I Miss...

When he was challenged, motivated, and healthy he was a beast. Problem was he wasn't always up to the task and sometimes he was and his body wasn't ready. Those factors prevented me from buying him as a franchise big, which is really a shame cause when he was dialed in and healthy he was a joy to watch.

 

Bynum is probably my favorite player ever aside from Kobe. I was too young to really appreciate Shaq but I was able to witness Bynum's entire development in my "prime" as a fan (back when I was in middle/high school so I'd have time to watch every game and my entire life revolved around the Lakers). I remember going from not knowing who the hell he was when we drafted him, to watching him dunk on Shaq live and starting to gain some hope, and then seeing him eventually develop into a cornerstone of our championship teams. Not to take anything away from Pau, because he was definitely the better player and the main reason we won those titles, but I don't think we would've won without Bynum in the paint. And a lot of people forget this: a few weeks before we traded for Pau and before Bynum got hurt, we were actually at the top of the western conference standings due in large part to Bynum.

He's the last true elite center IMO. Absolutely dominant post moves, he could hit free throws, had a nice touch on the baby jump shots and hooks. He was almost unstoppable in the paint in today's NBA with that combination of skill, size, and length. When he was dialed in, he could get you 30 rebounds or 10 blocks in a game. I think his "attitude" issues were severely overblown. The media needed something to talk about, so they exaggerated this stuff and a lot of fans ate it up.

If only he had a solid set of knees...

 

Miss him cause it gave #17 some relevancy. With him in it, we had the potential to get #17.....instead, we're now Linked with mediocrity. And I'm Linked into having a crappy handle.

 

Miss him very much especially the 2007 Bynum. Beast out of nowhere.

 

I miss the "Bynum Will Never Be Special" thread. It was epic. And yeah prior to the freak injuries both of them, he was on a progression to be EPIC.

 

as many ups and downs as he's had i do miss odom. for a good stretch there he really made the offense work

and i hope he's doing better now in his personal life, haven't heard anything lately which hopefully is a good thing

 

07 Bynum was like 2015 Hassan Whiteside: long, great hands, could finish at the rim and protect the paint. He just didn't have the heart...hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.

 

2007 Bynum made me think: Am I dreaming, are we good again so quick? That made him special, he was destroying all star big men like Amare like they were nothing and we were leading the Western Conference when he fell. Of course, that led to the trade.

 

don't miss his attitude but i sure do miss his play

still remember how he came out of nowhere in '07. like someone said earlier, he really was the last true, back to the basket, elite center. such a shame how quickly his body broke down. he really could have dominated for years had his body not given out on him and with a better attitude

 

I miss the hope that came with young Bynum. I thought randle might bring that back this year, but he was cruelly and immediately injured.

I do miss 2008-10 quite a bit, though. oddly, I especially miss the 2008-9 year. it was fun watching the lakers come out of nowhere (even pre pau trade) and stick it to the haterz.

not sure when that time will come again, but it won't be with the extra special kobe redemption that that time carried.

 

No, I don't miss Bynum.