No Bynum No LOB trophy

[JamStone]

Kobe will be forced to sacrifice. He already is sacrificing now. It's not his fault that when the clock strikes 10, they all panic and seek him out to bail them out. I'm sure you're aware of the lack of traditional big's in the league. Move Pau to center and Bosh at the 4. It's an easy transition. And now that Bosh has come out and said he want's to play with the Lakers, we'd be fools not to try and secure him.

I don't disagree with that. I was responding to you wondering how it could be viewed that Bynum is a better fit on the Lakers than Bosh. There are legit reasons. Personally, I'd still trade Bynum for Bosh. That doesn't mean there aren't good reasons to think Bynum fits better.

[Giuseppe]

Ever since they gave Jammie his medal he's been posting like Shakespeare.

[JamStone]

If you're going to sour with envy, at least get at me in poetry.

[tlongII]

I would LOVE for the Lakers to deal Bynum for Bosh! We would absolutely OWN that ass for the next 10 years! SIZE MATTERS!

[duncan228]

Bynum or no, Jackson thinks Lakers can win Game 5
By Brian Mahoney

Lakers coach Phil Jackson does not have “any expectations” for injured center Andrew Bynum.

However, there is one thing Jackson is counting on.

“We’re going to try and establish the fact that we’re going back to L.A. with a 3-2 lead,” Jackson said Friday. “We believe we can do it. We felt we let one get away last night.”

More like the rougher and tougher Celtics took it.

With Bynum limited to only 12 minutes and on the bench for nearly the entire second half because of his sore right knee, Boston pounded Los Angeles inside in a 96-89 victory that evened the series at two games apiece.

The Celtics had a 54-34 advantage in points in the paint, with Glen Davis and Boston’s bigs finding room in the areas that Bynum often controls.

“They miss him,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said. “I mean, he has great size and length, and we attacked the paint yesterday, and Andrew wasn’t there. So I mean, obviously when he’s not on the floor, there’s a big difference.”

Neither team practiced Friday, the first of two days off before Game 5 on Sunday night. The break comes at a good time for the Lakers, with Jackson saying he thought Kobe Bryant looked tired late in Thursday’s game.

Jackson hadn’t spoken to Bynum, who planned to see a doctor and get treatment. He has a torn meniscus and recently had fluid drained from the knee, but the swelling has returned. He said Thursday having it drained again could be another option.

He was optimistic he can play Sunday and Jackson will give him the chance if he’s “available and able.” However, Bynum won’t be used if it would hurt himself or the Lakers.

“If he can’t get back in defense transition-wise, and that’s one of the things they’re trying to attack with our first unit obviously, when Andrew is out there is try and run, then obviously he’s going to hurt the team,” Jackson said.

Keep reading...

[tlongII]

I'd send him back to LA and have the knee drained again. It's LA's only hope of winning this series.

[TheManFromAcme]

I would LOVE for the Lakers to deal Bynum for Bosh! We would absolutely OWN that ass for the next 10 years! SIZE MATTERS!

kinda going to have to agree with you on that one tlong. not the owing part but the SIZE MATTERS part.

[JamStone]

When Oden, Przybilla, and Camby all go down to injury, Aldridge and Dante Cunningham aren't really going to be owning many teams in terms of forcing their sheer size on them.

[21_Blessings]

"100 percent sure I'll play come Sunday."

Look out Boston.

[HarlemHeat37]

Was there ever any doubt that he was going to play though?..

It's obviously all about his effectiveness..if his knees are hurting his ability to make quick moves, he's obviously going to pick up quick fouls and leave a hole out there for the Lakers D regardless of whether he's dressed or not..

Odom is still the X-Factor, we'll see how determined he is next game, after being called out by everybody..

[Giuseppe]

^You light the fires, 21.

Luva, you kick the tires.

Harlem, you remain standing at attention.

I'm gonna peek up Jammies skirts and see what's cookin'.

[HarlemHeat37]

[21_Blessings]

[Giuseppe]

Kori!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[duncan228]

Parden the double-post, this is in the previews but I thought it belonged here too.

Bynum has right knee drained again
By Kevin Ding
The Orange County Register

When Andrew Bynum left TD Garden on Thursday night, he said draining fluid from his swollen right knee was an option he was unlikely to choose, but Bynum was soon convinced that it was worth a try.

