Isn't this kid a High Schooler. I know we needed a big man, but I dont know too much about this kid. Please shed some light on him... Thanks.
Me neither, I was told that he was a 7 footer but actually he's 6'11''.... However he is 17 yrs, I'm pretty sure he's still going to grow a couple of more inches; hopefully... But he does have a Sky-hook, a shot he says he wants to bring back, and he CAN make his free throws... From what he said the other day, his primary goal for now is to be a rebounder and a shot blocker, and then hopefully he can develop his offensive skills down the line... I DO however really like that power forward we picked up in the second round; 250 lbs, 6'10'', averages pretty much a double-double per game, known to be a good post player; someone we need....
This is a goo pick for L.A. They;re building around Kobe and in the future Bynum can be a great big man. Great combo of Bynum and Kobe in the future(hopefully not another big man that Kobe despises)
Bynum's nickname "2010"? <div class="quote_poster">Quoting trenchteam:</div><div class="quote_post">Isn't this kid a High Schooler. I know we needed a big man, but I dont know too much about this kid. Please shed some light on him... Thanks.</div> I think Bynum needs a nickname. How about "2010" because it will take that long for him to develop. Who is the guy from Florida State? Anyone know why we would pass on hometown kid from UCLA who can shoot the lights out and is two inches taller than "Vanilla" Wafer.
LOL!!!!! Well hopefully we can call him 2007.... Hey!!! We still have Mihm; legitimate 7? footer... He needs to hit the weight room, but has shown to be a solid player... He needs to stay out of foul trouble though... That would be great if Bynum does bring back the Sky-Hook, because that?s a pretty unstoppable shot. That way he will always have a go-to shot that nobody could defend against?
Bynum is actually 7'0 and 295lbs from what I've heard. He's got good post moves and a decent jump shot, but, seeing as how he's only 17 (youngest player ever drafted), he still has a lot of time to improve every facet of his game. He's also got a 7'6" wingspan and great athleticism for a man his size (34" vert), so he should have no problems getting up there to block shots. All in all, I think he was a good pick. He has the POTENTIAL to be a great player down the rode, and hopefully he develops the way he's supposed to. With Von Wafer...he's a former 2003 McDonalds All American. He competed in the dunk contest that year with the likes of LeBron James, Shannon Brown, and Charlie Villanueva, so to say the least, the kid can jump out of the gym. He was one of FSUs top scorers last year at 12.5 ppg and is an excellent three point shooter, shooting 36% in two years and almost 40% during his sophmore year. To me, he was a good pick. Couples good athleticism with a good shooting touch that's getting better.
Oh so he is 7 feet huh??? Well thats even better... Yah hopefully this kid developes quick and makes certain people to eat their words. I hear lots of analysts thought this was stupid move by the Lakers because of the fact that Jackson does'nt like rookies; we should expect him to be on the bench the majority of the time...
I'm sorta dissapointed. I would have rather got Sean May or Gerald Green. But we can only hope that he'll help the lakers. But I liked our second round pick Turiaf.
"A winning legacy breeds impatience." When I first heard Stern announce that we picked Bynum, I was pissed as hell. The first thing that came to mind was "great, another damn project bigman." Danny Granger & Gerald Green fell right onto our laps and I'm sure a majority of you thought we'd pick up either of those guys just as I did. But after getting some sleep over it I realised maybe this isn't such a bad pick after all. I don't expect him to be the next Amare Stoudamire or anything but hopefully he can prove to be a serviceable bigman in the future. He doesn't provide great weakside blocking, but his size and length alone gives us some defensive presence in the middle. The thing that irks me the most is we won't be seeing much of this guy in the next 2-3 years...and PJ's contract is only 3 years.
he might turn out to be a degasa doip. and also, when bynum finally comes to age, which'll be 3 to 4 years IMO, phil jackson will be gone. so i don't agree with this pick. we should've gotton joey graham.
They say this kid is big, athletic, and very raw with huge upside. That's what i remember them saying about Desagna(sp?) Diop and Michael Olowakandi. Needless to say, I'm not a big fan of this draft pick...
