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Hi all. I'm doing some research for my Fantasy Basketball Season and was wondering about Andrew Bynum. He had a decent start for the 2008-2009 season and was a beast in December and January of last season before going down with injury. It was good for the Lakers to have the big man come back for the playoffs but his numbers were definitely down. Was he still hurt or was it due to the Lakers being too deep and Bynum not getting enough playing time?

I'm just wondering what's in the air with the Lakers crowd as to how you guys think Bynum will perform this coming season and going forward. Will he perform like he did in the playoffs or will he return to put up monster numbers now that he's had the offseason to fully rest up and heal? Thanks!

P.S Thanks for the great info guys. Additional info - This is for a 10 Team Keeper League where we get 5 Keepers. I was considering keeping him as my 5th keeper making him like a 50th pick. The other available 'bigs' would be Elton Brand, Camby, Zach Randolph and Blake Griffin which all have risks of their own (health, age, etc).

Well, I think he'll be more consistently good, but i also think we are so stacked that he will never see big minutes. From a fantasy standpoint, I would make sure you get some stars first then start thinking about Drew. He's basically going to be 4th option or 5th option on our team this year.

I would say he is not a good fantasy pick at all. This year I wouldn't pick any Laker. There to stacked. Besides the fact that there are so many scorers there will be alot of blowouts so the starters could get alot less minutes.

I would feel more confident about spending a high pick on Bynum if they didn't resign Odom and/or signed Artest. He wouldn't have much opportunity to score, and it can affect his defense like this year. If he can stay motivated despite all this, then he's still good for filling up on blocks and rebounds, but his scoring would be too low to be drafted on the first 3 rounds.

Bynum won't get the touches with Artest now in the mix. Maybe Kobe might give up a couple of his shots for Bynum.

bynum's stats will be alright, even with artest in the picture. last yr bynum would rack up the the points and rebounds at the start of the 2nd qtr when gasol got a breather. when he returned, bynum didn't have that opportunity because he was always in foul trouble and simply not in 100% condition. i still think the lakers will use him as a 1st/2nd option when he's out there with the bench the first 6min of the 2nd and 4th.

High risk high reward player I guess.

Dexmor wrote:I would say he is not a good fantasy pick at all. This year I wouldn't pick any Laker. There to stacked. Besides the fact that there are so many scorers there will be alot of blowouts so the starters could get alot less minutes.

I wouldn't go first round with any lakers (maybe Kobe ) but c'mon Gasol and Odom are good for double doubles and blocks... Man can not win on points scored alone....

You never know with Bynum's health. He's a great center when on, but will probably frustrate you alot of as well If he can be your second best center you've got a good team. If he's your number one you're in for a roller coaster. My rough estimate for the fantasy league.

My estimated Laker picks in order:

Kobe (3-5 overall)
Gasol (10-12 overall)
Artest ( 24-30 overall)
Bynum (28-35 overall)
Odom ( 35-40 overall)

Fisher will be on and off waivers all year lol...trust

Bynum is a confidence guy who won't play well if he doesn't feel like he is making a solid contribution. So I see him maybe being a third option or even second option.

I avoid Laker players for fantasy leagues. But Lamar was pretty sweet for rebounding once Bynum went down. I guess if it's a late pick, sure.

Thanks for the info all. As per my updated edit in the first post Bynum is being considered as a 5th round keeper (10 team league). Other available bigs are Zach Randolph, Elton Brand, Blake Griffin, and Camby.

This will be the year of the Bynum. Book it!

If he plays like he did in January, he will be our number 2 offensive go-to guy. There's just no way Phil won't utilize a dominant Drew in the low post.

I expect his rebounding to increase, too. He knows by now that defense and boards are his ticket to minutes, and minutes his ticket to production. He will be a beast, next season.

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Havnen't you said that before?

yeah my estimates were probably off, I guess Odom Bynum are more like 40-50th type of picks. If you're playing a keeper league I'd probably take Blake Griffin. Who knows, hopefully Bynum goes off this year

Odom normally is an excellent pick but with the blowout factor I stay away from the Lakers. There to good. How great is that.