Bynum and Pau Struggling?

[DPG21920]

http://www.fannation.com/si_blogs/nb...er/posts/12141

Phil Jackson is in full-scale tinker mode with the Lakers this preseason. First there was talk about having Lamar Odom fill a reserve role. Then came word that Odom would be used as a ball-handling guard with Kobe Bryant moving to small forward. Now the Orange County Register reports that center Andrew Bynum could come off the bench unless his chemistry with Pau Gasol improves:

"It has been mentioned," Lakers consultant Tex Winter said of the coaching staff's internal discussions. "We played pretty well last year without him."

...

"Right now, they're very clumsy; they're not working well together," Jackson said. "We've got a group that played very well together last year. There are some things that we have to discuss and see how long we drag this out -- or how quickly we facilitate it, because I think we have got the ability to play exceptionally well if we use all our skill players."

...

Winter said a major factor in the slow start so far has been Bynum not giving maximum effort in practice.

"He's just not exerting himself, maybe," Winter said. "And most of the other guys are. I think he just needs to play a little harder."

Bynum has said himself that practice work hasn't had him completely riveted.

"This is the first year where it's kind of a little bit boring just because we have to run through the same stuff we already know," he said.

[koriwhat]

"This is the first year where it's kind of a little bit boring just because we have to run through the same stuff we already know," he said.

ah poor SUPERSTAR bynum is too good to bother practicing things he already has gone through before... ah so sad. a player who only played a fraction of last season has already deemed himself so knowledgeable that he doesn't have to go over such things in training camp. i can already see this dude's ego inflating more and more.

[z0sa]

ah poor SUPERSTAR bynum is too good to bother practicing things he already has gone through before... ah so sad. a player who only played a fraction of last season has already deemed himself so knowledgeable that he doesn't have to go over such things in training camp. i can already see this dude's ego inflating more and more.

Its cool. Let them destroy themselves in October so we can further destroy them come May.

[Red Hawk #21]

I think its pretty bad that fans of other teams have to hope for the Lakers to implode so that they will have a shot, just saying...

[koriwhat]

I think its pretty bad that fans of other teams have to hope for the Lakers to implode so that they will have a shot, just saying...

i could care less... i only ever hope that my spurs will get back to the finals and win it.

i just think it's sad when professionals aren't so professional like this kid bynum.

[Sissiborgo]

Bynum will but not Pau

[ambchang]

I really am shocked at what Bynum has said, but then, it could be classic Phil playing with people's mind, orchestrating this "leak" to the public.

[DPG21920]

If you are that good, you do not play mind games.

[Medvedenko]

Motivation....that's all.

[The Franchise]

Is Bynum just dumb?

[lefty]

I think a healthy Bynum as a C and Pau as a PF should work

[JamStone]

i just think it's sad when professionals aren't so professional like this kid bynum.

Or like 80% of other young teen to early 20s pro athletes?

[Showtime24 LAKERS]

Let's see. What insipid and totally inane pla ude can I dig up for this one? How about, "Rome wasn't built in a day"?

It seems rather dumb to get anxious about this stuff only one week into training camp. Even braces of plow horses have to have time to get use to each other. Tempest in a teacup, and very premature to make judgments on this.

[DPG21920]

A guy who missed the majority of the season (including a playoff run that led them to the finals) should not already be bored. He should be excited. Not a great at ude.