Archive for the 'Andrew Bynum' Category

Gasol, Bynum Don’t Practice Saturday

Published
by
Ty Nowell
on November 7, 2009
in Andrew Bynum, Injury News and Pau Gasol
. Closed

Neither of the Lakers nicked-up big men were on the court with their teammates as the team practiced Saturday afternoon in preparation for their game against the New Orleans Hornets Sunday night.

On Wednesday, Pau Gasol was cleared to resume on-court activities, and had been working out, but sat out today’s workout after feeling some residual pain in his hamstring according to head coach Phil Jackson.

“Last night (he) felt some residual pain and was concerned about it today, so he hasn’t been out on the court with us today,” said Jackson.

Andrew Bynum continued to receive therapy on his sprained right elbow.

As for either of them playing on Sunday, “Doesn’t look good right now but it’ll still be a game time decision,” said Jackson.

Both are officially being listed as doubtful.

After Sunday the Lakers enjoy a rare three day break before returning to action next Thursday against Phoenix. “I can’t see any reason why this should be that extended that it would go on past that time,” offered the head coach.

Bynum Sprains Elbow

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on November 4, 2009
in Andrew Bynum and Injury News
. Closed

Andrew BynumLakers starting center Andrew Bynum sprained his right elbow on one of the final plays of L.A.’s 103-102 overtime victory in Houston.

Bynum, who finished the game with 17 points, 17 rebounds, a career-high tying five assists and three blocks, will be re-evaluated in the morning.

Sunday Practice Report

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on October 25, 2009
in Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, Phil Jackson, Practice News and Ron Artest
. Closed

Andrew BynumAfter a long practice on Sunday morning, assembled reporters learned that Andrew Bynum is absolutely ready to play on Tuesday, that Pau Gasol may not be and that Ron Artest is very happy to be in L.A.

Before the round up, here’s the audio from Head Coach Phil Jackson:

 
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BYNUM READY TO GO
Jackson said that Bynum “did well” and “had no problems out there” in practice, after the young center had missed consecutive preseason games while recovering from minor shoulder and leg issues.

Bynum concurred.

“I felt good,” he said. “I came in early yesterday and got a lot done … I’m excited for (Tuesday’s game). I want to get the ring, go through the ceremony, then take care of business at night time and really go at (the Clippers).”

GASOL STILL WORKING ON SORE HAMSTRING
Gasol, on the other hand, spent the day doing only cardio, though he was in good spirits when speaking to reporters. He reiterated what had been reported on Friday in San Diego: while his hamstring injury isn’t something that he’d call serious, he wants to make sure he’s not pushing it too hard, too fast.

“It’s most important that I get myself healthy at this point in the year so I can go through the whole year,” said the Spaniard. “If I put myself in a risky situation then I won’t be helping my team in the long run.”

Jackson seemed to share Gasol’s sentiments.

“We have three days in between our first game and our second one,” said Jackson. so if worse comes to worse, we have a really great replacement for (Gasol) with Lamar Odom.”

RON ARTEST: TEAM PLAYER
Skeptics that had expected Ron Artest to be doing his own thing on the court for L.A. saw a collective counterexample from the forward throughout eight preseason games.

The evidence is in the statistics, which showed Artest taking fewer shots per game than five other Lakers, and found him placed second on the team only to point guard Jordan Farmar in assists.

In 25 minutes per game, Artest averaged 7.9 points, 3.8 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.38 steals.

After Sunday’s practice, he had this to say about preseason play:

Pregame Injury Update: Gasol, Bynum & Walton

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on October 22, 2009
in Andrew Bynum, Injury News, Luke Walton, Pau Gasol and Pre-Game
. Closed

D067369021.JPGLakers forward Pau Gasol and center Andrew Bynum will miss Thursday evening’s preseason game in Anaheim against Denver, though forward Luke Walton will dress and be a coaches’ decision to play.

Gasol, who strained his right hamstring earlier in training camp, will also miss Friday night’s game in San Diego and await re-evaluation early next week.

Jackson explained that his All-Star forward had some questions about how (the hamstring) felt after Wednesday’s practice, during which Gasol ran and went through some drills. The head coach said it might be more of a fatigue issue, but to “alleviate” Gasol’s response, the team felt it was best to keep him out of the final two preseason games as there was nothing to gain by playing him.

“I’m not worried,” said Phil Jackson. “Whether he makes it (for the season opener on Tuesday) or not I’m not worried.”

Bynum, who strained his rotator cuff and suffered a contusion of the left knee this week, will not play Thursday evening but will be re-evaluated on Friday morning. He’s listed as day-to-day.

Walton (back), meanwhile, practiced for the first time in over a week on Wednesday and will dress against the Nuggets, though his participation will be up to Phil Jackson.