Bynum had his knee drained in the early morning hours Friday -- just as he did before the NBA Finals began when his knee didn't seem to be responding to other sorts of treatment -- in hopes of regaining mobility and function. Bynum also had another MRI on the knee later Friday afternoon with Lakers team doctor Steve Lombardo, and the results showed no new damage. The MRI results were sent for Bynum's personal physician, David Altchek, to review also.

"Nothing new at all," Lakers spokesman John Black said of the findings.

Bynum is officially listed as questionable for Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night, although the Lakers remain optimistic he'll be able to play and Bynum has said he will be ready. He will continue with his array of other types of treatment to minimize swelling in his knee, which needs surgery to repair torn cartilage.

Last time Bynum had the knee drained on May 31 (the Monday before the NBA Finals began on a Thursday) and tested the knee in practice two days later. Bynum said fluid returned to the knee "about 12 hours" after aspirating the knee anyway, which is not unexpected, but Bynum was effective regardless to start this series -- averaging 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in 32 minutes in the first three NBA Finals games.

He was limited to 1:50 of second-half playing time in Game 4 on Thursday night and said the swelling made his knee look "like a basketball."

[mavsfan1000]

Ah Lakers don't need Bynum. They'll win it without him as long as Gasol and Odom are fine.

[tlongII]

Ah Lakers don't need Bynum. They'll win it without him as long as Gasol and Odom are fine.

Bull

[Giuseppe]

Bull

Not bull , t.

The Lakers can win this sans Bynum.

[tlongII]

Not bull , t.

The Lakers can win this sans Bynum.

No they can't Cubby. That will be evident soon enough if he doesn't play.

[Giuseppe]

No they can't Cubby. That will be evident soon enough if he doesn't play.

Bynum is not definitive to our success here, t. He's a component, but, it's not cut & dry like you're portraying.

[TheManFromAcme]

Cully,

not even "key" component?

[Giuseppe]

Cully,

not even "key" component?

Sure, you can say "key." But, if he's not there, it's not a permanent void where it's 4 on 5. Adjustments will be made, subs ution patterns arranged accordingly. Others will have to step up there game.

Kinda like the guy who's car flips over on the dark, deserted highway. The car lands on his wife, but, she's still alive. He's goes completely bonkers, testosterone flows, and he lifts the car off her and saves her life. Then they go to Sonic for a nice chocolate malt and tots.

Kobe would have to lift Big Baby off Odom.

[tlongII]

Bynum is not definitive to our success here, t. He's a component, but, it's not cut & dry like you're portraying.

The Lakers win because of their size Cubby. No Bynum means no size advantage.

[cobbler]

Probably more so if you look at it defensively. Bynum has more size, length and strength to bang down low against the bigger centers than Chris Bosh. That's a better fit when playing against teams with a legitimate center.

Offensively, Bynum is more of a traditional big who will stay down at the low block more. But probably what's more of a fit with Bynum isn't his ability or inability to play with Pau but the fact that he doesn't need a lot of shot attempts. If you add Bosh to Kobe and Gasol, now you're talking about an even more difficult distribution of shot attempts among the players on the team. Perhaps Kobe sacrifices some, but I wouldn't expect a lot. Pau has already sacrificed shot attempts since joining the Lakers and has already ed about it a few times. Bosh is the type of offensive talent you want to give shot attempts to. That's what would make it tougher, and possibly not as good a fit as Bynum, who is maybe not content with it but accepts the fact that most of his shot attempts are going to be off offensive putbacks and maybe early in the game.

But again, Bynum being a "better fit" probably goes more to what he brings to the Lakers defensively.

Good post Jammie. Just one note of contention though. He really hasn't sacraficed shot attempts since joining the Lakers.

Memphis career: 13.5 FGA
Laker career: 12.7 FGA

[hitmanyr2k]

Bynum is not definitive to our success here, t. He's a component, but, it's not cut & dry like you're portraying.

Without Bynum in the middle I expect the Celtic perimeter players are going to live in the paint. Ray Allen and Pierce both showed glimpses of it in Game 4 because the usual initimidation by Bynum was missing. Pierce didn't have to chuck long jumpshots anymore. He could put pressure on LA's perimeter defense and get in the paint for 12-15 foot midrange jumpers and he also got to the rim for an "and 1" late in the game. You think that same scenario would happen with Bynum in there? no His length keeps those guys out of there. And Big Baby tends to rush his shots for fear of being blocked. Without Bynum there Big Baby did whatever the he wanted.