Andrew Bynum is available for trade, or at least we think he is after a “bush league” foul on JJ Barea of the Dallas Mavericks, coupled with speculation that Dwight Howard could head west to Los Angeles has made the NBA media ramble.
Bynum’s exit from Game 4 of the Lakers/Mavericks series looked almost like Lebron James’. James left his last game as a Cleveland Cavalier the same way Bynum did, with his shirt as if to say “I’m done with this.”
Whether Bynum intended to evoke that image or not, we won’t know. But it’s the speculation of Howard heading to Los Angeles that may play the biggest role in whether or not Bynum is a Laker next season.
If the Lakers go after Howard, then they’ll need space at center position, and Bynum will look like the outsider.
If this is the case, the teams will race to acquire Bynum. The 23-year-old big man has the defensive and offensive chops not possessed by many players of his size, making him an attractive commodity if available.
If there was ever a team that needed a center with his skill set, it’s every team, but the Golden State Warriors need him the most.
A player like Bynum could put the Warriors on top of the Western Conference and into the playoffs for sure.
There’s always been talk about how the Warriors need a big man to build, and the opportunity to get a big man with his ability doesn’t get much better than this.
The Warriors need to throw the house to Andrew Bynum and the Lakers.
By house, I mean anything.
Mount Ellis or Stephen Curry, whatever, the Lakers get it in exchange for Bynum.
He’s reached a point with the Warriors that they can’t win with a stellar perimeter. They need a legitimate center if they want to win. And his name is not Andris Biedrins…
A Bynum and David Lee frontcourt is a duo the Warriors can build around. Building around Ellis and Curry is not. It has been shown with 36 wins this season, and less the season before.
Only one possibility, but Curry, Dorell Wright, Lee and Bynum sound much better than Ellis, Curry, Wright and Lee.
I’m not saying Ellis is leaving Golden State, but if the Warriors want to acquire Bynum, Ellis or Curry, plus a package of players and draft picks, they’ll head to Los Angeles.
But is it worth it.
Give the Lakers what they want because the opportunity to snag a center of his caliber doesn’t come around that often, especially for a team that hasn’t had a legitimate center since Nate Thurmond in 1976.