Pivot Points: For Andrew Bynum, Now Is The Time

Los Angeles Laker fans have been waiting four years for center, Andrew Bynum to display the talent his various skills suggest, and this year the wait may finally be over.

Take that statement with a grain of salt, because everyone is familiar with his past two injury plagued seasons, and how they have hampered his development.

Andrew's journey to the City of Angels began in New Jersey, where as a senior he averaged 22 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 blocks per game.

The reason many Laker fans were unfamiliar with Bynum is because he had originally committed to play at the University of Conneticutt, and his decision to enter the draft caught many observers by surprise.

It's not that Bynum didn't have a body that was ready for the NBA, it's just that he was as raw a center prospect as I had ever seen, but even then I realized an enormous upside with him.

For one, his lateral movement was the best I had witnessed for a big man since Tim Duncan made his way into the league, and not only that, his movements were fluid.

That speaks volumes for a true center, since the quality at that position has been abysmal since Shaq was in his earlier days.

With their first lottery pick in years, the Lakers selected Bynum with the 10th pick, and set out to turn him into a quality center, and to management's delight, it was a much easier task than anticipated.

Turns out that Bynum was an astute student, in fact, former Laker great Kareem-Abdul Jabbar said that Bynum's aptitude for the position was one of the best he had ever seen.

Because of Bynum's athleticism and feel for the game his development was fast-tracked and expectations for him were raised. When the 2007-2008 season rolled around, things were in place for his arrival.

Bynum's skills are plentiful, as he is fundamentally sound, has good technique on his shot, moves his feet well, and is a natural shot-blocker. I mentioned his lateral movement, and he runs the floor as well as any big man.

His rapid development may be why Kobe Bryant rescinded his trade demands of that summer, and decided to let the season play out, before making a move.

It was a good decision, as Bynum became an anchor in the middle, and the Lakers, who were picked to finish no higher than sixth, found themselves in a surprising battle for the top spot in the west.

This is the part of Bynum's story that everyone is familiar with. Thirty-Five games into the season, his year ended with a devastating knee injury, and the over-achieving Lakers' season seemed finished.

Bynum would play no more that season, but a move for Pau Gasol, refreshed the Lakers, and catapulted them to the 2008 NBA Finals, where they lost in six games to the Boston Celtics.

That was the first knee injury for Bynum, but it wouldn't be the last, as his 2008-2009 season was derailed 50 games in by a less severe injury.

The maddening thing about both injuries, are that they occurred just as Bynum was beginning to demonstrate his abilities and become comfortable in the triangle offense.

Then of course came the obligatory stories about how Andrew would never reach his potential, because he could never stay healthy.

A comment was made that if Dwight Howard had Bynum's skills he would be the best center in the league, and if Bynum had Howard's durability, he would be one of the greatest centers of all time.

That may be a reach, but no one can deny the young man's ability, and if healthy, he does challenge Howard for the role as best center in the league.

If healthy. That means a lot, because that is the one part of the game that Andrew is yet to grasp, and to be fair, it's not his fault.

Both of his injuries were freak incidents, but that doesn't stop the questions from pouring in. Most people discount Bynum, and figure that another injury will occur, and again keep him from reaching his potential.

What a shame that would be, because this preseason Bynum has started early, and has shown his capacity to be a primary threat on a very talented Laker squad.

All of the things that Bynum does well have manifested in his play, and he looked as if he was settled and understood what was expected of him.

Phil Jackson has finally shown trust in Bynum and right now, the sky is the limit. The only subpar element of his game is that he tends to be over-aggressive, which leads to an abundance of early fouls.

That is a part of his game that will come once he establishes a little better body control and timing.

Once again a very big if, but if he can remain healthy he adds a dimension to the Lakers that makes them almost impossible to defend. The time has arrived for Bynum to have a break-out season, and hopefully not break down again.