Did the Lakers trade away the league's best center for second-best? (Getty Images) |
There was a time when people would argue Andrew Bynum is a better center than Dwight Howard.
These people were better classified as certain Lakers fans and former Lakers center(s) who had petty tiffs with Howard because both of them liked to think of themselves as Superman on a basketball court (I'm looking at you, Chris Mihm!). The rest of the world could see the separation between Howard and what he did as the focus of the Magic, and Bynum and what he was able to do as the second/third option with the Lakers.
Apparently, Andrew Bynum also believes he's the best center in the league.
Via the Orange County Register:
Bynum stuck with his long-held position of not worrying about being in Los Angeles or traded elsewhere.
“It didn’t really matter where I played as long as I get to,” he said. “Health is the big concern with me right now. I don’t regret anything. Personally, I think they traded No. 1 for No. 2 — and that’s what happened.”
Some people might overreact to Bynum feeling he's the best center in the NBA. There was a bit of an uproar and some laughter directed at Bynum on Twitter after these comments were posted by various reporters. Personally, I'd be worried if he didn't think he was the best center in the league.
He's good enough that he should have that mentality and believe he's the best. He should also believe he has to continue to get better -- not just be the best, but try to work his way toward being an all-time great. Whether any of those things are true or possible, you want guys who believe in themselves and use it to get better.
But right now, Bynum is injured and hasn't played a game for the Sixers this season. He talked about his injury status as well.
He is looking forward to beginning treadmill work, perhaps being cleared Thursday by his doctor. He said his right knee feels fine now, but his left knee remains tricky.
“The pain is down in both knees, which is good,” he said. “But there could be something floating around in there, so I have a doctor’s appointment on the 20th and we’re going to do an MRI and check it out.”
Sixers fans, NBA fans and Bynum all anxiously await what it will look like for him to be the man on an NBA team. It's something people argued about last year and pontificated about coming into this season. If he can get back into shape and playing for the second half of the season, it could make this Philadelphia team really dangerous.
A team that hasn't been very dangerous, though, is his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers. They've struggled mightily under the new coaching staff, expectations and new personnel.
“They’re just struggling,” Bynum said. “They’ve got injuries, and they aren’t posting the ball. So that’s tough, too.”
Bynum also said: “Dwight’s a great player, but he’s going to have to get accustomed to playing with Kobe [Bryant] and not touching the ball every single play.”
While Andrew Bynum hasn't been able to play and work on any sports outside of bowling, at least his game with the media is in top-notch form right now.