Bynum Rotator Cuff

Published
by
Ty Nowell
on October 22, 2009
in Andrew Bynum, Injury News, Luke Walton and Pau Gasol
. Closed

Lakers center Andrew Bynum suffered a minor rotator cuff strain in Tuesday night’s 113-107 win over the Golden State Warriors. Bynum did not practice Wednesday due to the injury but is being listed as probable for Thursday’s game against the Denver Nuggets in Anaheim.

“My training staff hasn’t anticipated anything that would prohibit him from playing, but we’ll see what it’s like (Thursday),” said head coach Phil Jackson.

—

Injured forwards Pau Gasol and Luke Walton both participated in Wednesday’s practice after missing the past couple games.

“I put them through practice today. We’ll see how they react to that tomorrow. They looked okay,” Jackson said.

—

The Lakers carry a 5-1 record into the first of back-to-back games against the Denver Nuggets. Tonight’s game is schedule for a 7pm tip from the Honda Center in Anaheim on KCAL/9 and TNT. Tickets available here.

Bynum Solid Early and Often in Lakers Win

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on October 15, 2009
in Andrew Bynum and In-Game
. Closed

Andrew BynumIf the first three preseason games are any indication, a major part of the Lakers’ first quarter offensive game plan is pretty simple: Let Andrew Bynum go to work in the paint.

On Thursday evening in Las Vegas against the Sacramento Kings, Bynum was dominant in a 16-point, four-rebound first quarter in what was ultimately a 98-92 Lakers victory, controlling the paint much like he did against Golden State in L.A.’s first two contests.

“I think that’s something that you’re going to see all year,” said Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak from his courtside seat. “It’s always a focus to initially attack teams down low, and Andrew has that ability.”

“You have to be aggressive to start the game, because sometimes people come out relaxed,” added Bynum. “We know we can move the ball to the backside and (get those inside shots).”

Andrew BynumThe numbers suggest as much, as the first game against the Warriors saw the 21-year-old hit 4-of-5 shots and all five free throws for 13 points, plus three offensive boards (four total). The second contest, just two days later also against the Warriors, saw a less-inspired team effort produce 24 first quarter points. Ten of those points were scored by Kobe Bryant as Bynum chipped in four points and two boards on 2-of-4 shooting. Nonetheless, L.A. still looked for Bynum’s initial post ups, and he didn’t force anything. On Wednesday, No. 17 again hit all of his free throws (6-of-6 off fouls committed at the rim) and made 5-of-8 shots including two powerful dunks off alley-oops from Bryant and Derek Fisher, respectively.

“He’s completing at the basket,” said Phil Jackson. “I think he’s stronger. At times his defense has been really good (although) there are always areas to work on.”

Bynum has scored 33 points with 10 rebounds in three first quarters, though in fairness, the Warriors and Kings don’t exactly offer the league’s most threatening defensive frontcourts. Furthermore, Pau Gasol (hamstring, day-to-day) didn’t play on Thursday, affording Bynum at least a few more touches than he may get consistently. Nevertheless, Bynum will indeed get the ball often in the early goings, and L.A. will have trouble thinking of a reason not to feed him the ball when he’s this productive, particularly when he’s establishing such good post position.

“I need to focus all year long on being the first one up the floor on both (offense and defense),” said Bynum. “Because if I stay ahead of the ball and stay healthy I think the sky is the limit.”

As it turned out in Vegas, the Lakers looked for Bynum far less often as the game continued, producing just five additional field goal attempts in 20 more minutes (32 total as he played the entire first quarter), yet he still finished with a game high 24 points and eight boards plus a block. But the lack of late touches didn’t seem to bother him; on the contrary, Bynum understands that it’s his defense and rebounding that will increase in importance as games draw on.

“That’s when people are really going to come out and attack, especially if you have a big lead at halftime,” he concluded. “You have to shift your focus to defense.”

So, with a recipe made up of one part early offense and another late defense, Bynum is already looking much more like the January 2009 version of himself than what he was able to show in the playoffs due to his knee injury.

For the Lakers, that’s pretty good news.

POSTGAME NUMBERS
1 Injured shin for Lamar Odom, who was kicked as Ron Artest and Kings rookie Jon Brockman wrestled underneath the hoop. Odom missed the second half - though he tried to return but couldn’t run - and is listed as day-to-day. After the game, he said he was “sore,” but “fine.”

2 Three pointers made by the Lakers, one each from Sasha Vujacic and Ron Artest, to go with nine misses. Artest finished with seven points, seven rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes.

4 Steals from Kobe Bryant, two of which ignited explosive fastbreak dunks for the Finals MVP, the first of which featured No. 24 double-pumping the ball off his left shoulder. Bryant finished with 18 points, four assists, four rebounds and four steals as he entertained a highly-partisan Lakers crowd.

