The 2008-2009 NBA season is almost here! The Lakers had a great season last year, winning the very competitive West and falling two wins shy of being the world champions. They’ve kept their core intact and are welcoming back their franchise center, Andrew Bynum. The Lakers will be opening up their season against the young and talented Portland Trailblazers. There’s no doubt that the matchup between Kobe Bryant and Brandon Roy may very well decide the outcome of this particular game. But more importantly, we get a glimpse of what the future might hold for the center position when Andrew Bynum goes toe to toe against Greg Oden.

Both 20 year old centers are coming off of major knee surgery that ended their seasons. Both centers declare that they are healthy and ready to go. It’s a certainty that both the Lakers and the Blazers will be watching their franchise centers under a microscope. I’m sure both teams want to monitor their minutes until they are completely comfortable knowing that they are 100%.

Bynum will already be entering his 4th season and his game has shown significant progress from year to year. As a rookie, he was very raw but possessed great hands, superior athleticism for his size, and showed an ability to finish strongly. Now, he’s filled up his frame and compliments his athleticism with footwork that appears to be getting more polished as each day passes. Working with one of the best centers ever in Kareem Abdul Jabbar will definitely do that for you. He has great jumping ability and a long wingspan that will serve him well on the defensive end as well as on the glass. He’s a throwback center who likes to play physical and sets up his offense with his back to the basket. Bynum’s confidence is growing and his post moves will only get better. That’s scary.

This will be Oden’s first game as a professional. Although he was drafted in 2007, he has yet to officially play a game is still technically a rookie. That’s what makes assessing Oden so difficult. He did play very well, with a broken dominant hand, against college opposition. But let’s face it; the talent in the NCAA is getting thinner every year. The break in his right hand did force him to learn to use his left hand. As a result, Oden does have a nice jump hook that can be launched from either hand. He also has great upper and lower body strength and I expect a lot of facials over opposing centers. Other than that, his offense is still predictable and raw. The defensive end is where I see him making the most impact. He’s shown an awareness on defense that can earn him some defensive player of the year awards sooner rather than later. But it’s all speculation until we actually see him play an NBA game. This should be a good test for him to measure himself.

I would have to give the upper hand to Bynum right now. He has more experience and is already more polished. Oden still hasn’t played at NBA speed and has yet to run Portland’s offense against opposing teams. Bynum and Oden aren’t the only young centers that carry the burden of resurrecting the position. They are joined by Dwight Howard (23), Tyson Chandler (26), Andrew Bogut (24), Emeka Okafor (26), Al Jefferson (23), and Amare Stoudemire (26).

Who said the center position was dead?