Hollinger's take on Bynum...

[LkrsOvrMia]

Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers: Raw teenage center intrigues with tools but has long, long way to go.

Thoughts? Give me more than just "Hollinger's an arse" or "It's BSPN after all."

Go Lakers!
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I recall a day when being a fan of the most storied franchise was a feeling of community. At the end of a day it (LG) should be a "For 'em!!!!!!!!!"

Go Lakers!

[rwongega]

He's got the tools. He still needs to add a little more strength since he looks kind of soft. Not Eddy Curry soft but soft nonetheless. He needs to stop following Kwame and start driving hard and fast to the basket. I don't think he has a very long way to go but he still needs some conditioning to the NBA game especially.

[NoHarmNoFoul]

Obvious, not insightful.
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"What will you all do when Mitch has rebuilt this team?

Who will you aim your irrational anger at then?"
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[J.C. Smith]

I think it's fair to say he's a long way from reaching his potential. He's not ready for prime time yet. I would hope that next year we can get a solid 15 minutes game out of him though. Hopefully he's ready to start getting real minutes by his third season. I think a lot of people on these forums want to thrust Bynum out there and while he plays hard and doesn't really hurt us out there, it takes all high school kids a couple of years to really be able to handle themselves, and Andrew didn't even have much high school experience. Maybe next year he can give us 6 points 4 rebounds. By his third year maybe he'll give us 10 and 7 and hopefulyl by his fourth season he can start realizing hi potential. He just turned 18 though, he's still growing. Like everyone else I hope he can mature quickly, but I think anyone who is expecting big things this year or next is setting themselves up for disappointment.

[wolfpaclaker]

We all knew he didn't have a good above the rim game.

The fact is, he needs to stop playing like a role player. Get the ball in the post and create a shot himself.

Anyway, it's going to take Bynum atleast 1-2 years to get better at converting on those rebounds.

Atleast he grabs rebounds. I mean 5 boards in 10 minutes? 3 offensive? That's excellent.

[MDMO49]

After watching the game last nite, I can add a few more things about Bynum.


I knew after watching him initially that he plays the game slow, and he's just a slow big man, but that's normal for a lot of 7 footers.

Let's just say he's not going to be anywhere near the dominant 7 footer Amare Stoudamire is, nor will have the impact Amare had as a rookie.

But he definitely has some tools. Right now b/c he's young he's still learning the game, that's why he got blocked by pretty much EVERYONE in that Memphis game.

But he did play some solid defense, (not against Pau), and grab some impressive offensive rebounds.

I think Bynum has the ability to be a solid NBA center in this league. Probably not an upper tier player but a better Chris Mihm, and if he improves on his low post game, maybe be an effective player down low.

[Zhengi]

^^ Just a better Chris Mihm? No way, Bynum's potential is higher than that. The kid is definitely raw right now, but he's showing that he has a good learning curve and desire to hone his skills. Once he gets more experienced, we can safely say that he'd be a whole lot better than Mihm.
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[sirronstuff]

He is young. In a couple of years he won't get swatted under the basket very easily by guys like Pau Gasol.

We can't expect too much. He's hardly played organized ball. 5 years, we might have a fairly consistent player. Until then, flashes of amazing followed by Kwame type games is as good as it's gonna get.

[sirronstuff]

[LkrsOvrMia]

[wolfpaclaker]

Bynum's one low post shot that he created for himself through a post up - was good.

The rest were all putback attempts or trying to finish a play off a cut.

And just because he's not some ferocious dunker, doesn't mean he can be a stoppable scorer.

What he needs is to be set up and allowed to post up to create shots for himself. He does that very well for his age.

The rest of his game - is very, very raw.

[Laker7]

IMO he has the tools to be a better ceter than Mihm (as a minimum) and the potential to be as great as Hakeem Olajuwon (depends on desire and ability to continually improve). Right now I am expecting a Mutumbo in his prime (defense, shot blocking and rebounding) with a slightly better offensive game due to Cap's teaching. Only time will tell.
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[MDMO49]

[Mjr. Pwnage]

[MDMO49]

[Mjr. Pwnage]

[angel]

Bynum was 17 when the Lakers drafted him. He's still growing into his body. He's supposed to be an inch taller from the time they drafted him. I don't expect his muscles to be developed like a mature player. He's finally getting some top level coaching. He out-played Curry in N.Y. The kid has the tools to become very good. He's already ahead of most players who are 22 and 23 years old.
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"Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that." ~~Martin Luther King Jr.~~

[rwongega]

He's got raw potential definitely and it all rests on whether he can convert those flashes into consistent production. Kareem's done a good job with Bynum and I hope the FO signs Kareem to an assistant job sometime in the future. There is no doubt that Bynum can be better than Hakeem, Ewing, or at the least a Mutombo. With Kareem coaching him in offensive and defensive aspects, I think he can reach those expectations. He certainly was faster than Shaq.

[PhillyDoc]

He has the tools to develop to be exactly what the Lakers need, a defensive minded 15 point 10 rebound center with a 2-3 blocks a game.

[MDMO49]

10 rebounds a game easy? Do you know that only 7 guys in the league are averaging that this year?

Oh, and one of them is in their 2nd year and OUT OF HIGHSCHOOL. Dwight Howard is leading the league in rebounding, and last year was very impressive on the boards as a rookie... and how old was he exactly? 25?

angel: While he might be ahead of players 22-23, he's still behind the other first round high school centers drafted in the last couple of years (Amare Stoudamire & Dwight Howard).



Lastly, the NBA likes to reward the best rookies of this class with a game. So let's give the props and praise that actually deserve it. The ones doing it on the court. Not the ones riding the pine.

Andrew Bogut
Luther Head
Channing Frye
Danny Granger
Sarunas Jaskiviecius
Chris Paul
Nate Robinson
Charlie Villaneuva
Deron Williams

(props to NY for finding two good players in the draft, and we all know Larry Brown loves playing rookies, cough - Darko)

[wolfpaclaker]

Guys.

Did you not hear the Lakers when they said he was very raw and that he had no idea of how an "above the rim" game was supposed to be played ...

The fact that he's getting offensive boards with ease while still not completely sound at positioning under the basket - tells you that he can be a very good rebounder.

I don't think Bynum would ever be a Shaq or Amare. Those guys have too much power and can dunk the ball like no other bigman. But is he not worth the investment just because he's not a power dunker/finsher?

That kind of thinking is why many overlook Tim Duncan ....

BUT, He has the ability to be a combination of a low post finnesse scorer (Like a Mihm) and some power moves (like an Eddy Curry). If he can even become a combo of Mihm and Curry - he would be a top 5 Center in the NBA and an impact player.

That's just the way it is with big's/C's in the NBA

[wolfpaclaker]

[MDMO49]

[LakerEric]

[Mike@LG]