<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> walked into the Walter Pyramid late the other afternoon to observe a Summer Pro League match between a team representing the Los Angeles Lakers and a team representing the Miami Heat -- and immediately went into shock. The arena was filled with people! What a startling sight to behold! I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't immersed in a surrealistic dream, or if I wasn't in some sort of hallucinogenic daze. As you might know, this doesn't happen too often at the cozy, modern arena on the Long Beach State campus, where puny crowds barely topping a thousand have been commonplace in recent years for the games of the 49er men's basketball team. I idly wondered what that team's coach, Larry Reynolds, thought about such a turnout as he sat alone in the bleachers behind one of the baskets, impassively watching the action unfold on the floor. The entire spectacle had to be stunning to Reynolds, since, after all, he's not accustomed to seeing so many folks present in a building where his 49er teams can be blamed for such an unfortunate trend since they have gone 21-63 during his three-year incumbency. But I simply couldn't work up the nerve to disrupt Reynolds' rare moment of tranquillity. I noticed the retiring president of Long Beach State, Dr. Robert (Fightin' Bob) Maxson, standing on the sidelines, and went over and asked him if it were shocking to see so many fans in a place too often deserted for 49er athletic events. He ignored the question, or at least played like he didn't hear it. "Isn't it great to see a lot of people at the Pyramid for a change?" I pressed. Fightin' Bob artfully changed the subject. "Isn't that Jerry Buss sitting over there?" he wondered. "Yeah. ... I'll introduce him to you," I replied, meekly relinquishing my attempt to filter out Maxson's private feelings on this astonishing Pyramid attendance phenomenon. And so Bob Maxson soon met Jerry Buss, who showed up to the Pyramid Wednesday afternoon with his Designated Date For The Day to get an up close and personal glimpse of the recent No. 1 Laker draft selection, Andrew Bynum. Actually, Mr. Bynum was the reason for the large audience, for the Pyramid bursting with energy, for the patrons cheering as though they were witnessing a playoff-caliber game, for the SPL boss, John (Johnny Bravo) Younesi, cooing, "What a turnout! I wish the Lakers could play every day ...," for Jerry Buss making a rare Long Beach appearance and showing up with a lady, oh, a third his age --once such specimens looked young enough to be his daughter; now as Buss has grown ominously older they look young enough to be his granddaughter. Bynum is a mere 17, and often looked hopelessly lost and overmatched during many of the 32 minutes he played against the Heat team, but one can readily see what intrigues the NBA scouts about him and inspired the Lakers to make such a long-term commitment to him. The 7-foot kid has extraordinarily long arms, and has soft hands that latch on to the basketball when it's thrown his way, or when it's loose. He also made a couple of nifty passes, and one of his three blocks was a Shaq-like rejection that brought roars from the crowd. He displayed a nice touch on one fadeaway jumper, and, naturally, the dunks he had were thunderous on the way to scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in his team's thrilling 90-89 win. "The ingredients are there for him," said Jerry Buss. "The interest is there, the motivation is there, the size is there. It's going to take time, but I think he'll be all right." It is indeed going to take time for Andrew Bynum to be a formidable NBA presence -- a long time, if ever. He has no idea out to box out underneath, or position himself for a rebound. And he seems to get winded after a few trips up and down the court. But he is athletic and does have that size, and he figures to be more imposing when he adds some desperately needed muscle to it. Bynum and his Laker teammates will be on display again tonight at 7:30 against the Dallas Mavericks and Saturday afternoon at 3 against the Memphis Grizzlies. The turnstiles at the Pyramid figure to be doing a brisk business for these encounters, much to the delight of John Younesi, who, natch, has become Andrew Bynum's most passionate advocate. ...</div> Source
