Andrew Bynum says Kobe’s presence halted his growth at Los Angeles Lakers – NBA Update
Andrew Bynum started off his career in NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers and playing along the likes of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace, he gradually developed into one of the most prolific post scorers and rebounders. His last season with the Lakers was the best, with averages of 20.5 points and 11.5 rebounds, and an All-Star appearance.
The presence of Black Mamba on the court played a huge part in the development of Bynum. However somewhere along the line, the seven foot centre realized that the presence of Kobe Bryant on the court was actually doing him more harm than good. Speaking to a group of L.A. reporters before the Lakers played the Sixers on Sunday;
"I thought it really helped me a lot obviously at first, because he draws so much attention it's hard for guys to double team and key on you, so it helped me tremendously," Bynum said. "Later, I felt I was able to get the ball more and do more things with the ball, so I could definitely see how it could stunt growth."
Part of Bynum’s frustration later in his career has to do a lot with Pau Gasol and the coaching setup at the Lakers. Till the later part of the Phil Jackson’s tenure as the Lakers head coach, Gasol was considered as the second scoring outlet for the Lakers, in addition to being a reliable defender. However, as Gasol’s form gradually faded away, P-Jax and later Mike Brown shifted the scoring burden entirely on Kobe, rather than trusting Bynum for the responsibility.
When the Lakers were on their way to be swept in the second round of playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, Bynum made this view public for the first time, and according to team sources, he was not that happy under Brown’s system as well.
The centre was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers during the summer, and seemed pretty happy at the prospect of being the go-to man, the franchise player so to say. He has however been bugged by knee injuries and there is still no timetable regarding his return to the court.
Tags: