Lakers Can’t Go All the Way Without Andrew Bynum

Some have accused me of pushing the panic button after last night’s Lakers loss to the Jazz in Utah, 88-86. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

I am not pushing the panic button. The truth is I have had my fist firmly planted on the panic button since late February when the Lakers started blowing all these leads.

When they lost Andrew Bynum on January 31, Lamar Odom moved from the bench to the starting lineup. Everything was fine for nearly a month. The Lakers went on a critical six-game road trip and wound up 6-0 including wins in Boston and Cleveland.

But without an adequate big forward like Odom to come in and relieve Pau Gasol, the Lakers began to fizzle away leads as fatigue set in.

After seeing this condition continue well into March, I wrote and have written several times since then that the Lakers cannot win without Andrew Bynum.

But not last night’s Andrew Bynum or the Playboy Mansion Andrew Bynum or the Andrew Bynum that’s dating Rihanna. No, what the Lakers desperately need is the Andrew Bynum who was playing so well as of last January.

The problem is it takes Bynum some time to get his head into his game. He went through a very mediocre three-week, 10-game exhibition schedule. In his first regular season contest against Denver, he played 20 minutes and had just four points and five personal fouls. Sound familiar?

But after that, he began raising his game starting with the Clippers. He had nine points and 17 rebounds, five on the offensive boards along with four blocked shots and two deflections and aonly three personal fouls in 33 minutes.

The problem is that the Clippers are not in the NBA Playoffs. Sometimes I think they are not even in the NBA. But that’s another story.

The Lakers are in the NBA Playoffs. But Andrew Bynum is not. At least his head isn’t.

I don’t want to dwell on Bynum’s personal affairs, but I am bothered by his response whenever these personal issues are mentioned, “I’m young.”

So true. And you can add immature to that as well because apparently Bynum thinks his youth absolves him of all discretions even on the basketball court. Discretions like five personal fouls in just seven minutes, and dumb ones at that, the first only 20 seconds into the game.

Last night Bynum and head coach Phil Jackson reminded me of the movie “Dumb and Dumber.”

Why did Jackson bother to put Bynum in the game after picking up his fourth foul very early in the third period? Sure, Gasol needed some rest. Shooting only 4-of-10 from the free throw line and letting the smaller Carlos Boozer rip rebounds right out of his hands and slam dunk in front of his face indicated that Gasol needed a breather.

But don’t put Bynum back in. Use D.J. Mbenga. Let him pick up the personal fouls instead of Bynum. With Mbenga at least you know the fouls won’t be of the love tap variety.

When Gasol finally returns he is liable to find a much mellower Boozer who is apt to feel like a piece of tenderized meat after trying to front Mbenga for four or five minutes.

This is not the exhibition season. The NBA Playoffs are serious competition. The players are competitive, and the referees are there to even things out and make the games even more competitive.

If Bynum doesn’t come to this realization quickly and understand how much the other Lakers are depending on him to show up, the Lakers will not make it to the NBA Finals.

We see how Boston responded to their first game in Chicago last night with an emphatic rout of the Bulls and will most likely take the series in five games. Tonight, the Cavaliers put away the Pistons in their first game in Detroit and will go on to sweep that series.

Game Four in Utah is an important game for the Lakers, but it is even more important for Andrew Bynum. He needs to make a statement that can be heard loud and clear across the entire NBA. “I’m Baaaack!”