Andrew Bynum and Five Other NBA Players Who Need to Grow Up

While there are a lot of quality players in the NBA, there are some that stand out as being immature. From tweeting inappropriate pictures, to gloating excessively, to having a whole other host of problems, there are certainly some men who need to grow up.

There is no room for boys at the top, so it's time that they leave their old ways behind.

Andrew Bynum

Shockingly, Andrew Bynum's immature behavior started as he got older, not when he was a youngster. Last year, he shoved J.J. Barea and tore off his shirt as he was ejected. Then he parked in two handicapped spots at a grocery store.

This year, he decided that he was going to take three-pointers, no matter what coach Mike Brown said. Did I mention he's been ejected from a couple of games as well?

Bynum is young, only 24 years old, but he's been in the league for seven years and should know better. If he was going to act out, it would have been better for him to do so in his younger years, not when he's having his first season as a fully healthy starter.

Bynum has got to get it together and grow up. Maybe Metta World Peace can recommend Ron Artest's psychiatrist to him.

J. R. Smith

Maybe things are different in China, but while J.R. Smith was abroad, dictator, err, NBA commissioner David Stern and the boys decided to get even more heavy-handed with the players. You know, since they're losing money and all. Apparently, J.R. Smith didn't realize this when he tweeted a picture of the semi-nude Tahiry.

The NBA fined J.R. Smith $25,000 for the inappropriate picture. C'mon Smith, did you really think this wouldn't get back to the NBA somehow? He must have missed how much trouble Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots got in for posing with an adult film star. Lesson: leave the skin off Twitter.

DeMarcus Cousins

Guess who leads the NBA in personal fouls? Yup. DeMarcus Cousins. He leads the league with 12 technical fouls and averages four personal fouls per game. In games where he's played 48 minutes or more, he averages 6.3 personal fouls.

Cousins was recently fined $25,000 by the NBA for criticizing the officials in a game against the Clippers. He said Blake Griffin is babied and that he's an "actor."

Remember when Cousins demanded a trade from the Sacramento Kings, who drafted him last year? Coach Paul Westphal said, "DeMarcus Cousins has demanded to be traded. In the best interest of our team as we go forward, he has been directed by me, with the support of management, to stay home from the New Orleans game tonight."

But as we all know, Cousins is still on the Kings and still playing. They'd hoped he would mature after his emotional season last year, but it doesn't seem that way.

Dwight Howard

The man who caused this year's version of "The Decision" showed his immaturity in multiple ways.

While many are sad to see the electrifying big man out with an injury, he's caused quite a ruckus and people may be happy to see him out of the spotlight for awhile.

Leading up to the trade deadline, Howard waffled back and forth about whether he wanted to stay in Orlando. Ultimately he made the oddest decision possible, agreeing to stay in Orlando and getting much less money than if he'd just signed at the beginning of the season.

Then there's the issue of telling management that he wants coach Stan Van Gundy to be fired... in the midst of a playoff run. Van Gundy handled it like the professional that he is, but this is something Howard needs to learn from if he wants to lead a team to the finals again.

Historically he's been a delightful player, which is why this year's lack of judgment in various areas is odd.

Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin is an amazing player who is regularly gracing highlight reels and making the NBA a ton of money. But his reactions to himself are a bit immature.

There's talk all over the NBA about players who are upset about Griffin showboating after posterizing people, or should I say Mozgoving them.

He's also a flopper, begging the refs for a foul. What Griffin needs to realize is that he's a physical specimen on the court. He has incredible hops and can muscle people out of the way to get his dunks.

Keep being exciting, keep dunking, but stop staring people down after you just embarrassed them and their family.

Kevin Durant

Okay, this one's a bit of a joke because Durant is about as professional and quality a player as they get, but what's up with the backpack?

Who wears a backpack to a press conference? And when asked about it, his answer was so uninteresting that it made the situation all the more silly.

He said he had an iPad, Bible, headphones and cell-phone chargers inside. C'mon KD, at least tell us you have semi-nude pictures of Tahiry in there or something.