. If he was just some dud, wouldn't you think that Laker fans would be bitching and moaning on why we haven't traded this guy for JKidd, Artest, or whoever. Dude's a legit prospect for a big in this league.

 

[Bufalay]

I have seen one youtube clip of Bynum, because I don't root for the Lakers. The game I saw, he had a nice spin move on Shaq, but Shaq clearly stuffed the ball down his throat the posession before...

Fixed.

 

[Trophytown]

A lot of you tend to under estimate Shaq. I am not expecting giant dominate stats from him, but clearly on any given night he can make it difficult for ANYONE on him. Picking up fouls on guys and getting into the bonus early...

I have seen one game of Bynum, because I don't root for the Lakers. The game I saw, he had a nice spin move on Shaq, but Shaq clearly stuffed the ball down his throat the posession before...

It's all subjective until we get to a series against the 2 teams.

I just happen to think Shaq will be more of a factor in the series than Bynum.

You never watched any of the Lakers-Suns contests this year either when Bynum played huh ?

 

[Treesquid PhD]

Andrew, do you realize how long ago that was, and how much better Bynum is now and how much Shaq has declined since? I know you are a Shaq fan, but come on man.

That's funny this coming from the guy who thinks Gasol and Stoudemire are a wash. I forget, how many playoff games has Gasol won in his career? Maybe we are using NCAA tournament selection committe logic.

Amare gets meaner during the playoffs Gasol turns into a poor man's Dirk, Amare will destroy Gasol.

 

[da_suns_fan]

Who are the Lakers?

Isn't that the team we spank every year in the playoffs?