L.A. Lakers: Biggest Reasons Andrew Bynum Can't Lead This Team

The 2012 NBA season has come and gone, with one of the league's most storied franchises tasting early defeat for the second consecutive season.

Despite Kobe Bryant's outstanding postseason play, the Los Angeles Lakers were unable to compete with the younger and more athletic Oklahoma City Thunder.

No matter which way they turned, a haymaker was waiting to knock them down. It took just five games for L.A. to go down for the count.

As the offseason approaches, whether Kobe Bryant can lead the Lakers to a sixth title under his reign has come into question. Many believe his aging legs, albeit still dominant, cannot get the job done and a new face must be thrust into the role of "leader."

The popular choice, of course, is the Lakers' 24-year-old franchise center, Andrew Bynum.

Unfortunately, Bynum isn't ready for the role. Here's why.

7. Has Bynum Truly Recovered from the Injuries?

Andrew Bynum offered Laker Nation a giant step towards comfort as he finished his most injury-free season since 2007. After missing 124 regular-season games from 2008 to 2011, Bynum played in all but six outings in 2012.

One of those games happened to be an evening in which all starters were rested for the final game of the regular season.

The question is, how likely is it that the Lakers franchise center remains that way? At this point, it's just one out of the past five seasons in which he's been in good health.

Should he fall victim to yet another year of bad health, however, Bynum's status as the Lakers' franchise player should be written off as an impossibility.

6. The Lakers Misuse His Talents

In the words of the legendary Phil Jackson, who led the Los Angeles Lakers to five NBA championships over the span of a decade:

"

You know, [Lakers' owner Jim Buss] is a guy that, you know, saw Andrew [Bynum] as a kid and thought Bynum was gonna be a great pick for our team. But in the process, I think you know, he's wanted Andrew to have a bigger and bigger role. And I think he's hired his coach to have Andrew have a bigger and bigger role. And that kinda disjointed the symmetry of what the Lakers were really about this last year.

You know, Andrew is [an] All-Star center. He was -- did a wonderful job. But, you know, it -- what happened was, it took Pau out of his game. And it took the team away from some of their game. So they changed the style dramatically.

"

Is anyone going to argue systematic facts with the man who led this very unit to back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010, as well as a Finals appearance in 2008? I didn't think so.

5. Even Kobe and Phil Couldn't Tame Andrew Bynum

You can name the coaches who have ever reached Phil Jackson's level of success on one hand.

You can name the number of active players who have won as many rings as Kobe Bryant with one finger. With that being known, it's nearly a given that they'll be able to teach a young player how to win and accept nothing but the best on a day-by-day basis.

Something just so happened to have gone awfully wrong with Andrew Bynum.

As we reminisce.

At 20 years old, Phil Jackson fined Andrew Bynum for being 25 minutes late to the Lakers' pre-game. When Jackson coached his final game in the NBA, the highlight just so happened to be Andrew Bynum bringing yet another punishment upon himself.

Here's hoping that Andrew Bynum will benefit from a trip with to Germany with the captain himself.

4. Consistent Ulterior Motive

For those concerned with Andrew Bynum's ability to bring a team together and lead them to the promised land, the 2011-12 season offered nothing too promising. 

After Bynum took an ill-advised three-pointer and failed to run back on defense, Mike Brown benched the Lakers' All-Star center.

Bynum's response was one of weakness and immaturity as he publicly stated his intent to "take some more." While expanding his game is favorable, responding to your head coach in such a manner is not.

On the other hand, one must test his limits to know his boundaries.

3. Apparent Indifference in Winning or Losing

Although one could never insert themselves into the mind of Andrew Bynum, it has come to my attention that Andrew Bynum's body language does not change from the beginning to the end of the game, regardless of the end result.

While some may view this as coincidence, his words and apparent lack of motivation calls into question the most important aspect of being a leader.

Does Andrew Bynum have a strong enough drive to win?

While Mark Cuban proved that journalists hold no ground in evaluating such an aspect of basketball, the writing is on the wall.

While Bynum's short-term memory is an important part of a young player's development in the city of Los Angeles, it is also detrimental when applied to the game itself.

2. Inconsistent Application of Abilities

One day, Andrew Bynum will set a postseason record for blocks in a single game. The next day, Andrew Bynum's defensive effort will be questionable at best and the Lakers will crumble.

One of those actions can take the Lakers to their sixth NBA title since the turn of the century. The other leads to far too early postseason exits on a year-by-year basis.

In other words, a frequently unmotivated Andrew Bynum is not cut out to lead the Lakers anywhere but into the ground.

Should Bynum overcome his lack of motivation, he'd instantly establish himself as the best big man in the NBA. Unfortunately, that's a dream that has yet to come to fruition.

1. Immaturity

It's all been building up to this.

From the bouts with his coaches to the indescribably ignorant fouls all the way down to the lack of a consistent effort, they all derive from one trait: Andrew Bynum is just too immature to lead the Los Angeles Lakers at this point in his career.

When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal took over the reins at respective points in their career, they had already spent years in the league and tasted glory in one way or another.

O'Neal had been dreaming of a title, while Abdul-Jabbar had won his first in 1971 alongside Oscar Robertson.

Bynum is closer related to Abdul-Jabbar, and he has already placed two NBA championships on his resume. The issue is, he doesn't appear to have the same drive to repeat by any means necessary. It's time to grow up and smell the roses.

Any player is replaceable.