Lakers Trade Rumors: Kobe Bryant Can’t Afford to Lose Andrew Bynum

Kobe Bryant absolutely cannot afford to lose Andrew Bynum if he hopes to have any future success with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Some trade rumors have been out there about a possible trade of Bynum to the Orlando Magic for Dwight Howard, but Kobe Bryant can't afford to let that happen.

Bynum has become a huge part of this Lakers squad in the last few seasons and has improved his game the most this season. He’s averaging 17 points and 12 rebounds while shooting an impressive 57 percent from the field. Those are franchise center numbers.

Without Bynum, the Lakers would not be anywhere near as good. He combines the offensive skill of a guy like his teammate Pau Gasol with the strength and toughness that a team would want a defensive center to have.

He’s arguably the most well-rounded center in the game, and he’d be even better if he was on a team that gave him more shots.

That’s something that will happen as Kobe Bryant gets older and his skills decline. That’s why Bryant can’t afford to be without him—because Bynum is the only current Laker that could be good enough to be the No. 1 option when Bryant can’t be.

 

I Trust You, Man

After deferring a clutch shot to Bynum at the end of the Lakers’ game against the Boston on Sunday, Bryant made a point to tell the media that he was the one who called the play for Bynum to get that ball and that he trusted Bynum in that situation.

He also implied that he was impressed with how much Bynum had improved as a player, which is important considering how he has criticized the center in the past.

Bryant likes to take those clutch shots, and it is very meaningful that he deferred this one to Bynum. The only other guy on the team that he might trust that much is Derek Fisher, and even that is a maybe.

There needs to be at least one other guy on this t...

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