Bynum’s H2H Fantasy Value Held Back By Lakers Not Injuries?

Undoubtedly, Andrew Bynum earned the respect of his teammates this postseason.  The 22 year old Los Angeles Lakers center tore the meniscus in his right knee in game 6 of the opening round of the 2010 NBA Playoffs versus Oklahoma City.  It’s probably pretty safe to say, most of those associated with or supportive of the Lakers had very little confidence in Bynum’s ability to play through his latest injury.

Coming into last season, many (including some in the Lakers organization most likely) were beginning to view Bynum as soft, unmotivated and unreliable, after he struggled to come back strong from two mid-season knee injuries.   So when he went down early in the playoffs with yet another knee injury, the “here we go again” whispers grew into a dull roar.  

To everyone’s surprise, not only did Bynum play in all 17 of the Lakers remaining playoff games, he was actually fairly effective.  He was active, engaged and passionate while playing in obvious pain.  The numbers weren’t eye-popping, but he did manage to have an impact in most games.  He even drew the praises of those within the organization –most notably Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant (two former critics). 

This postseason might have done wonders for Bynum’s perception among teammates, coaches, media and fans.  But was it enough?  I believe the answer is no.  Despite his display of toughness, Bynum has yet to prove himself a vital cog in the Lakers championship machine.  He has essentially gained respect but not trust, and for H2H Fantasy Owners, that means a continued lack of touches and minutes relative to his immense talents.

Fact is:  Andrew Bynum’s H2H Fantasy Value will never reach full potential in the current Lakers dynamic.  As long as Kobe is a Laker, Pau Gasol is his sidekick, Phil Jackson is the coach, and Lamar Odom the 6^th man, Andrew Bynum will never see the touches or minutes necessary to make him a dominant H2H Fantasy Basketball Center. 

Kobe has formed an on the court bond with Gasol that Bynum, no matter how good he might become, will be able to match.  It’s also apparent that Phil Jackson trusts Lamar Odom a lot more than Bynum as evidenced by L.O. getting the nod at the end of games though out the season.  As a matter of fact, Bynum ranked just 5th on the team in minutes (just behind the aforementioned Lamar Odom) during the regular season, and put up only 1 more shot per contest than the poor shooting Ron Artest.

His averages of  15 points on 57% shooting, 8.3 boards, and 1.4 blocks in just over 30 minutes a night last season were good enough to rank 69^th in Yahoo’s 2010 Fantasy Basketball Rankings.  Not bad for a true center in today’s NBA.  When averaged over 36 minutes a game, his numbers jump to 17.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game – which would have compared him quite favorably to perennial Hoops Fantasy stud Tim Duncan who finished 24^th in Yahoo’s rankings.

While injuries have done plenty to thwart Andrew Bynum’s Fantasy Value, being a Laker hasn’t helped either.  As a lifelong Lakers fan, continuing with the status quo would suit me just fine – 3 straight Finals appearances and back-to-back titles can’t be argued.  However, a part of me can’t help but wonder what the kid’s stat sheet would look like on a night-to-night basis in say Toronto – if a sign and trade deal were worked out with the Raptors for Chris Bosh.  Oops, I think I just opened up a whole new can of worms with that one!

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