As standalone quotes, his words come off a lot more scandalous-sounding then they actually were. That said, Bynum sure did have a lot to say—especially for a guy who has yet to log a single minute of playing time this season.
Let’s break down his quotes…and his logic.
Bynum commented on playing with Kobe Bryant: “I thought it really helped me a lot obviously at first, because he draws so much attention it's hard for guys to double team and key on you, so it helped me tremendously…Later, I felt I was able to get the ball more and do more things with the ball, so I could definitely see how it could stunt growth."
After the game, Kobe was asked about what Bynum had said and basically agreed with his former teammate, citing the need for anyone playing with him to sacrifice a part of his game as he himself had sacrificed when he played with Shaquille O’Neal.
“A fool flatters himself, a wise man flatters the fool,” (Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton).
What I don’t appreciate regarding Bynum’s comments is his complete lack of accountability. Bynum has only played 82 games once during his seven-year career. If anything, his balky knees have stunted his development. The irony was obviously lost upon him as he was saying all of these things while in street clothes.
And as I previously wrote, maintaining one’s health and actually playing games, make up half of the responsibility a team’s captain/best player must be held accountable for.
Last season, when Bryant was “stunting” his growth, Bynum neglected to do the things that help teams win. He began the season in street clothes thanks to a classless cheap shot on JJ Barea he inflicted three months prior as the Lakers were getting swept out of the playoffs. Once he did return, he played remarkably well on offense, but in order to save his energy (as he had never averaged more than 30 minutes per game), gave only occasional effort on the defensive end.
Before Bryant was ever allowed to shoot-to-his-hearts-content, before he was ever given the keys to the offense, he was making his presence felt by locking opponents up on the defensive end, earning his first defensive first team award in only his fourth season. Say what you will about Bryant—he’s selfish, he’s a ballhog, he’s a bad teammate, he’s overrated, he’s an asshole—but he’s worked for and earned everything he’s ever achieved in the NBA.
Bynum has never made a defensive team, let alone led the league in rebounding or blocks.
He is the poster child for today’s collection of young “superstars” who are fawned over from junior high school on into the pros and grow up expecting greatness to just come to them. They want the endorsements and the money, but shy away from the harsh scrutiny that comes with it. They either don’t have enough help, or find some other excuse to justify poor play.
That was the boat Lebron James found himself in up until the moment he had no other avenue for excuse, and finally pushed himself as hard as he could. The result? His first NBA championship.
And if Bynum were actually playing now, he would be under the same sort of scrutiny, especially now that the Sixers are “his” team (which can now be strongly contested with the way Holiday and even Evan Turner have been playing), he will have no one else to blame but himself if he is not successful.
Being a superstar and team leader extends beyond just performing on the court. It’s setting the tone for an entire organization with your work ethic and attitude. It’s being able to remain graceful and tactful during interviews, even after a crushing defeat. It’s knowing when to speak your mind, and when to give a PC answer.
Back to Bynum’s quotes from Sunday.
On Dwight Howard: “Personally, I think they traded No. 1 for No. 2…”
Bynum believes he is the first or second best center in the league (depending on how you want to interpret his quote). This in and of itself can be hotly debated. I would argue that Bynum, when healthy, has proven to be a top-10 center, but I am not of the belief that he is anywhere near the top spot.
Marc Gasol has the kind of all around game that makes teams better—he’s arguably the best bigman passer in the game, an excellent defensive anchor, solid rebounder, and a capable scorer when his team needs him to be.
In terms of offensive efficiency, Tyson Chandler is the best scorer in league history. He is also a transformative defensive presence (see 2011 NBA champion Mavs and this year’s New York Knicks).
Former Florida Gators Al Horford and Joakim Noah are excellent centers. With teams trending smaller nowadays, Horford is at the head of his class in terms of the new wave of centers gaining steam in the Association. He is mobile, agile, can rebound, pass, score, and is very active. Other than his size (6-10ish), Horford is a plus in every faucet of the game.
Noah has greatly improved his midrange efficiency, is a beast on the boards, and makes up for any holes in his game with supreme hustle and effort. He has also anchored a top-5 defense the past three seasons.
Before the season, when Shaq famously said that Brook Lopez is better than Howard, the rest of the world laughed. Then Lopez came into camp with a (mostly) healthy foot, a Tim-Duncan-esque 17-foot jumper, and a commitment to defense that has helped transform the Nets on that side of the ball.
Al Jefferson, while nobody’s idea of a defensive anchor is arguably the best post player in the NBA with his elite mixture of footwork, fakes, and scoring acumen. He has also improved as a playmaker over the past couple of seasons. Jefferson’s doppelganger is Anderson Varejao, who does all things defensively well, but who has upped his game (and his overall value) by improving his scoring. Varejao is currently leading the league in rebounding and is probably going to play in his first all-star game.
And then we can’t forget Tim Duncan, who is putting up an all-star season in terms of numbers and who already has four championships to his name, including three finals MVPs.
And that’s before we even get into the young up-and-comers, who have already shown signs of vast improvement and who will quickly join or even surpass the above players if they continue to improve.
DeAndre Jordan is the most athletic center in the league and he has a legit (though limited) post game now. He’s controlling his foul issues and continues to be an elite shot blocker while toning down his penchant for trying to swat every shot that goes up. JaVale McGee, who destroyed Bynum in games three and five of last season’s playoffs, is another young big who just needs to find a head to go with his crazy body. DeMarcus Cousins is another player with all the talent in the world, but who needs a serious attitude adjustment.