12 Game-high plus/minus rating for Bryant and Odom, no surprise the team’s best in that category throughout the 2008-09 season.

18 Margin for the Lakers after three quarters (85-67), until the Kings regulars cut the lead to as few as three with 1:45 minutes remaining in the fourth against L.A.’s bench.

26 Made free throws by the Lakers on 30 attempts for a solid 86.7 percent.

80 Percent shooting for Vujacic, who nailed 4-of-5 shots (the only miss was a full-court heave at the third quarter buzzer) as he continues to shoot the ball well early in the preseason.

Andrew Bynum: World Traveler

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on October 1, 2009
in Andrew Bynum and Training Camp
. Closed

Andrew BynumOn media day, Lakers center Andrew Bynum told us (on video) about his training habits from the summer, which included a great deal of leg-strengthening work in Atlanta, and shared his goal of becoming an All Star.

Two days later, Bynum talked a bit more hoops - mentioning that he’s fully comfortable shooting out to 17 feet - but also revealed himself to be a world traveler. In fact, the 21-year-old detailed his journey through Italy, Spain, Japan and China that took place after he won his first NBA title.

His favorite stop?

“I love Rome,” he said. “I liked Barcelona, which is just like L.A., but I liked Rome because of the history there. The art is unbelievable, and then walking around during the sunset is crazy. I went all over, we did a whole bunch of sight-seeing and saw a bunch of stuff.”

Bynum said that he particularly appreciated the Vatican, but in somewhat of an upset, said he prefered Spain when it came to food.

“I like paella a lot (in Spain),” said the seven-footer. “I’m very American when it comes to eating Italian food. I really don’t like the way they serve it over there, where they do a salad, a pasta with nothing in it and then the meat comes after. I like to throw everything in and have it really sauced up.”

Being a rigatoni-with-marinara-and-chicken guy, I can respect that.

Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBA Photos

Andrew Bynum: Exit Interview

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on June 18, 2009
in Andrew Bynum
. Closed

blog_090618andrewbynumJust before tearing his MCL in January, Andrew Bynum had exploded to the tune of 26.2 points, 13.8 boards and 3.2 blocks across a five-game stretch in dominating fashion. After 32 games on the pine, Bynum returned from injury with just four games left in the regular season, and while not approaching 100 percent health, played a key role in L.A.’s championship by shoring up the middle of the paint on both ends.

In the regular season as a whole, Bynum averaged 14.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks on 56 percent from the field and 70.7 percent from the free throw line in 28.9 minutes. In the playoffs, his minutes decreased to 17.4 a game, he averaged 6.3 points, 3.7 boards and 0.91 blocks on 45.7 percent from the field, but played a key defensive role in the paint.

Here are some highlights of Bynum’s exit interview:

- On what Mitch Kupchak and Phil Jackson had to say: “They basically just told me to do the same things I did last year during the summer time. They want me to play more, try to find some runs, maybe at UCLA. Just keep working … Sky is the limit.”

- Bynum said he’s not going to participate in the Team USA workouts because he needs to get his knee back to 100 percent. Right now, he mostly needs to rest (but also) strengthen his body.

- On the difference between this offseason and last: “Last year I had the surgery and rehab went smooth, this one was a tear and just takes a lot more time. I wanted to make it back, so I took it to the court maybe a little sooner than my trainer wanted me to. Even though I didn’t play my best ball, I got to understand the next level. The intensity was (so much higher), it was (great to experience).”

- Bynum said he doesn’t feel any added pressure with L.A. potentially missing a guy or two next season depending on how free agency works out. He’ll just play his game.

- When asked what two memories will stick out the most to him about the playoffs, Bynum cited Fisher’s two threes, which made him beam like a little kid, and the three-point shooting of Trevor Ariza in Game 5. He added that the experience was 100 percent difference from this season to last, from participating to sitting on his couch watching.

- He said he was completely surprised with how much Utah switched up how they played him in the regular season to the playoffs.

- The experience of playing with Pau Gasol, to Andrew, was “great.” He wants to improve his ability of playing from the high post so if Pau beats him up the court, he doesn’t have to adjust.

- On getting a sense from Phil on what he needs to do to be playing the fourth quarters: “I think it was just a matter of me not being physically right.”

- Bynum said he admires the strong base that Dwight Howard has that helps him with defense, and also likes the way he attacks the glass.

- Bynum talked about watching film of his torrid January streak: “First, my timing is there ….. It took about 15 games of the regular season to get into rhythm, (and then) I had it; Two, if you watch those games, I’m up and down the court, first or second always, always ahead, always involved. Coming off an injury, you just can’t get it back in a week and a half.”

