Just writing to give you a quick update on Bynum.
For the second time in the last month, the HS school
phenom Bynum worked out for LA on Saturday morning.
This time around, the Lakers were not interested in his
athletic prowess. They know what they get from this kid
and they're impressed with his footwork, hand eye coordination,
soft touch around the basket, and his strength. Apparently,
Jim Calhoun from UConn told Laker staff that Bynum would
have started at UConn his freshman year and become an offensive
first option inside because there was not one college player who could stop
the kid 5 feet around the basket. The Saturday work out was more
about his ability to learn "triangle embedded sets". LA basically wants to
know how well/fast Bynum can learn and assimilate a system (the triangle). The kid passed with flying colors. He ran the sets with intensity
and was very fluid in running them. Reportedly, some staff joked that
Bynum ran the sets better than Mihm (he's been working on learning the tri) and Shaq (when Jackson first arrived). They don't think that he'll start
right away because Bynum will need to learn about pacing, spacing, and the general nuances of the game in real game situations. The biggest plus is that Bynum has a decent stroke from 10-15 ft (inconsistent but something he can improve). For LA, he projects as a 5-8 min player next season. They are seriously considering him as I posted a day ago. LA Times confirmed Lakers interest in Bynum and Vasquez as possible #10 options today. Vasquez worked out late last week but I don't know how he did. Vasquez, however, is also looking as a strong possibility because Utah who was high on him was dissapointed that he bailed on them in favor of coming to California. Utah was seen as Vasquez's possible destination so now he may fall but not past the lottery. One last line of news: LA has lots of power in determining how picks will turn out afterall. Jackson has been proactive in this draft/offseason. He has advised Mitch to call in a few more workouts (2nd workouts with top 15 players) with hopes of stirring even more confusion in the draft and landing a player they desire who would otherwise not be available at #10. Basically, when LA calls a player they come to workout. Other teams try to follow the lead and try to call that player in but are rejected. Mind games indeed!
Balance