A NBA player averaging those numbers does not deserve to make 16 to 17 mil a year. Bynum is getting paid as if he is the number one or two option on the team. Role players are what you need on the team when you have two legit all-stars in KB and Pau. Bynum at this time in his career is not ready to just be the guy who does the little things to help the team win. Thats not knocking him personally, its just him wanting to show the world that he should be considered one the best big men in the league. Reality is, Drew will not get the touches he desires as long as KB is the man on LA.

On an off note: Will Kobe be Shaq in the next three to five years making the team choose between him and Drew. If Drew keeps the same “I need my touches philosophy”, and KB game starts to decline. Who will management keep in the future?

Yes, I watched the game. I watched Hibbert double his scoring average, mostly against Bynum. I watched Bynum dominate Troy Murphy in the first half. I watched Roy Hibbert start the second half and prevent Bynum from establishing deep post position. I also watched Hibbert score at will against Bynum, similar to what DeAndre Jordan of the Clippers did last season when Bynum scored his career high. Any more questions?

“As good as Bynum’s offense was, his defense against Roy Hibbert (21 points in 28 minutes) was euqally as bad.”

did you watch the game? Hibbert didn’t start. Phil subbed out Drew for Lamar and then O’brien countered that by bringing in Hibbert to match up with Pau so that he would have an advantage. He got off to a great start against Pau not Drew. He did the same thing in the 2nd quarter but Lamar made a bone head play and ended up getting benched. Granted Hibbert did score on Drew quite a few times but they were well guarded makes. Hibbert just made shots.

Phil’s teams have always won because they got the best out of every player. It would stand to reason that the Lakers should do all they can to get the best out of Drew. Let him be the offensive workhorse while Kobe and Pau save their legs for the playoffs. But I feel this whole conversation is probably going nowhere.

We Laker fans forget we have seen some of the best big men EVER wear the purple and gold. It skews our perception of big men somtimes. We often forget everyone is not going to be Wilt, Kareem, Shaq, or Mikan (for the real old school fans).

Also, I can’t speak for Bogut and M. Gasol, but Kaman wasn’t really the model of consistency on either side of the floor when he was younger. This is the first year he averaged more than 20 points a game.

Bynum is 22 years old and his post skills are equal or better than those three you mentioned.

Regarding Bynum’s work ethic, I can only assume. But he’s improved his post moves, scoring, and efficiency every year. I don’t think you can do that without working hard, and we have proof that bad work ethic shows on the court (see olowakandi; see Brown, Kwame)

Watching Bynum during this road trip so far he has done a very good job defensively, and is boxing out pretty well.

Expecting Bynum to get to rebounds the way that Kevin Love does is not terribly realistic. He isn’t a hustle rebounder, he is a muscle rebounder. The best he can do is body up to an opponent, turn to face the rim when the shot is up, and react if the ball comes his way. Bynum is never going to chase down a loose rebound, and that is fine. Very few big men do.

One of the things that hurts Bynum’s rebound totals is the lack of rhythm our offense often plays with. Watch only Bynum on the offensive glass next game. He is in the mid to high post (up high to set screens on ball action plays and isolations for Kobe), or he is playing the “2.5 Seconds In Then Take a Step Out” game in the low post. Very often he is moving away from the paint, or setting a screen, when a shot is taken. Contrast that with Gasol/Odom, who set screens up top far less often, and who play the mid post facing the basket and can move to the rim on the shot.

On the defensive glass Bynum loses a fair number of rebound opportunities specifically because he is altering shots, stepping out to challenge mid range attempts, or helping on switches off the screen.

If Bynum where a consistant 15 and 8 guy for the rest of his career I would be fine with that.

I would be even happier if he was a consistant 25 and 5 guy, which he could easily be.

And, Bynum can hit free throws. LOVE that about him, and it makes him an even more efficient option.

High FG%, High FT%, good post moves, good hands, solid footwork.

After years of Eldon Campbell, Kwame Brown, and even Shaq, it is nice to have a skilled center that can create offense in the post and punish opponents for hacking him at the line.

Bynum is absolutely right to be demanding touches on offense.