Bynum Is NOT Overrated
Posted by: JamFan on Apr 07, 2008 - 10:42 AM
lakers-blog
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 Reprint from jtbataHK Blog, appeared in Fox Sports Fantasy Blog Section
Apr 03, 2008 | 6:19PM | This year's Lakers are a much better team than that of the previous three seasons. It's been apparent to most fans around the country that Lakers stand a good chance of taking out most of their Western opposition in the playoffs, possibly even going to the Finals.
However, advancing past the Conference Finals will hinge on the health of one 20 year old, baby-faced giant in Andrew Bynum.
Fans of other NBA teams frequently bash Laker fans on this issue. They believe Bynum is overrated, and the reason he recieves so much love is that he plays on a big market team. That the kid will be nothing more than a Chris Kaman, Brad Miller. That he's injury prone. That even with a healthy Bynum, Lakers would not stand a chance against the Spurs or Celtics.
However, Bynum has become a much better player than most people think.
Numbers, by the month:
October: 4.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.0 BPG on 33.3% FG in 19 MPG
November: 11.4 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 1.67 BPG on 59.3% FG in 26.3 MPG
- Increased his scoring by 7.4 ppg, his rebounding by 6.7 rpg, blocks by 0.67 bpg, while increasing his shooting percentage by a massive 26% fg, while playing 7.3 more mpg.
December: 13.9 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 2.69 BPG on 66.1% FG in 32.2 MPG
- Another month, more improvement. His points went up by 2.5 ppg, his blocks by 1.0 bpg, his field goal percentage by 6.8%, in 5.9 more mpg, the most minutes he would play per game in a month this season. His rebounds would drop slightly from November by 1.8 rpg,
January: 17.3 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 2.33 BPG on 70% FG in 29.5 MPG
- Andrew's best month of his career, before his injury. He improved his scoring (+3.4 ppg), rebounding (+3.1 rpg), and field goal percentage (+3.9% fg), while averaging slightly less blocks (-0.3 bpg) and minutes (- 2.7 mpg).
Only those that have followed Bynum's growth this season (mainly Laker fans) would know this. He has improved, not just over the offseason (which is what people who don't watch the Lakers believe), but his overall contribution has improved every month this season. PJ's increasing confidence in him has allowed him increasing freedom on offense, other players besides Kobe were looking for him (Bynum stated that throughout the first 2 months, only Kobe made a conscious effort to get him involved in the offense), he has become a defensive prescence in the paint, and his minutes have gone up.
His drastic improvement OVER THE COURSE OF THE SEASON, from a slightly timid backup to Kwame Brown, to an All-Star caliber center, is something that has been obvious to Laker fans (whereas fans of other teams, who did not follow his development and just looked at his overall season stats, were oblivious to). His January numbers are bona-fide All-Star caliber numbers for a center, when compared to those of other centers in the league.
As a direct comparison, Dwight Howard will very likely be named to the All-NBA first team.
Dwight Howard: 21.2 PPG, 14.5 RPG, 2.28 BPG in 38.3 MPG, with 3.23 TO and 3.83 fouls
The "Beast of the East" has played consistently at this level all year.
Bynum's numbers from January, at 38.3 mpg, would be:
Andrew Bynum: 22.5 PPG, 15.8 RPG, 3.1 BPG in 38.3 MPG, with 1.95 TO and 1.95 fouls
In the past, the Lakers were blasted for not trading Bynum for Kidd. I personally felt it would be a bad move, but I too whined about the Lakers not trading Bynum for a star to complement Kobe. It just seemed that the kid didn't have the work ethic to realize his potential. I wanted him traded for Jermaine O'neal. Boy, was I wrong, especially after watching him dominate O'neal this season.
We may not win the cup this season (we may not even advance past the Conference Finals), but a healthy Bynum will instantly put us above every team, including the Celtics and Spurs, next year, especially when age becomes a factor for every one of the strongest contenders, in both conferences.
The Celtics' Pierce, Garnett, and Allen will be 31, 33, and 34 years old. The Pistons' Hamilton, Billups, and Wallace will be 31, 33, and 34 respectively. The Spurs' Ginobili, Bowen, Horry, and Duncan will be 32, 37, 38, and 33 respectively.
Even the Suns (Nash and Shaq will both be 35+) and Mavericks (Dirk at 31, Kidd at 36) will be weaker due to key players being on the downside of their careers.
The exception would be the Blazers and Hornets, who both have a relative abundance in young talent. Both teams also have athletic centers. However, at this stage of his career, Bynum is already as good, if not a better, player than Tyson Chandler, and Oden's future is uncertain. Out of all the young 7-footers in the game (Oden, Chandler, Howard, Bogut), Bynum has the most developed low-post game. He has the strength and length to deny all four in the post, and his newfound "every rebound is mine" mentality has made him a force down low.
It's no surprise that Laker fans believe he will be an All-Star in the future. This big baby definitely has the potential to be a 25-12-3 player, and one of the best centers in the game, in the VERY NEAR future..
Come back soon, 'Drew.
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