Kobe Bryant: Are He and the Lakers Worse With Andrew Bynum, Joe Smith?

Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers are once again one of the teams to beat in the NBA, and as the two-time defending champions push for another title, they'll do so with two new faces.

Andrew Bynum, the oft-injured center, is back in the lineup after missing the start of the season with an injury and the Lakers just traded Sasha Vujacic for Joe Smith, a journeyman who was most recently with New Jersey.

Working new and returning players into a lineup is always a risky move because chemistry is such an important thing. So playing devil's advocate a bit, does the addition of these two players to the rotation make the Lakers better or does it hurt them slightly? Inside you'll find five reasons for each and a conclusion.

Make sure to leave any thoughts or comments at the bottom.

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