Andrew Bynum opens up about the nixed Chris Paul trade, Lamar Odom’s departure – NBA Update
Andrew Bynum is one guy who never cares about the popularity ratings.
He is a mean machine and it is that very nature, which makes him a demon on the basketball court. He likes to push, shove and compete, even when the odds are against him, all because he wants to win and start a legacy of his own. It was this urge to win, that forced him to cry out for a larger offensive role in the team, when the Los Angeles Lakers were being pounded by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs. The series was eventually capped by an act of reckless aggression by Bynum, in which he elbowed the Mavs reserve point guard J.J Barea.
However, last season’s failure doesn’t overshadows the fact that he, along with Spanish power forward Pau Gasol, and reserve PF Lamar Odom, have been the most dominant front court combinations for some time now. And the Lakers recent attempt to trade away both Lamar and Gasol, just to get New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul into their setup, didn’t go well with him.
"I'm happy we didn't do it," Bynum said. "I don't think you trade two 7-footers for a point guard. Ever."
The Chris Paul to Lakers deal also involving the Houston Rockets almost materialized last week, before David Stern, the NBA Commissioner, who is also acting as the man in charge of the ownerless franchise, nixed the deal. Although Stern maintained that the deal fell through purely because of basketball reasons, there was enough evidence to suggest that the trade did not happen due to the grievances of majority of the small market team owners, who did not want to see yet another All-Star make his way into the Lakers.
The trade massively backfired for the Lakers. Lamar Odom was so incensed with the management that he requested for an immediate trade. Hours later, he was traded to arch rivals, Dallas Mavericks. The annoyed Kobe Bryant, the ace shooting guard who for one broke his silence on the issue. Since then there have a lot of ‘ifs’ about the Lakers.
Even the normally cocky Bynum is unsure as to what the future holds for the Lakers;
"That definitely affects us negatively, obviously," Bynum said. "We had the best front line, I'd say, between me, [Odom] and Gasol, so I think it's going to be a little different, the way the rotations are going to work this year, and I really don't know what to expect."
The Lakers will now have to rely on Ron Artest aka Metta World Peace to fill the void left by Odom, but one thing is sure; they have been the biggest losers in this free agency till now.
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