Lakers coach Mike Brown benches Andrew Bynum after 3-point shot
Andrew Bynum had actually taken 7 three-pointers in his career coming into Tuesday night. He has hit one of them. So you could say he was due. I'm not sure why you would say that about Bynum's heave with 16 seconds left on the clock during the third quarter of the Lakers' 104-101 win over Golden State Tuesday night, but you could say it.
Needless to say, he did not double his career makes from beyond the arc.
Following that beauty of a shot, Mike Brown did what you do to players in that situation. He yanked him off the floor.
Well, yes, that would take you out of your rhythm. But it's OK, because Bynum was totally and completely sorry about it after the game.
Wait, no he wasn't. Not at all.
So, allright, well, this isn't the first time Bynum's done something rather foolish during the course of a game. At least his teammates know that as the Lakers battle for playoff positioning they can't have shots like that. Or wait, no, that's not right, either.
So that's the super-competitive, ruthless Hall of Fame player undercutting his coach in the press, just days after his coach benched him down the stretch in a close game.
Even when the Lakers win it seems like the wheels are coming off.
Bynum reportedly hits these shots all the time in practice. But that's practice. Bynum's a seven-foot center. The Lakers have perimeter shooters whose job it is to shoot those shots. Bynum is not one of them. Brown seems to be desperately trying to control a team that is rapidly spinning futher and further out of the realm of his control.
But wait, there's more. After benching Bynum for the remainder of the period, Bynum was seen laughing about the events on the sideline, and later refused to join a huddle, telling reporters "I just sat where he put me."
There are two storylines here, both predictable. One is that Bynum is not past the maturity issues that have plagued his entire career, just as Lakers fans thought he was completely over them. And two, Mike Brown's hold on this roster is perilously thin and unless things change, there's going to be even more poison in the water. And if it happens because of Bynum's immaturity, afterward we'll only be able to say one thing:
He was due.
Needless to say, he did not double his career makes from beyond the arc.
Following that beauty of a shot, Mike Brown did what you do to players in that situation. He yanked him off the floor.
Brown on Bynum's 3 try: "That's something that I felt could've taken us out of rhythm, and that's why I took him out of the game."
— KEVIN DING (@KevinDing) March 28, 2012
Well, yes, that would take you out of your rhythm. But it's OK, because Bynum was totally and completely sorry about it after the game.
Wait, no he wasn't. Not at all.
Bynum said message he got was not to take 3's if u r going to miss. "But I'm going to take some more."
— KEVIN DING (@KevinDing) March 28, 2012
Bynum on threes: "I took one, Ima' take some more"
— Ethan Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss) March 28, 2012
When I asked Bynum about his three: “I don't know what was bench-worthy about the shot, to be honest with you.”
— Ethan Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss) March 28, 2012
So, allright, well, this isn't the first time Bynum's done something rather foolish during the course of a game. At least his teammates know that as the Lakers battle for playoff positioning they can't have shots like that. Or wait, no, that's not right, either.
Kobe suggested young Lakers coaches might've overreacted to Bynum's 3-point attempt: "I think he was testing the limits of his game."
— KEVIN DING (@KevinDing) March 28, 2012
So that's the super-competitive, ruthless Hall of Fame player undercutting his coach in the press, just days after his coach benched him down the stretch in a close game.
Even when the Lakers win it seems like the wheels are coming off.
Bynum reportedly hits these shots all the time in practice. But that's practice. Bynum's a seven-foot center. The Lakers have perimeter shooters whose job it is to shoot those shots. Bynum is not one of them. Brown seems to be desperately trying to control a team that is rapidly spinning futher and further out of the realm of his control.
But wait, there's more. After benching Bynum for the remainder of the period, Bynum was seen laughing about the events on the sideline, and later refused to join a huddle, telling reporters "I just sat where he put me."
There are two storylines here, both predictable. One is that Bynum is not past the maturity issues that have plagued his entire career, just as Lakers fans thought he was completely over them. And two, Mike Brown's hold on this roster is perilously thin and unless things change, there's going to be even more poison in the water. And if it happens because of Bynum's immaturity, afterward we'll only be able to say one thing:
He was due.
