Bynum’s Breakthrough Comes At Perfect Time

So what if LA’s drubbing of Houston wasn’t a real game? It was the top team in the West exacting payback against the underdog that shocked them on Sunday. However, it also happened to be Andrew Bynum’s best showing in a while, as he finished with 14 points and 6 boards in less than 20 minutes. We’re then left with a question of cause and effect: Did Bynum’s performance allow the Lakers to dominate the undersized Rockets, or did the big man have a field day because this was such a farce?↵
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↵How about another option: That, as we’ve seen time and time again, small line-ups can harass or beat on seven-footers. It wasn’t matching up with Yao, but Artest, Hayes and Landry still posed a challenge for Bynum, who started despite having struggled thus far in the playoffs. It helped that he was paired with All-Star Gasol, who attracted most of the attention. But it’s not as if the Rockets suffered from a lack of depth when it came to toughness or determination down low.
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Bynum, when he was in the game, proved himself capable of overcoming this particular obstacle. What’s more, he looked strong and assured doing so. For the millionth time, this is what the fourth-year center was supposed to bring to the Lakers, and while this might have been a blowout anyway, he did his job and did it convincingly.↵
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↵This breakthrough couldn’t come at a better time. Los Angeles doesn’t need Bynum to be the reincarnation of Shaq; they don’t need him to play like a superstar. Nor is he expected to single-handedly change the personality of this team. What he does is free up others to do their jobs better, like letting Gasol play a more fluid, unpredictable game. He may be just a role player, but for the Lakers’ championship run, Bynum’s the final piece that completes the picture.
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