Its been a little over a year since I wrote the post praising Andrew Bynum and hoping he would fit the bill as the next Lakers big man. Bynum was never given the opportunity or minutes needed to showcase his skills that season.

At the end of last year’s trade deadline, the Lakers had the pieces to acquire all star point guard Jason Kidd from New Jersey in exchange for Bynum and several other of his teammates. At the time, I thought it was the best move for the Lakers but our general manager Mitch Kupchak shot the deal down saying Bynum was untouchable. This of course set off a lot of Laker fans and most notably Kobe Bryant himself, who made statements during the off season criticizing Bynum and the front office which ultimately led to his demands to be traded.

With all this negativity in Lakerland, it was definitely hard to be a faithful fan. I was losing faith in the team and its direction. Some players however took all the negativity in stride and Bynum in particular used these criticisms to fuel his desire to win.

This season Bynum has proven to everyone including myself that he is a winner. He’s using his length effectively, running the floor, contesting shots, and has visibly improved on his post game and overall cardio. Perhaps it was a wise move my Kupchak to keep Bynum and pass on the aging Kidd after all.

In the past seven contests for the Lakers, Bynum is averaging 18 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and 2.5 blocks per game. He is definitely getting the job done in the paint. What’s even more amazing is the fact that Kobe trusts this kid and this is evident by the increase in Kobe’s assists per game and decrease in his shot attempts.

Has Kobe truly turned the corner this season? Can the Lakers steal the division title from Phoenix? Is Bynum the key to a deep playoff push? Can Kobe get enough from Bynum for a championship run? These questions should all be answered by the end of this season.

With the additions of Trevor Ariza from Orlando and veteran point guard Derek Fisher, I feel we are better defensively this season than last year. Odom although still inconsistent is still a legitimate triple threat, and our bench is extremely deep with guys like Jordan Farmar, Ronny Turiaf, and Vladimir Radmanovic always ready to step in an make a contribution.

This is definitely the best Laker lineup we’ve had in quite sometime, and as long as Bynum continues to develop and work hard with Kareem, the sky is truly the limit. GO LAKERS!

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant on trying to get Andrew Bynum more involved offensively:
“Oh I am, I have opportunities to shoot the ball but instead I try to give him the ball. I want him to get his rhythm, continue to build his confidence, and the sky is the limit for him.”