Why Andrew Bynum Must Be Traded

Pick me!

Disclaimer: The premise of this article rests on the assumption that the rumors of an Andrew Bynum-for-Carmelo Anthony swap are in fact feasible, which might not be the case with the Nets and Nuggets agreeing to a deal in principle.  But if they are, the Lakers absolutely must make that trade.

I’ve been a defender of Bynum for a long time, citing his potential, his talent, his rare size, etc.  And in part, that’s valid.  Today’s NBA is center-deprived, and Bynum represents what could be a huge matchup advantage in Los Angeles’ favor for years to come.  He could be a dominant pivot man and a franchise cornerstone.  Yet “could be” is always the key phrase.

Potential is a dangerous thing because it tantalizes us and keeps our eyes locked on the future, sometimes causing us to miss what’s happening right under our noses.  And what’s been happening with Bynum over the last few years is alarming if you’re a Laker fan.   He’s missed 96 regular season games in the past three seasons.  That’s 32 games per season—or nearly half of each year—that he’s in street clothes.  Yes Bynum is only 23 years old, and when healthy, he can be a dominant force, but his healthiest and best extended stretch of play came last year when he averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds over 65 games.  Then he tore his meniscus, extremely limiting his effectiveness in the playoffs, and has missed nearly half of this current season.  15 and 8 is nice, but it isn’t astounding; it isn’t franchise player material.  Besides, you only get that type production for about half the time that he’s actually on the floor, the other half he looks slow and unacclimated into the action.

And though he is young, he has not shown much growth even after six years in the league.  Anthony was playing in his third All Star game by his sixth year; Bynum has yet to make even one All Star appearance at a relatively weak position league-wide.  Eventually potential has to turn into something more.  It has to become consistent, reliable, difference-making production.

Anthony was a star essentially the minute he stepped onto the NBA hardwood.  He had huge potential and realized it almost immediately, yet he still has room to grow.  He’s only 26 years old, he scores 25 points a game, and he’s always healthy.  Bynum could be a guy to build around if everything breaks just right and you get lucky with his knees.  Anthony is that guy you can build around.  No, he’s not the rare seven-footer, but he’s the equally rare top-ten caliber player.

And he’s available right now.

Not making this deal is like saying, “There’s a free mansion down the block that we can move into, but if we just wait, maybe Publisher’s Clearing House will show up and give us 50 million dollars and we can build our own even better mansion.”  Yeah, it might happen, but the odds are about 1 in 20 million (roughly the odds of Bynum staying healthy) and you’ve got this other great option right in front of your face.

You may argue that the Lakers’ size is their strength and they can’t give it up if they want to beat Boston.  Maybe, but their length won’t be a strong point if Bynum is on injured reserve, and if he gets banged up, who knows if the Lakers will even make the Western Conference Finals, never mind the NBA Finals.  With Bynum healthy right now, it’s not as if the Lakers are tearing through the league.  In fact, they’re getting hammered by the likes of Charlotte and Cleveland.

The other thing nobody is talking about, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol are getting old quick.  Yes Bynum is a nice inside complement to Bryant on the perimeter, and Anthony might not fit perfectly with what the Lakers want to do, but at some point Los Angeles has to stop building their franchise around the 32-year-old Bryant with 15 years of NBA tread on his tires.  Anthony helps the Lakers in the short run by giving them a surefire All Star that’s going to be on the court each night. He helps them long-term because he’s still young and has shown he’s capable of being the best player on a good playoff team.

Laker fans, look three years in the future: Kobe is 35 and on his last legs, Gasol is 33 and no longer elite.  Do you really want the future of your franchise to rest on a largely unproven, incredibly injury-prone Andrew Bynum?  Or would you rather be building around a still in his prime Carmelo Anthony who has shown that he can be a top-5 NBA player?

The NBA is a two star league.   If you have two true stars, you can make a deep playoff run.  The Lakers will always have money because they’re the Lakers.  Once Bryant and Gasol are gone they could still have Anthony, meaning they would be just one more All Star away from another long run of excellence.  And if we’ve seen anything with today’s stars, it’s that they want to play together.  Anthony and Showtime would make a pretty attractive combination for any big ticket free agent that hits the market in the coming years.

And let’s revisit the, “Carmelo wouldn’t work for with this current Laker roster” argument.    The Lakers’ starting five would most likely be Chauncey Billups, Bryant, Anthony, Lamar Odom, and Gasol—Billups is rumored to be involved in any deal with Anthony, so he would come to LA as well.  Every guy in that lineup has All Star talent and three are top-15 talents in the league right now.  That lineup might not be the longest unit in the NBA, but it would be the most talented, best scoring, and most experienced in the league.  Plus, Ron Artest, Steve Blake, Derek Fisher, Shannon Brown, and Matt Barnes isn’t a bad bench, though they would need to find another forward/center to play 10-15 minutes per game.

Billups and Bryant are two of the best clutch shooters in the game, Anthony can do absolutely anything on the offensive end, Gasol is the best post scorer in the league, and Odom does everything.   Chemistry might be an issue initially, but I think with all that talent and experience they could overcome just about anything.   How would you guard this team over a 7 game series?  Who do you double team?  Who can you take away?  This would be one of the most frightening starting fives in NBA history.  Can the Lakers afford to pass that up as they continue to get beaten up by sub-par teams?  The answer is no.

Ultimately, the Bynum dilemma comes down to a case of what might be vs. what surely is.  Even if Bynum reaches his top potential, he still might not be the player Anthony is right now.   This trade makes sense in the present because Anthony is a sure-fire big time contributor, and it makes sense for the future because he is a true franchise building block.  There’s no “what if” with Anthony, whereas Bynum has handicapped the Lakers with nothing but “what ifs” for far too long.  The time is now, the iron is hot, and the choice is clear.  Anthony to Los Angeles makes too much sense not to happen.

--from Adam