If Dwight Howard Deal Falls Through the Cracks, Lakers Must Lock Up Andrew Bynum

The Los Angeles Lakers may be out of the running to land Dwight Howard and not just because the superstar center has his sights set elsewhere.

Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Andrew Bynum has no interest in being shipped to Orlando either: 

"

Bynum has shown no inclination to agree to an immediate extension if sent to Orlando as part of a Dwight Howard package, sources tell Y!

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 8, 2012"

It's no coincidence that the Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets are meanwhile closing in on a long-awaited deal that would team Howard with Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace.

The turn of events should be a loud and clear signal to the Lakers.

It's not just time to give up on dreams of adding Dwight Howard to the fold. It's also time to make sure Bynum sticks around for good.

The All-Star seven-footer is coming off of easily his best season, averaging 18.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. He established himself as legitimate second option and gave Los Angeles hope that life after Kobe Bryant might not be so bleak after all.

That's if he sticks around, of course.

The 24-year-old will be a free agent after this season, and he'll have no shortage of interested suitors. Despite his occasional bouts of immaturity, he remains one of the two or three best centers in the game, and he should only get better.

He's already come a long way.

His improved post game and mid-range shot have made him a legitimate scoring threat capable of creating his own offense without being fed the ball right at the rim.

The sturdy big man also improved his rebounding and defensive technique. He even demonstrates as much when he's playing with maximum effort.

And yes, that's the one criticism of the guy that sticks. He doesn't always give it his all.

In time, that could very well change for the better. As his responsibilities and opportunities increase, his intensity should as well.

The bottom line from Los Angeles' standpoint is that there aren't many alternatives. Centers like Bynum don't come around often, and the Lakers' ability to acquire young talent in the next few years has been hampered by an exodus of draft picks in deals for Ramon Sessions and Steve Nash.

Without the draft to rebuild in a post-Kobe era, the allure of playing with Bynum would at least draw free-agent interest.

That may be all this organization has going for it by then.