So i was thinking today since Bynum just turned 19 and on the eve of his first start... at #10, was Bynum really worth that pick? If you think about it, two other centers were drafted in the top 10, Bogut at #1 and Frye at #8. Now the season hasn't even started yet, but Bynum looks pretty good IMO. He obviously doesn't look dominant yet, but dammit the kid just turned 19 years this past week. At the very least, he looks good enough to contribute to this team. now back to the original thought, Andrew Bogut will turn 22 in a month and is 3 years older than Bynum. Frye is 23 years old and is 4 years older than Bynum. I feel comfortable saying that Bynum will at least match - and more than likely exceed - Bogut's 9ppg 7rpg stats when he is age 21 - which is 2 years from now. And i feel comfortable saying that Bynum will at least match - and more than likely exceed - Channing Frye's stats of 12ppg, 6rpg at age 23, which is 4 years from now ......... Obviously, its not totally fair to compare Bynums 4th and 5th years with other players rookie years, but Im basing this on age-production-potiential. Now I'm not suggesting Bynum is better than those other two players nor am I suggest he will be better than those two players. Obviously, that is yet to be determined. What I am saying is that Bynum at pick #10 was very good value considering where the other big men went I admit I was critical at the time of the draft, but I think Mitch might have gotten one right .... finally ...
I like Bynum's upside. I think he has a nice touch with hook shots, and when he develops that and gains experience, he will be huge for the Lakers. He may break out a few statsically nice games this year, or even average some nice stats.
That draft was fairly weak with the exception of Chris Paul who had an immediate impact for his team. I think the Lakers actually will win this gamble in the end. Bynum seems to be developing very well and his attitude is very positive. I really think he's going to be the next premire Laker BIG MAN.
I loved this move from the beginning. I always loved Bynums size and potential and I always thought (ok, hoped) he'd be the next premier big man for this franchise. While it hasn't happened yet, I really think Bynum is well on his way. He had a good preseason and SL and I think he's going to take full advantage of the starting role he's been given to start the season. I just hope he plays all out, even though he knows that Kwame will be waiting in the wings to take the job back when healthy, likely regardless of the play of the young kid.
<div class="quote_poster">Trench Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">That draft was fairly weak with the exception of Chris Paul who had an immediate impact for his team. I think the Lakers actually will win this gamble in the end. Bynum seems to be developing very well and his attitude is very positive. I really think he's going to be the next premire Laker BIG MAN.</div> It was actually one of the deeper drafts in recent years, but in positions of need for the Lakers, I agree that options were limited after the first 5-6 picks. For center, there was Fran Vasquez (too many questions) and Johan Petro (huge reach). And for point guard, there was Jarret Jack, who might have been a decent pick. The rest were very talented swingmen, guards, and forwards. I like Bynum's progress this offseason and, of course, he's still got so many years left to develop. Overall, it looks to be a solid pick.
Bynum has the potential to be an all-star, and he has the potential to be Kwame. That's all I can say about the kid.
