duncan228
10-28-2008, 11:45 AM
Bryant and Bynum hold the keys to Lakers success (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/bryant-bynum-jackson-2208660-season-time)
Ding column: Lakers can win it all if two stars work together.
Kevin Ding
The connection can transmit faster than broadband, the chemistry can be crystalline solid, and every intention can be pure. Lacking the right timing, however, even the most promising relationship will fail.
And for all their potential, it was never right between Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum, two guys with actually much more in common than not. As good as it got last season, Bynum went down with a buckled knee and wasn’t there in the end.
With more full-time help this season, led by Derek Fisher’s will and Pau Gasol’s grace, there’s no doubting Bryant is the king and Bynum is the prince of Lakerland. They are in position to rule together, something that one of them three years ago had the foresight to see could not happen until now.
It was the night when Bynum made his NBA debut – at 18 years and six days becoming the youngest in league history to play this game (Bryant debuted at 18 years, 72 days). But Bynum’s two blocked shots in the second quarter were long forgotten by the final second of double overtime, when Bryant threw in that drifting 20-footer for a two-point victory in his first game again being coached by Phil Jackson.
Sitting in a corner locker that marked the farthest point of the room from Bryant’s corner locker, Bynum offered the portent:
“Hopefully when I get to the prime of my career,” Bynum said quietly, “he’ll still be around at 30-something.”
Bryant is 30 now.
He has been ready to win again for quite some time, but now he’ll have the opportunity to prove it fully. There are some sacrifices you make to be in any committed relationship, but especially so in one with a dominant big man.
For example, Bryant loses the luxury of the fast lane: If there’s always a big center and his defender clogging up the lane, it becomes much harder for Bryant to get all the way to the rim.
In response to that back in the day, Bryant perfected the in-the-air, in-mass-traffic, drop-off pass for Shaquille O’Neal to dunk, but Bryant will have to develop that anew with Bynum.
The additional complexity now is that Bryant, after playing guard almost throughout his career with O’Neal, spends most of his time in the triangle offense at small forward. Asked if Bryant’s lust had abated for that wing spot in the triangle that was mastered by Michael Jordan, Jackson smiled and said: “Oh, no. That’s only increased.”
It’s a lot harder to score from the top of the floor with the whole defense in front of you than from the side, Bryant knows from full experience now.
“When we’re in our basic offense, Pau should be on the wing and Andrew in the post,” Jackson said. “And a lot of times, Kobe has been kicking both of them out and taking the post, and then they’re both out on the outside.”
Jackson sounds these critical notes with a healthy dose of amusement. Bryant has proved to him over the years that the right play will most often get made when the right time comes. Beyond that, Bryant’s game has become so multi-faceted and his knowledge of the triangle so encyclopedic that he can almost always find other spots for himself.
Asked what he wants from Bryant this season, Jackson said: “Most good, least effort.”
Jackson has every expectation he can get it. With Bynum, the coach can’t be so certain.
Bynum’s production in the 24 games he started last season before Jan. 13 came and his knee gave out was pretty convincing: 14.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 63.6 percent field-goal shooting in 30 minutes.
At Jackson’s frequent reminder, though, Bynum is accepting that the rebounds and blocks are the most important of those stats for the Lakers to thrive.
In the same way that he embraced the challenge of coaching a hard-charging young Bryant, Jackson is teaching Bynum his true definition of a great player.
“More than anything else,” Jackson said, “we’re looking for him to complement his teammates.”
Bynum has already let his ego fly and acted his age in exhibition games, throwing up his hands in disgust and scrunching up his face at every single disagreeable call or non-call. At times when Bynum doesn’t the ball from teammates, he’ll react similarly.
This is what crusty Lakers assistant Morice Fredrick “Tex” Winter, in Year No. 62 as a coach and No. 85 of life, offered as perspective on Bynum earlier this month: “He is physically much more mature. Emotionally – and intellectually, maybe – he’s still 20.”
Well, Bynum changed that by turning 21 Monday, at least. And he deserves some credit for grasping that his life is a business now – as seen in his unemotional approach to recent contract-extension negotiations.
He also managed not to get caught on video ripping Jerry Buss and Mitch Kupchak despite seeing all his best friends on the team traded last season: Maurice Evans (video-game buddy), Javaris Crittenton (chillin’ partner in youth) and Kwame Brown (fellow goofball).
Bynum has moved on, even after losing another pal in free agent Ronny Turiaf, and is now clicking off the court with newcomer Josh Powell.
Yet as much as Lakers fans love seeing Bryant and Fisher posing on red carpets, Gasol and Sasha Vujacic leaping into each other’s arms or Jordan Farmar and Luke Walton out shopping at Whole Foods, the one relationship everyone wants to see move forward this season is Bryant and Bynum’s.
It isn’t as overanalyzed as Bryant and O’Neal’s relationship, but there have been some dysfunctional similarities. The primary one has been articulated by Bryant: Just as O’Neal didn’t want to wait around for Bryant to figure it out, Bryant didn’t want to have to wait for Bynum.
They’re beginning their fourth year together now. In their fourth year together, for the record, Bryant and O’Neal became champions.
As much as has changed since Bryant tried to wish a slackish Bynum away in 2007, even more has changed since the fully unrequited love of 2005.
Asked about Bryant’s game-winning shot that night of his NBA debut, a trusting, wide-eyed Bynum answered: “I knew it was going to happen, because it’s Kobe time.”
