In search of a bridge that would take the Los Angeles Lakers from the seismic departure of Shaquille O’Neal to another NBA title, Andrew Bynum became L.A.’s version of the Golden Gate.
He wasn’t as big as O’Neal, but 7-feet and 285 pounds will do, and his whole NBA career was ahead of him. Plus, he liked Kobe Bryant.
But after teasing the basketball world with Shaq-like performances in January, Bynum injured his knee for the second year in a row. With the Lakers inching closer to a second straight Finals appearance, he has become little more than he was when he first arrived after the Lakers drafted him No. 10 out of a New Jersey high school in 2005 and became the youngest player in an NBA game at 18 years, 6 days.
In 15 playoff games, the Lakers’ starting center is averaging only 5.9 points a game. That’s not exactly the support Bryant needs to prove he can win his first Shaq-less title. Then again, Bynum is also averaging only 16 minutes a game.
And he’s not happy.
“It’s not that I’ve lost any confidence,” Bynum said before Sunday’s practice. “It’s just tough to get any rhythm out there right now. I haven’t been playing enough to get into a rhythm.”
Asked if he has talked to coach Phil Jackson about it, Bynum said: “It’s not up to me. He’s going to do what he’s going to do.”
Jackson has a dilemma. He has a 21-year-old kid coming off a torn medial collateral ligament who missed 32 games before returning April 9. The knee, Bynum says, is about 80-85 percent.
His conditioning, according to Jackson, is something else.
“This is a guy who hasn’t played a lot of minutes,” Jackson said. “A sustained effort for Andrew is a big deal. He can run three or four minutes, then he tires. You just have to allow him to come back off and go back in the next time. We’re just looking for short bursts from him and opportunities to help us.”
He injured his left knee in January 2007, knocking him out for the season. However, this season he fulfilled his promise. In one 12-game stretch in January, Bynum averaged 20.8 points, including a 42-point, 15-rebound monster against the Clippers. During his run, the Lakers went 9-3.
“Unbelievable,” center Pau Gasol said. “He was the best he’s been in his career and the best I’ve seen him play. He was definitely dominating, confident, aggressive. No matter who they had on him, he was going to take him and deliver.”
He has improved in the Nuggets series. He’s averaging 7.3 points, but how long can the Lakers survive with only three scorers and getting little from the man who’s supposed to replace O’Neal?
“He’s going up against some really good defensive players,” Bryant said in support. “Nene’s very good; Kenyon (Martin) is very good. So it’s not like we can just throw him the ball. They’re not going to let him catch it on the block and go to work.”
John Henderson: 303-954-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com
