In case you haven’t heard the news, yesterday Andrew Bynum was cleared by doctors to begin his conditioning. And it was just as Bynum had promised only a little bit ahead of schedule.
After his surgery to clean up fragments around his dislocated knee, Bynum said he would begin conditioning by mid-July. Well, he’s about ten days early.
David Lee, Bynum’s agent said. "The doctors told him the knee was doing better than expected."
That means Bynum is ready to return to his physical conditioning coach in Atlanta and begin a two-month long training period. After that, he will join the Lakers for the start of team training and the preseason in Hawaii.
It also means Phil Jackson will get a chance to see how well the Lakers big three – Bynum, Bryant and Gasol – mesh together. Actually for now it’s the big four if you add Lamar Odom to the mix at small forward. Of course, that could change with free agency in full swing and also all the sign-and-trade deals that are possible.
Certainly, no one in the Pacific Division or in the Western Conference is interested in making the Lakers any stronger than they are now that Bynum’s knee is no longer in doubt.
On the other hand, some of the Eastern Conference teams might be interested in what the Lakers have to offer. There are very few teams who would be favorable to taking on Luke Walton’s and Vladimir Radmanovic’s contracts. But several teams might be interested in Odom and also two of the Lakers restricted free agents, Sasha Vujacic and Rony Turiaf.
The other question that arises is Bynum’s contract. David Lee is holding out for the maximum. But the Lakers are in no hurry. They don’t have to do anything until the end of next season.
More than likely, they will take their time to evaluate Bynum’s progress and his suitability playing with Gasol. If they like what they see, they will no doubt offer Bynum a maximum contract at the end of this season.
This past season, Bynum played in 35 games and started 25. He averaged 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks before his injury. This nearly doubled his averages In 2006-07 when he played in all 82 games, starting 53. He averaged 7.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks. For his career he has shot 57% from the field and has It's also important to know for his career he is shooting better than 57% from the field and 65% from the foul line.
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3 months ago
You're right about teams wanting Sasha and Turiaf, but no team in the league should want Walton or Vlade. Bynum is going to come back next year and be an all star. The Lakers are going to win 3-4 championships in the next 5-6 years.
3 months ago
Nice job, Paul. The Lakers are in a good place with Bynum. As you say, they don't need to rush into a max offer (or any offer) to him until after the season. He has to prove he can make it through an entire year, in any case. As for any sign-and-trades, I believe there is a desire for a traditional 3 (and of course one who can defend), but it's hard to imagine the right deal right now. Maybe at the February trade deadline, depending on how the team is doing by then. After all, Odom's highly valued expiring contract will still be expiring...and beyond to June 30, 2009. I doubt the Lakers could pull a reasonable deal with Walton or Vlad, as you say, and probably not even Sasha. He will either re-sign with the Lakers, or just sign on with someone else's MLE (which the Lakers may not be able to justify matching).
3 months ago
This is really good news for the Purple & Gold.
I do expect the Lakers to go back to the Finals. However, they cannot go back with the same core group. Even with Bynum added into the equation. Kobe needs a RELIABLE second scorer (in the playoffs) if we're to win the championship. Pao & Lamar CAN BE that guy(s) but they both will need mental & physical makeovers. As for the other guys, they were too young to withstand the savvy(ness)of the Celtics' veteran team.
The only team that worries me is the Hornets. To me, with their youth and athleticism, they are the Lakers without the best player in the NBA - Kobe Bryant. And, of course, we can never ever count the Spurs out.
3 months ago
Yeah! The Spurs and Hornets are going to be the Lakers' toughest adversaries in next season's run toward redemption.
I think those three teams would have one furious tussle corralling the West's top seed and home court advantage throughout the playoffs.
May the best team win!
3 months ago
I think its funny how the Laker fan's mantra has been "Just wait until we get Bynum back!" since Game Four of the Finals.
Just because he did well for half of a season doesn't mean he's going to solve all of your problems like that. Setting him up with hype didn't work so well last time, and if I'm not mistaken, he's had more than one surgery on his knee(s).
3 months ago
the lakers are going to win and i hope it won't happen again?
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