<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Andrew Bynum dribbled the basketball twice, twirled it around his waist and hoisted a wild hook shot from about 20 feet that hit the concrete wall behind the basket. He cracked up laughing as his game of H-O-R-S-E fell apart. Then he decided to reenact his favorite commercials, including the LeBron James ad where the superstar flips in 90-footers while teammates watch in awe. Bynum didn't clear half court with his attempt. This time, his summer coach did the laughing. "You do realize," Larry Marshall said to his star player, "that wasn't real, right?" Everything is simple, except this: Just a few feet away on the gymnasium court at the West Side Community Center in Newark, ESPN is setting up its lights and cameras for an interview that will air on the sports-news program "Outside the Lines." One that will center on Bynum and his recent decision. Bynum, a 17-year-old from Plainsboro, may act just like another kid, but he finds himself at the center of a controversial issue after putting his name into the NBA Draft earlier this month. Many see the recent St. Joseph's of Metuchen graduate as a poster boy for why the NBA wants to establish a minimum age of 20 for its new players. He is young and talented with unlimited potential, but since he is also raw and inexperienced, he might need several years to fully develop his skills. His family and coaches -- and the NBA Players' Association -- believe Bynum should have the right to develop those skills as a professional, earning millions in the process. They think the league has no right to deny young players like Bynum a chance to make the jump directly from high school to the pros. The NBA, however, says it wants to protect its product and its teams from investing millions on players who may not fulfill their promise. They want their scouts out of high school gymnasiums, and Bynum to spend at least a couple years in college. </div> Source
