Andrew Bynum's Dominant Performance Proves Lakers Don't Need Dwight Howard

No team was linked to Dwight Howard more often than the Los Angeles Lakers until the All-Star center finally agreed to stay with the Orlando Magic for another season prior to the deadline. Judging by Andrew Bynum's recent play, the Lakers were wise to stand pat.

Bynum has been making news for some awkward reasons lately, such as jacking up a couple three-point attempts and taunting opponents, but his 30-rebound performance against the San Antonio Spurs last night put him back in the headlines for the right reasons.

While it usually takes a monster stat line like that to get people to notice a player's numbers, Bynum has been posting big stats for the better part of two months. He's been a meaningful contributor to the Lakers all season long.

His biggest problem coming into the year had been health. He's struggled to make it through an entire season without some type of ailment holding him back. Now that he appears to have jumped that hurdle, it's safe to call him an elite center.

Bynum doesn't have as much athleticism as Howard, but that doesn't stop him from making a significant impact on both ends of the floor. He's averaging 18 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks, and he's managed to play solid defense without getting into foul trouble.

On the flip side, Howard is slightly better in each category, but he has also turned into the NBA's biggest headache. If Lakers fans think Bynum has caused problems, they just need to look at what Howard's been doing in Orlando.

Even when a player has all the talent in the world, there's always a line that determines if he's worth the problems. Howard has started to teeter on the edge over the past few weeks and, with another season of drama likely ahead, will likely fall onto the wrong side eventually.

Bynum provides the Lakers with enough production from the center position to become a championship contender. They have bigger holes to fill moving forward, most notably small forward and point guard, to even consider looking into Howard should he become available.

Sure, Bynum has had his fair share of prima donna moments, but the number of players who don't in the NBA continues to dwindle. Howard isn't going to get rid of those; if anything, his will be even worse since Kobe Bryant will remain the main man in Los Angeles.

All told, the Lakers made the correct decision to stand behind Bynum throughout the Howard drama and should continue to do so moving forward. He should be a major part of the team's future.