Now? It’s their time.
Ding column: Lakers can win it all if two stars work together.
Kevin Ding
The connection can transmit faster than broadband, the chemistry can be crystalline solid, and every intention can be pure. Lacking the right timing, however, even the most promising relationship will fail.
And for all their potential, it was never right between Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum, two guys with actually much more in common than not. As good as it got last season, Bynum went down with a buckled knee and wasn’t there in the end.
With more full-time help this season, led by Derek Fisher’s will and Pau Gasol’s grace, there’s no doubting Bryant is the king and Bynum is the prince of Lakerland. They are in position to rule together, something that one of them three years ago had the foresight to see could not happen until now.
It was the night when Bynum made his NBA debut – at 18 years and six days becoming the youngest in league history to play this game (Bryant debuted at 18 years, 72 days). But Bynum’s two blocked shots in the second quarter were long forgotten by the final second of double overtime, when Bryant threw in that drifting 20-footer for a two-point victory in his first game again being coached by Phil Jackson.
Sitting in a corner locker that marked the farthest point of the room from Bryant’s corner locker, Bynum offered the portent:
“Hopefully when I get to the prime of my career,” Bynum said quietly, “he’ll still be around at 30-something.”
Bryant is 30 now.
He has been ready to win again for quite some time, but now he’ll have the opportunity to prove it fully. There are some sacrifices you make to be in any committed relationship, but especially so in one with a dominant big man.
For example, Bryant loses the luxury of the fast lane: If there’s always a big center and his defender clogging up the lane, it becomes much harder for Bryant to get all the way to the rim.
In response to that back in the day, Bryant perfected the in-the-air, in-mass-traffic, drop-off pass for Shaquille O’Neal to dunk, but Bryant will have to develop that anew with Bynum.
The additional complexity now is that Bryant, after playing guard almost throughout his career with O’Neal, spends most of his time in the triangle offense at small forward. Asked if Bryant’s lust had abated for that wing spot in the triangle that was mastered by Michael Jordan, Jackson smiled and said: “Oh, no. That’s only increased.”
It’s a lot harder to score from the top of the floor with the whole defense in front of you than from the side, Bryant knows from full experience now.
“When we’re in our basic offense, Pau should be on the wing and Andrew in the post,” Jackson said. “And a lot of times, Kobe has been kicking both of them out and taking the post, and then they’re both out on the outside.”
Jackson sounds these critical notes with a healthy dose of amusement. Bryant has proved to him over the years that the right play will most often get made when the right time comes. Beyond that, Bryant’s game has become so multi-faceted and his knowledge of the triangle so encyclopedic that he can almost always find other spots for himself.
Asked what he wants from Bryant this season, Jackson said: “Most good, least effort.”
Jackson has every expectation he can get it. With Bynum, the coach can’t be so certain.
Bynum’s production in the 24 games he started last season before Jan. 13 came and his knee gave out was pretty convincing: 14.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 63.6 percent field-goal shooting in 30 minutes.
At Jackson’s frequent reminder, though, Bynum is accepting that the rebounds and blocks are the most important of those stats for the Lakers to thrive.
In the same way that he embraced the challenge of coaching a hard-charging young Bryant, Jackson is teaching Bynum his true definition of a great player.
“More than anything else,” Jackson said, “we’re looking for him to complement his teammates.”
Bynum has already let his ego fly and acted his age in exhibition games, throwing up his hands in disgust and scrunching up his face at every single disagreeable call or non-call. At times when Bynum doesn’t the ball from teammates, he’ll react similarly.
This is what crusty Lakers assistant Morice Fredrick “Tex” Winter, in Year No. 62 as a coach and No. 85 of life, offered as perspective on Bynum earlier this month: “He is physically much more mature. Emotionally – and intellectually, maybe – he’s still 20.”
Well, Bynum changed that by turning 21 Monday, at least. And he deserves some credit for grasping that his life is a business now – as seen in his unemotional approach to recent contract-extension negotiations.
He also managed not to get caught on video ripping Jerry Buss and Mitch Kupchak despite seeing all his best friends on the team traded last season: Maurice Evans (video-game buddy), Javaris Crittenton (chillin’ partner in youth) and Kwame Brown (fellow goofball).
Bynum has moved on, even after losing another pal in free agent Ronny Turiaf, and is now clicking off the court with newcomer Josh Powell.
Yet as much as Lakers fans love seeing Bryant and Fisher posing on red carpets, Gasol and Sasha Vujacic leaping into each other’s arms or Jordan Farmar and Luke Walton out shopping at Whole Foods, the one relationship everyone wants to see move forward this season is Bryant and Bynum’s.
It isn’t as overanalyzed as Bryant and O’Neal’s relationship, but there have been some dysfunctional similarities. The primary one has been articulated by Bryant: Just as O’Neal didn’t want to wait around for Bryant to figure it out, Bryant didn’t want to have to wait for Bynum.
They’re beginning their fourth year together now. In their fourth year together, for the record, Bryant and O’Neal became champions.
As much as has changed since Bryant tried to wish a slackish Bynum away in 2007, even more has changed since the fully unrequited love of 2005.
Asked about Bryant’s game-winning shot that night of his NBA debut, a trusting, wide-eyed Bynum answered: “I knew it was going to happen, because it’s Kobe time.”
Now? It’s their time.