Andrew Bynum will be twenty years old in November of this year. He is seven foot tall and perhaps still growing. He weighs two hundred and seventy five pounds (275 pounds / 125 kilograms) - and he is living the dream of every high school basketball player. He went from high school to being on the Los Angeles Lakers - and receiving a very healthy salary.

The critical franchise decision is whether to keep Andrew or to trade him. Up to this point, he has been the future of the Lakers. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is on the Lakers staff to develop Andrew as the center of the Lakers’ future. Lakers fans dream of a replay of the Shaq / Kobe era, with Andrew being ‘Shaq-like’ and dominating on both offense and defense.

The problem with that game plan is that Kobe is in his prime now - and the window of opportunity is closing and closing quickly. So, if the opportunity come to acquire perhaps a Kevin Garnett or a Jermaine O’Neal for Andrew Bynum, would you make the trade?

Without hesitation, I would make such a trade. I would rather have a proven player, who could give Kobe the support, rather than gamble on a player who might be stellar. It’s difficult to tell if Andrew Bynum will be spectacular. He has shown glimpses of what could be. Andrew can make a foul shot, seems to be able to catch the ball and can block shots. However, at the end of the season and during the play-offs, he has been a non factor. Andrew has not made a major contribution nor has he provided the inside presence that the Lakers need from him. The question is one of competitiveness - and that is a difficult quality to teach. Perhaps, with Andrew, it will come with age. That’s the gamble.

And since sports is a business decision, I would have the market open on Andrew Bynum.

Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster: http://flyinghamster.com/

[tags]los angeles lakers, kobe, andrew bynum, trade, gamble, nba, business, competitiveness, catherine forsythe[/tags]