L.A. Lakers: Is Andrew Bynum Proving He Is the Future of the Franchise?

I'm not sure if the Los Angeles Lakers will make a dramatic, last-minute deal to improve their roster before the NBA trade deadline expires, but if Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss do decide to make a move, I'm willing to bet the deal will not involve center Andrew Bynum.

Before the abbreviated 2011-12 regular season started, there were many people who assumed the Lakers would be one of the primary suitors for soon-to-be free-agent center Dwight Howard, and despite a spate of unsubstantiated rumors to the contrary, it still seems to be the case.

However, it was previously thought the Lakers would have to part with both Pau Gasol and Bynum in order to acquire Howard, but Bynum's recent performances have destroyed that theory.

Buss was reluctant to deal Bynum anyway since Buss was the one who discovered him as a high school player in New Jersey, and Bynum is finally validating Buss' confidence in him.

Bynum is averaging career-high numbers in points, rebounds and minutes, but his numbers in the past five games are the type that are usually reserved for franchise players.

In that span of time, Bynum has averaged 26.4 points and 12 rebounds while shooting an amazing 72 percent from the field. And that includes last night's 37-point, 16-rebound effort in a double-overtime win against the Memphis Grizzlies.

More impressively, Bynum has accomplished this while playing alongside the NBA's leading scorer, Kobe Bryant.

Kobe also leads the league in field goals attempted, which makes Bynum's recent feats even better.

And I have yet to even mention Gasol's role in the equation.

In the Grizzlies game, Gasol scored 14 points and snagged five rebounds, which is a pretty good night by most standards, but he was clearly the third wheel on this date.

And that pretty much mirrors Gasol's first season under new head coach Mike Brown.

Gasol is averaging 16.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and is shooting more than 50 percent from the field, but he trails Bynum in each category.

Some may argue that Gasol is still a better player than Bynum, but it's pretty clear that the 24-year-old center has surpassed Gasol as the Lakers' second scoring option, and he's also a few years younger.

In fact, Bynum is even younger than the coveted Howard, and I would argue that he fits the description as a true NBA center even more than Howard does.

Howard is a great player, but few people would call him a low-post center.

Bynum is more fundamentally skilled in the paint than Howard, has better footwork and a keener understanding of the center position.

None of that means Bynum is a superior player, but he is the better definition of a dominant low-post center.

And dominant centers are usually the kind of players you build your franchise around unless you have a power forward named Tim Duncan or Dirk Nowitzki, and unfortunately, Howard's skill level doesn't measure up to either player. But Bynum's might.

Bynum has shown more fundamental progression in his game than Howard despite his numerous injuries, and he still just happens to be the younger player.

Howard may have the potential to be a once-in-a-lifetime player, and the Lakers should strongly consider acquiring him if he is available, but maybe not at the cost of Bynum.

Gambling on Bynum's ability to remain healthy may be risky for Lakers management, but the cost of dealing away his potential could be much greater for the the future of the franchise.