Now, when I was contemplating this entire issue the thing that really steered my decision was not Lamar’s ability to lead the reserves, but the fact that I don’t believe Andrew Bynum could do the same thing. Very rarely do we see Bynum take authority on the court, regardless of his surroundings. He is not a player that plays high energy, high tempo basketball, which is what most teams look for from their bench. I truly doubt Bynum’s ability to lead, which is what the Lakers would need from him off the bench.
While the Lakers are going to need both Odom and Bynum if they want to complete their repeat, the drastic differences in their style of play really limits what Phil Jackson can do with them. Odom is the perfect complement to the bench mob, while Bynum fits in better with the starting five’s desire to slow the ball down and play within the half-court offense.
It has become an obvious handicap to the Lakers the effect of the injured Bynum has on the team, even without him on the court. The injury forces Odom into the starting five, leaving an already sub-par bench even more depleted. This has resulted in losses to New Orleans and Oklahoma City in two of the past three games, and those are games that this Lakers team should not lose. Especially in late March. At this point it seems that the Lakers would almost be better off with a less-than-perfect Bynum just so Odom could reclaim his spot as the sixth man. It’s not like Bynum’s presence in the line-up is going to effect the number of minutes Odom spends on the floor anyways.
Note: Luke Walton is back in practice and could play as early as Friday, providing a positive boost to the Los Angeles bench.
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