I know a lot of people are scratching there head and have no idea who Andrew Bynum is. You would have preferred Danny Granger or Gerald Green, and maybe May because he brings immediate help. Here is why I love this pick for the Lakers. When you draft in the lottery you have to gamble and go for the high risk, high reward player. Seven-foot, 300lb athletic centers don't come around very often, and at only 17, Bynum has tremendous potential. He already has post up moves, footwork, and a work ethic, something DeSagna Diop never had. Bynum wants to be a great one, and he will have a chance to be the next great center for the Lakers. The Lakers could have went the conservative route, but goint that route only puts the Lakers at a chance to make the playoffs. If Bynum can reach his potential, he gives the Lakers a chance at being champions again. I'm hoping the Lakers decide to bring Vlade Divac back next year, and with this draft choice I believe he will be back. Vlade Divac will be a great mentor to Andrew Bynum and help expand his game with passing, post moves, footwork and how to play in the high post. Phil Jackson and the rest of the staff will teach Bynum how to play defense and use his body to box out for rebounds. Phil Jackson signed a 3 year contract, but who's to say he won't be extended when those 3 years are up, or he will be promoted within the organization and someone like Brian Shaw will be handed the coaching torch with Phil as his consultant. A lot can happen in 3 years, if Phil Jackson marries Jeannie Buss, he'll become part owner of the team. So let's not limit Bynum only having 3 years to be an impact player. The Lakers current roster with Phil Jackson is good enough to make the playoffs with or without Bynum. Drafting Turiaf gives them the immediate help up front and the Lakers still have some trade options to improve team. They definitely need to upgrade the point guard spot, I was disappointed they passed on Roko Ukic, but you can read that rant in the Official Laker Draft thread. Ronny Turiaf will push Brian Grant for that starting PF spot. He plays mean and is very physical. He'll be a good body guard for Chris Mihm down low and clean up on the glass for the Lakers. He's strong and can also score if needed, he's a great defensive player and can hold his position in the post at 6'10/250lbs.
Thanks for the updates on this kid. Shape, at least your optimistic and that is good. As a Laker fan for over 15 years, Im used to winning. We need to get back on track! Hopefully this pick will be our next big man. We've always had a superstar bigman.
Yeah Brynum has to be atleast 7'0, cuz isn't Mitch 6'11? I really am happy with this pick, because I didn't see any other players with as much potential left at this point(except Green ofcourse.) Even if the Lakers did draft Green, I'm not to sure everyone is aware that we may have waited a few years for him to develop as well. Behind Kobe, Odom and Butler Green would have had far less time than Brynum will see on the court, putting him in a Jermaine O'Neal type of situation. I like this kid, and he's actually younger than me which is kind of strange to be saying about an NBA player.. I really look forward to seeing him in a Laker uni for years to come.
I heard on 570AM radio today that Bynum's HS coach claims that no one from the Laker organization attempted to contact him at any point before the draft for his opinion on Bynum. They also go on and claim that the coach isn't totally convinced that Bynum will be a successful NBA player... If true, that's pretty discouraging, considering his own HS coach isn't convinced he will be a successful NBA player.
if you guys are upset we picked bynum, who is a project, then why wouldn't you guys be upset if we picked gerald? he's from high school too and is also a project.
I'm very skeptic about this kid. On one hand, he has "tremendous upside potential" as Hubie Brown would say, but on the other, he's only 17 years old, which is kind of surprising because I'm the same age. The guy is a very normal kid actually, 2 days ago, I got a link to his online profile that he made for himself and while I scanned through it, I realized this guy is a very sensitve one and kind of has soft personality, which leaves me skeptic if he can handle such pressures of the NBA at such a young age. KG, Kobe and Lebron all had strong mentalities and personalities, that is why they all ended up flourishing even though they were under immense pressure. This kid just seems like what he really is, a kid. Sure, he's tall but that doesn't mean he can make an immediate impact. Matter of fact, though I want to see him suceed (partly because we're the same age, mostly because I want to see the Lakers suceed), I will go out on a limb and say his career will reflect that of Jermaine O'Neal's. I doubt Jax will let him play significant minutes in his rookie season anyways and he might be a bench warmer for a couple of years before flourishing at 20-22 like O'Neal. Though I want to see him do well, he leaves me skeptic not just because I have never seen footage of this kid, but also because he was drafted for nothing more then his potential and the last thing LA fans need is a bust or a project. Los Angeles doesnt have the patience for that. So there's tremendous pressure on this kid to suceed and I'm not sure he's strong enough to do so.
