Has Andrew Bynum Surpassed Kobe Bryant as LA Lakers MVP?

Before the season began, the city of Los Angeles took on the label of Lob City.

However, the team responsible for bringing truth to the nickname hasn't been the Los Angeles Clippers, it's been the Los Angeles Lakers.

When Chris Paul was traded to the Clippers, many envisioned the prospects of incessant alley-oops from Paul to Blake Griffin.

Instead, we've seen thunderous slams from Andrew Bynum on alley-oop passes from guys all over the team, from Pau Gasol to Kobe Bryant.

Bynum has stayed healthy all season long, and because of that he has emerged as one of the deadliest players on the Lakers squad. In fact, at this point it might even be fair to say that Bynum is the most valuable player on the team.

And why not?

Bynum has exploded this season. He's averaging 18 points and 13 rebounds and is a defensive monster who clogs up the paint against opponents.

But let's look deeper and analyze why Bynum is now the most valuable player on this team, which has been run by Bryant ever since Shaquille O'Neal left in 2004.

Note that Kobe is still the best player on the team. However, the most talented player does not always translate into the most valuable player.

This was exemplified Sunday night when Bryant only made three shots in a lackluster performance. It's not just Sunday night, though. There have been numerous instances where Bryant can be the Lakers' worst enemy.

He tries too hard to take over games when his shots aren't going in, rather than trying to facilitate the offense by pounding the ball inside to Gasol and Bynum.

On Sunday night, Bynum scored 33 points but only on 13 shots. 

Why isn't he the focal point of the struggling offense yet? 

During Shaq's heyday with the Lakers, he would average over 18 field goal attempts per game. In the 1999-2000 season, he averaged over 21.

He was the focal point of the offense during Kobe's developmental years, and as a result the Lakers won championships.

Now in Kobe's decline, the same should happen with Bynum. While Bryant is averaging 28.7 points per game, his field goal attempts have also increased heavily from last season. He's shooting the ball almost four times more per game. He's essentially a volume scorer, and his field goal percentage of 43 percent, which is the lowest since the 1997-98 campaign, exemplifies that notion.

Bynum needs to be getting the ball more, and that will happen if Kobe decides to pass it to him. As mentioned above, Bynum is averaging 18 points on 12.5 shots per game. If he were shooting the ball 18 times per game, basic math tells us that he'd average close to 26 points per game.

Those are Dwight Howard-like numbers, and it basically once again depicts that the Lakers did not need to pull the trigger on the Howard-Bynum trade. They made the right move sticking with the younger and just as talented Bynum.

All of that being said, it's good to see the Lakers use Bynum more often these days. In January and February, Bynum had 12.06 and 11.7 field goal attempts, respectively.

In March, he's shooting the ball 14 times per game, but he still should be getting the ball more. The Lakers best record has also come in March at 7-3. A lot of times he's going up against centers that simply cannot stop him. Why take an 18-foot fadeaway when you can give it to Bynum, who will eat his defenders for lunch?

Utilizing Bynum efficiently will also open up Kobe's game. Even if he takes three or four fewer shots per game, the offense will be less predictable resulting into greater success for the team as a whole.

Finally, when looking at John Hollinger's analytics, it's still clear that Bynum is the more valuable player. Bynum's Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is 23.12, while Kobe trails behind him with a PER of 22.78. Bynum is No. 11 in the league in the complex statistic. Kobe, on the other hand, is No. 16.

The Lakers are moving in the right direction. That said, Derek Fisher and Phil Jackson aren't there anymore to keep Kobe in check. Bynum is a big boy now. When Kobe starts falling in love with missing shots, he needs to step up in his face and tell him to pass the ball. 

Times are a changing in Los Angeles. Kobe might not want to admit it, but the team is slowly becoming Bynum's Lakers. 

It may be true that the Lakers won't win a title without Bryant, but they're most definitely not going to win won either without some Bynumite. 

Follow Andre Khatchaturian on Twitter.