Bynum 2nd best on the Lakers?

[thebossman]

Tough loss last night, but I was wondering,

Do you laker fans, who watch the team 82 games a year, consider bynum to be the second best playing on your current squad?

Is bynum better than the veteran Gasol and Odom?

Cuz if you consider him to be 2nd best, than You guys lost in 6 games, to the best team in the NBA without your 2nd best player.

09 champs: Lakers?! could be ...

in short, you've got nothing to worry about

[hermes]

there is always something to worry about

and i don't think that bynum is the 2nd best, he's a young center who had a great half a year before the injury, not enough to go off of at this point
i'll say gasol is the 2nd best

[Chubby Chaser]

Offensively I'd say Pau is more polished than Bynum. But overall impact on the game, I'd give the nod to Bynum. Defensively and rebounds and scoring efficiency is what he brings to the table.

[semi-sentient]

1. Kobe
2. Gasol
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...
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3a. Bynum
3b. Odom

[exkonvict]

Kobe.
Bynum.

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Pau

...

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Odom
Fisher
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...

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the rest...

[Slava]

Gasol playing at his position is probably a more polished player than Bynum but if you take potential for improvement into consideration, it'd be Bynum. He was showing post scoring skills that I haven't seen in a C since Shaq.

[Dr Aki]

the way i see the lakers playing next season it might be...

1. kobe
1a. bynum
3. gasol
4. fisher
4a. odom

6. sasha/bench

[tracey_nice]

I think it is relative to which team we are facing. Bynum against certain teams would be our 2nd best player; probably tough, hard-nosed, offensive rebounding teams, were Gasol would be our 2nd best player against high scoring, run and gun type teams.

[BitonKOBE]

thats crazy. even if you'd rather have bynum than gasol based on potential, no: gasol is the better player right now, at PF or C, finals performance notwithstanding.

this could change over the course of the next season even, but it didnt happen last year.

[milesfides]

Best as in what?

Overall talent?

Kobe and Odom have to top that list.

In terms of developed skills?

Kobe and Gasol.

In terms of value to the team?

Kobe and Bynum.

But Bynum is a young, young player.

[Kweli]

Its not crazy to think that Bynum is better than Gasol. Especially considering how disappointing Gasol was most of his playoff games.

In 6 less minutes per game, Bynum averaged 2 more rebounds, and only 5 points less than Gasol, but shot an amazing 64% compared to Gasol great 59% (only counting games that Gasol was with the Lakers)
Plus Bynum played superior defense.

[BitonKOBE]

the lakers won almost 90% of their reg season games when pau played substantial minutes and they made it to game 6 of the nba finals.

the lakers were good w bynum but he was only blossoming in the first half of a regular season. cool yer jets. it could happen this year..who knows

[JellosJigglin]

Gasol is more polished, but he can't impact a game the way Bynum can. It's like during the 3-peat era when we used to face the Spurs. We all knew Duncan was the more skilled player than Shaq, but that didn't matter, because Shaq was too big, too strong, too unstoppable.

In the same way, Gasol is more skilled, but he can't impact a game the way Bynum can. Gasol will beat you with a pretty little jump hook. Bynum will jam the ball down your throat and break your hand if you try to block it. He gets in there with the big boys and mixes it up.

So in terms of impact, Bynum is the clear #2 guy on offense. And I would say he's the #1 guy on defense. In terms of pure skills, I would put him behind Kobe and Pau, and on some nights Odom.

[BitonKOBE]

his knee must be **** up if mitch thinks he's the second most important player on the team right now and isnt signing him to an extension.

[Sroek]

I watched all 82 games this season and believe Bynum is the most reliable offensive option in the low post.

[what would jack bauer do?]

Honestly, before we got Gasol I said there is no way I'd ever trade Bynum for Gasol straight up and I'd have to stick with that thought even after landing Gasol. Bynum's presence is just immense on the floor. Gasol on the other hand is an offensive stud. Keep in mind the Gasol we saw in these playoffs wasn't the same Gasol in Memphis. In Memphis Gasol had so much more depth to his game than he's shown so far; don't forget he's only been a Laker for 5 months. As far as what he's done in the triangle in limited time, he's a genius.

They both have such a great impact on our team, Bynum on both ends equally and Gasol is nasty on offense; and at PF Gasol may end up being a beast. If you had a gun to my head and I had to pick one to remain a Laker, I'd have to pick Bynum just because he completely changes the complexion of our defense. No offense to Gasol, but our defense just was not the same once Bynum went out.

All in all though, as it is having both players on the squad I'd have to say it's 2a and 2b with Bynum and Gasol, we're going to be in for a real treat next year. They both got different strengths they'll bring to the squad and it's just going to be nuts to have Gasol, Bynum, and Odom as our front line.

[AriesMar27]

gasol hands down... in memphis he was a complete player because he was the number 1 option... on the lakers he mostly gets his points from putbacks and easy dunks... how often do they run plays for gasol? gasol is score more points than bynum doing the exact same thing that bynum was doing, getting putbacks and easy dunks... neither one was asked to take duncan or kg in the post one on one... but gasol is the only player that actually could get it done on a consistent basis... its not even close....

bynum is like kendrick perkins on the celtics... he just cleans up everyones mistakes... he's not a young shaq or the 2nd coming of tim duncan...

[Dr Aki]

low post, high post

lakers fans have been saying for months, bynum would compliment pau gasol and vice versa

the sum of both of them >> them individually

lets just leave it at that until next season

[what would jack bauer do?]

gasol hands down... in memphis he was a complete player because he was the number 1 option... on the lakers he mostly gets his points from putbacks and easy dunks... how often do they run plays for gasol? gasol is score more points than bynum doing the exact same thing that bynum was doing, getting putbacks and easy dunks... neither one was asked to take duncan or kg in the post one on one... but gasol is the only player that actually could get it done on a consistent basis... its not even close....

bynum is like kendrick perkins on the celtics... he just cleans up everyones mistakes... he's not a young shaq or the 2nd coming of tim duncan...

Bynum has better post game than Gasol. Err well... better "back to the basket" game than Gasol, I'm not saying he's a better all around offensive player because Gasol has the complete package. Don't forget how much depth Bynum had to his game in December and January. His handful of 25pt and 15 reb games in those months were pretty spectacular. I will agree with you that for the first month maybe month and a half he was just a clean up guy that caught lobs, but don't underestimate his post game. He was drawing comparisons to Hakeem The Dream from all the sports analysts before his injury.

[AriesMar27]

just like before game 1 of the finals when analysts had the lakers as favorites to win it all.... or how they thought that the celtics had a weak bench...

bynum only had 5 games last season where he scored over 20 points... he had a nice little stretch of good games in mid december but thats about it. his numbers werent any better than biedrins at the time of his injury... and not even close to being as good as al jeffersons, though most laker fans would swear on their mothers grave that bynum was better than jefferson.

bynum isnt the next shaq or kareem, not even close.... gasol is a far superior player with skills that bynum could only dream of....