LA Lakers: Why Benching Andrew Bynum Was Exactly What the Lakers Needed

The Los Angeles Lakers have been on some kind of roller coaster for the last few games, and emotional instability seems to be at the center of it.

Think back to the end of last season when Andrew Bynum spoke to the press about the team's trust issues. Then when he checked J.J. Barea, and took his jersey off on the walk to the locker room after his ejection. Then come back to the present.

When the Lakers recently played the Memphis Grizzlies, Bynum decided it was a good time to shoot the first three-pointer of his seven-year career. Make no mistake, Bynum is now a veteran in the NBA, since the average NBA career is about five years.

Then Bynum decided since one seven-footer on the team can shoot threes, they both should. So he shot another one and missed against the Golden State Warriors. Coach Mike Brown benched him. Bynum's reaction?

"I guess 'don't take threes' is the message. But I'm going to take some more. I just hope it's not the same result. I hope that I make it."

While Coach Brown wouldn't directly say that was the reason he took the big man out of the game, he did say:

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If I feel like I have to take him out the game again, I'll take him out the game. If I don't feel like he's playing the right way, I'll take him out the game. I didn't feel like he was playing the right way. I didn't feel like we were playing the right way as a club when he was on the floor. That's why I took him out the game.

"

So why was this exactly what the Lakers needed? In light of Bynum's recent ankle sprain, taking the seven-footer out of the game forces the bench to play at a higher level. The Lakers have a real need when it comes to the second unit, and taking Bynum out of the game highlights this.

Even though Bynum is one of the biggest, most powerful centers in the NBA right now, the Lakers still insist on shooting jump shots rather than getting the ball inside to him. He has one of the top-five highest shooting percentages in the NBA at 58 percent, but he still doesn't get the ball as often as he should.

Instead, in this new offensive system, the Lakers like to shoot from the perimeter. So, with Bynum on the bench, the team realizes how essential he is to a winning gameplan. Get the ball to Bynum, and they win. It's that simple.

Maybe this is the reason that Bynum took the three. He's often expressed that the team has trust issues, so it's possible he felt that if they're not giving him shots, he'll take theirs.

On the other hand, it's very clear that despite his veteran status, Bynum still acts immature. So what does a coach do with a highly talented, but tantrum-prone superstar?

Legendary coach John Wooden put it best: One of the greatest motivating things that a coach has is the bench. They all love to play, all of them. You sit them on the bench, and they come around pretty good.

Bynum's benching benefited the Lakers two-fold. It showed them that interior penetration is the key to winning. With Bynum day-to-day due to injury, this will become even more apparent.

It was also an attempt to curb a young 20-something who demonstratively doesn't agree with his coach. While he said he was going to take more threes, the fact is he hasn't, so maybe Brown's tactic worked.