The Black Mamba agrees with Andrew Bynum’s assessment that his presence stunted the growth of seven foot centre in the later part of his Los Angeles Lakers stint.
Speaking to Los Angeles based group of reporters before his new team, the Philadelphia 76ers, took on his old one, Andrew Bynum created quite a splash by saying that the presence of Kobe Bryant halted his growth as a complete player.
Bryant who has been on song this season, leading the league in scoring by some distance, ended the game with 34 points to orchestrate a 111-98 win, and when asked about his take on the comments of his former team mate, the Black
Mamba surprisingly agreed with the assessment.
"For sure, because when you're playing with me you obviously have to sacrifice something," Bryant said. "Same thing with me and Shaq (Shaquille O'Neal). You kind of off-set each other to a certain extent. So, I mean, that's true.
Kobe talked to Bynum for three to four minutes after the game and appeared very supportive of the centre, who has not been able to take part in a single game since being traded due to bone bruises in both his knees.
“When he gets back and he's healthy, he'll come out here and he'll be the focal point of their attack and he'll be getting the ball more and you'll see big games from him more consistently."
Bynum started his career at the Lakers, and only got traded this off season because the Lakers got their hands on Dwight Howard, the best in the business. Bynum realizes that;
"Personally I think they traded No. 1 for No. 2," Bynum said.
The shift to Philadelphia has given Bynum an opportunity to establish himself as a franchise player. His way however has been hampered by the knee issues, and should the seven foot centre fail to recover from the ailment completely,
there is a chance that the Sixers may not offer him a lucrative contract at the end of this season, or any contract for that matter. It can also result in the removal of quite a number of zeroes from his next financial package.
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