- On a potential White House visit: “I hear (President Obama) likes to play basketball, so maybe we could all have a run.”

Bynum Using Brawn… and Brain

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on June 5, 2009
in Andrew Bynum, Finals and Practice News
. Closed

Andrew BynumSomewhere in L.A.’s Western Conference Semi-Final series against the Houston Rockets, two things happened to Andrew Bynum, one physical and one mental: He started to get closer to his pre-injury conditioning level just as a strategic light bulb flipped on in his head.

The 21-year-old center realized that if he committed fully to protecting the rim, rebounding and getting up and down the floor in defensive transition, the Lakers would be very hard to beat. Makes sense, right? His offense would come naturally, but couldn’t be his focus.

“I think after the Houston series everyone really realized, ‘Look this is what it is, what we need to do,’” he said after Friday’s practice. “We’re going to have to play defense. Everybody’s going to have to sacrifice offense, it will take care of itself, especially with us. We have a deep team and everybody (can) score, it’s going to come down to how many people we stop, how many stops we can get in a row.”

That mindset led to a generally productive - and underrated - series against Denver that doesn’t show up in the numbers, and culminated in the young center’s nine-point, nine-rebound performance in 22:23 of NBA Finals playing time that essentially canceled out Dwight Howard’s 12 points and 15 boards in 35 minutes.

“You have to limit his easy stuff,” said Bynum, who did exactly that as Howard mustered just one field goal on six attempts. “Make him make shots over the top of the defense, make him have to earn all of his buckets.”

Surely the Lakers would take a draw between Howard, the Defensive Player of the Year and All-NBA First Team member, and Bynum.

But rewind back a few weeks ago when Bynum struggled with unconventional matchups (Utah’s Paul Millsap, Houston’s Chuck Hayes or Carl Landry) while trying to come back from his knee injury that limited his minutes and made finding a rhythm seem more difficult than keeping his 7-foot head from hitting a door ledge. There was something besides time and increased conditioning that helped Bynum get his mind right: Watching film.

Bynum - HowardEarlier this week, Bynum told the Orange County Register’s Kevin Ding how he was planning on defending Howard (a sample: “You’ve got to keep him as far away from the basket as possible”), because he’d already started watching tape with his teammates and coaches, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. As such, Bynum felt pretty comfortable with what Howard was going to do in Game 1.

“It’s definitely rewarding when that happens, and (watching film) is all part of it,” he said. “That’s something the coaching staff came to empower myself about. Cap (Abdul-Jabbar) watched film with us, came and told us, ‘Look, this is what you’re going to have to do against this guy.’”

Bynum could see what Howard wanted to do on one hand, and on the other, observe how much better the Lakers were against the Nuggets and Rockets (games five and seven specifically) when he was most active defensively. The proof was right there in front of him. True to form, his defensive focus (not to mention his eight first quarter points) certainly worked against the Magic in Game 1 of the Finals, leaving Orlando searching for a way to deal not just with the length of Bynum in the paint, but of Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, who collectively give L.A. three long and skilled post players that Orlando simply didn’t have to face in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

“I think the matchups are for us a little bit more, having L.O. out there and Pau out there,” Bynum continued. “The same advantage that they had, I think they just lost it. They had that ridiculous advantage against Cleveland where Delonte West was playing (Hedo) Turkoglu and somebody else small was playing Rashard Lewis. So now it’s a little bit different. And we’re really running them off the three-point line, that’s a big difference too. They’re swinging it around searching for that three that they were getting wide open. I think we have to just keep doing that.”

Bynum gets it.

He understands what he needs to do, what L.A. needs to do. And that’s certainly not good news for the Magic.

To watch Bynum, Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza and advance scout Rasheed Hazzard’s post-practice video, CLICK HERE.

Bynum Flagrant Rescinded, Jones Awarded

Published
by
Mike Trudell
on May 26, 2009
in Andrew Bynum and Around the NBA
. Closed

The NBA has lowered the Flagrant Type 1 foul given to Andrew Bynum with 6:11 left in the the fourth quarter of L.A.’s Game 4 loss in Denver to a regular foul, according to Lakers spokesman John Black.

Bynum committed the foul when Denver’s Chris Andersen grabbed an offensive rebound and went up for the put back, appearing to get a whole lot of ball in addition to Andersen’s arm.

This marked the second Flagrant Type 1 foul called on a Lakers player that was rescinded this postseason; Kobe Bryant’s in Game 6 against Utah was similarly downgraded.

Meanwhile, Denver guard Dahntay Jones was assessed a retroactive Flagrant Type 1 foul for his trip of Kobe Bryant that occurred late in the third quarter after Bryant beat Jones on a back cut to the hoop. It’s the third flagrant foul given to Jones in the playoffs, meaning he’s one short of a mandatory one-game suspension.