A new brain and/or a new attitude are hard to replace, but so are new knees...
Bynum, who has missed all of this season thus far and who has no timetable set for his return other than “sometime this season,” has a lot of gall to promote himself as one of the top centers in the game.
More Bynum on Howard and Kobe: “I think Dwight is a great player, but he’s going to have to get accustomed to playing with Kobe and not touching the ball every single play.”
Anyone who has ever played hoops has at one time or another played with that guy who just can’t get up enough shots. In many ways, I can sympathize with Bynum’s feelings in this regard. However, the problem with this analogy is that most people don’t get paid $16 million to play basketball. Bynum is a professional. His job is to play basketball and to play it well. To blame a teammate, especially one that “helped you tremendously” develop, or to even suggest that said teammate has stunted your growth is yet another sign of immaturity to add to Bynum’s growing list.
Were there plenty of opportunities for Bryant to give the ball to Bynum, but elected to shoot it instead? Of course. But, there are two sides to every coin. How about all the times Bryant did give the ball to Bynum, only to see him waste 10 seconds off the shot clock trying to figure out a move, and then pass it back out to Bryant with 3-4 seconds left on the shot clock for a “hand-grenade shot.”
Nobody talks about those, least of all Kobe, but there is certainly plenty of talk about Bryant’s field goal percentage.
Bynum rarely posted up early in the shot clock. He rarely hustled back to guard the paint on transition defense. He would oftentimes take himself out of the defensive equation by showing too hard on picks and running back on offense instead of crashing the defensive glass. He would also become disengaged in all facets of the game when he didn’t have the ball or didn’t get it enough.
He stunted his own growth by not working hard at all times during the game. Follow Bryant’s career and you see that he willingly has given up the ball to players whom he trusts and respects. Derek Fisher has maybe half the talent and physical gifts that Bynum has, but he has as much heart, professionalism, and desire to win as Bryant. Those are all reasons why the five-time champion Fisher found himself in positions to hit clutch shots for the Lakers, many of those shots coming off a Bryant assist.
Nobody talks about those, least of all Kobe, but there is certainly plenty of talk about Bryant’s field goal percentage.
Bynum rarely posted up early in the shot clock. He rarely hustled back to guard the paint on transition defense. He would oftentimes take himself out of the defensive equation by showing too hard on picks and running back on offense instead of crashing the defensive glass. He would also become disengaged in all facets of the game when he didn’t have the ball or didn’t get it enough.
He stunted his own growth by not working hard at all times during the game. Follow Bryant’s career and you see that he willingly has given up the ball to players whom he trusts and respects. Derek Fisher has maybe half the talent and physical gifts that Bynum has, but he has as much heart, professionalism, and desire to win as Bryant. Those are all reasons why the five-time champion Fisher found himself in positions to hit clutch shots for the Lakers, many of those shots coming off a Bryant assist.
As previously explained, Bryant has worked for everything he has ever gotten in the NBA. He has outworked others with more talent (Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Dwyane Wade) and he’s earned the right to be the alpha dog. Nobody ever questioned why Michael Jordan didn’t pass the ball more to Scottie Pippen and Pippen was a far better player than Bynum.
Bynum has earned nothing yet. While he is a two-time champion, he averaged 6 and 3 on 45 percent shooting and then 8 and 7 on 54 percent shooting during those two championship runs. While I admire his grit to play on a bum wheel, the numbers don’t lie. Bynum’s contribution was “Luc Longley-esque.”
And finally, Bynum closed with this gem regarding the Lakers: “They got to make a commitment to defense, No. 1 and No. 2. I think they have to post the ball within a system that’s going to do that.”
Perhaps this is a sign of maturity, of a player that finally realizes what it takes to win.
The more likely scenario is that it is a sign of a player who just simply doesn’t get it and is speaking as if he is wise when indeed he is not. Sure, that sounds nice, but ask any Lakers fan if they felt Bynum, at any time (other than game 1 of the 2012 NBA playoffs) made a “commitment to defense.”
I’ll close with a quote for Bynum. One of my favorite quotes actually, and somewhat current thanks to a new movie about the man who uttered it.
“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”
-Abraham Lincoln
Bynum has earned nothing yet. While he is a two-time champion, he averaged 6 and 3 on 45 percent shooting and then 8 and 7 on 54 percent shooting during those two championship runs. While I admire his grit to play on a bum wheel, the numbers don’t lie. Bynum’s contribution was “Luc Longley-esque.”
And finally, Bynum closed with this gem regarding the Lakers: “They got to make a commitment to defense, No. 1 and No. 2. I think they have to post the ball within a system that’s going to do that.”
Perhaps this is a sign of maturity, of a player that finally realizes what it takes to win.
The more likely scenario is that it is a sign of a player who just simply doesn’t get it and is speaking as if he is wise when indeed he is not. Sure, that sounds nice, but ask any Lakers fan if they felt Bynum, at any time (other than game 1 of the 2012 NBA playoffs) made a “commitment to defense.”
I’ll close with a quote for Bynum. One of my favorite quotes actually, and somewhat current thanks to a new movie about the man who uttered it.
“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”
-Abraham Lincoln
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