Andrew Bynum Silencing Laker Fans Who Wanted Him Out Last Month

It was early 2007, and trade rumors were swirling all over the NBA that the Los Angeles Lakers were going to trade their highly-touted young center, Andrew Bynum, for Jason Kidd.

Remember that?

If you don't, then maybe you will recall when, a few years later, even more rumors emerged. The Lakers wanted to deal him to Toronto for Chris Bosh.

Most recently, overreacting callers on local radio stations demanded that the Lakers trade the injury-prone center to the Denver Nuggets for Carmelo Anthony.

It hasn't been easy for Andrew. And that's an understatement.

First, he came into the league as a 17-year-old kid. Most 17-year-old kids these days are more concerned about their ex-girlfriend changing her relationship status on Facebook than they are their careers. Andrew Bynum had to constantly hear that he had to live up to the giant shoes of Shaquille O'Neal. And when he didn't—with the Lakers struggling to make the playoffs and failing to get out of the first round in 2007—trade rumors emerged to bring in Jason Kidd for Andrew. The organization, thankfully, did not budge.

Then, the knee injuries came. It seemed like every time Andrew would fall (or play Memphis), his knees would shatter or collapse, and he'd miss a significant amount of time. And with the knee injuries came the label of "injury-prone."

The trade rumors emerged again, but just like the previous time, the Lakers held onto Bynum.

It could be a psychological and mental drain for an athlete to constantly hear his name in trade rumors year after year. It can hurt the player, and make him feel like both the city and the team don't appreciate or want him.

Athletes are emotional beings too. Just look at what happened in the negotiations with Derek Jeter this past winter. For Andrew to have the mental toughness to not pay attention to any of this, and still play hard, is a testament to his will.

We live in an over-reactionary society, especially with young people. The last big shot we see is the "greatest shot ever!" The last hot girl we see is the "hottest girl ever!"

In this fast-paced Twitter and Facebook world, it's rare to find anybody in his twenties that has an ounce of patience. That's why NBA teams are not run by 20-year old college students. If they were, the average team would have about 15 trades per year. Just go look at your fantasy sports leagues and the frequency of trades in them.

If the average 20-year old ran the Lakers, Kobe Bryant would have been traded to Chicago four years ago, Bynum would have been traded as well and the Lakers would be stuck with a bunch of Luol Dengs and Kirk Hinrichs.

Elite bigs in the NBA are hard to come by. You can't just trade him for a scorer or point guard that is far easier to replace than an elite center like Bynum.

The Lakers' patience with Bynum has paid off tremendously. No, he'll never be Shaq. He won't even be Dwight Howard. Once next year's trading deadline rolls around, it won't surprise me one bit if the Lakers shop around Bynum for Howard. Despite all of this, the fact of the matter is that when Bynum is on his game, the Lakers are close to unstoppable.

Bynum has been working like a dog ever since the All-Star break. He is healthier than he has been in a long time. Because of this, he gets more playing time and has been able to get into the groove of an everyday NBA center. He jumps for those loose balls, he takes the ball to the cup with force and he defends very well.

Bynum was the best player on the floor with only four points last Sunday at San Antonio. This shows that he has the ability to take control of any game just with his size and strength.

And, oh yeah! He can be a scoring threat too if he wants. He was the leading scorer for the Lakers at Dallas on Saturday night, and was a major reason why the Lakers were victorious.

Maybe Mitch Kupchak was listening to "Patience" by Guns N' Roses during all of those trade rumors—reminding that holding onto Bynum will lead to a bright future.

And it has.

All that said, Bynum's large frame and his injury-riddled past should not be overlooked. It's hard for a big guy like him to take a beating year after year and be successful. Guys like Yao Ming and Greg Oden are great examples of players whose careers were heavily altered because of injuries.

The same could happen to Bynum.

But for now, the man is healthy and is enjoying his time silencing his own fans.