L.A. Drama: Bynum not doing anything; Fisher’s feelings hurt
Andrew Bynum (photo. Jeff Forney)
It’s Armageddon over in Laker-Land. Clicking through the L.A. Times this morning, a couple things stood out. First was this bit on Andrew Bynum, whose postseason has gone pretty much the exact opposite of Rajon Rondo’s: Whereas Rondo went from X-factor to legit star over the last few weeks, Bynum has gone from supposed-to-be star to Kwame Brown Reincarnate. From Times writer Mike Bresnahan:
More notably, Andrew Bynum played only 11 minutes and went scoreless for the second time in this series. He had three fouls, two rebounds and one turnover.
“It looks like it takes him some time to get himself involved in the ballgame right now,” Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said. “His hands weren’t good when he came in. He had a fumble, little things like that.
“We went to him early in the second half to try and get him involved and have an influence in the ballgame — plug the lane, block some shots, do some things. Never happened.”
I can’t even explain what’s going on with Bynum. A year ago — hell, a couple months ago — he was supposed to be the missing piece in a championship run for the Lakers. Now, his coach admits he can’t even “do some things” on the court. Even if you want to write off Bynum’s performance in the Utah series to bad matchups, Bynum should be effective against the Rockets. Instead, he’s gotten worse. It’s like when MLB pitchers get “The Thing” and suddenly can’t throw strikes anymore; Bynum’s suddenly lost his ability to produce.
Then, notorious locker-room agitator/columnist T.J. Simers recounted this little exchange with Derek Fisher:
“So how come you guys failed to show up?” I said to Derek Fisher, a question a lot of folks in L.A., who were wasting their Mother’s Day in front of a TV, might’ve asked if given the opportunity.
“I’m a man,” Fisher told me, and the things you learn traveling with a team.
“You don’t address me,” he said. “You don’t wait until I’m done dressing. You throw something out like that.”
I know this will come as a shock to some folks out there, knowing the problems that so many athletes have these days, but I’ve found for the most part that most of them can dress and talk at the same time.
Fisher had only one shoe left to tie when I dared ask him the obvious question, and if he can’t keep up with an inquisitive 58-year-old sports columnist, it’s no wonder he’s struggling with an energetic young pup like Aaron Brooks.
“You should have known better,” Fisher said, while ticking off the names of other Times reporters who know he can’t talk and dress at the same time.
Fisher continued to be defensive, obviously a good sign considering it never happened on the court, and so maybe the guys are already preparing for Game 5. They certainly should be fresh for it.
In Fisher’s defense, standard NBA locker room protocol says that, as a reporter, you don’t start asking questions until a player has — whether dressed or not, it’s up to him — turned around to face the media. I learned this in New York, when Stephon Marbury would be taking his leisurely time getting dressed, facing his locker, oblivious to the swarm of media tip-toeing the imaginary semi-circle a few feet away from him. As soon as Steph turned around, everyone would lurch forward with the cameras and mics going.
So yeah, the reporter in this case broke that unwritten rule. Still, Fisher would have been better off just ignoring the question rather than giving the exact agitated reaction his agitator was hoping for. It only makes Fisher look worse.
May 11th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
E$ says:
LOLLLOOLLOLL
We are enjoying this in H-Town,Tx! Von wafer gets upset when you take him out the game, not the same reaction when Bynum is taking out….He doesn’t care
May 11th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Clemo says:
fisher was just mad because he played a terrible game… and the interviewer obviously broke a rule… so I understand fish… in case you don’t know there is a press conference after the game where u can ask questions, so don’t hate on fisher for such stupid little things…
May 11th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
dmitry of jersey says:
lakers are not winning a damn thing without andrew bynum producing, and that is a damn fact.
May 11th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
karizmatic says:
I think people need to give Bynum a break he’s obviously not 100%. I think he rushed back from his injury and isn’t really ready to go. Plus he came from being out about half the season to come back and play ball in the playoffs. Those two things have probably contributed to a lack of confidence in him and are major factors in his lack of production. Phil Jackson has had to cut his minutes which only results in less production. So I tend to cut Bynum some slack. In any case, the Lakers should be performing much better with or without a healthy or even good Bynum.
As far as Fisher he’s just frustrated.
May 11th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
JP says:
bynum follows me on twitter, thats all i care about. wait… what? thats the fake andrew bynum?
http://www.nbadraftdaycountdown.com
May 11th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
dk says:
@4
No asshole, when you have a near season ending injury and come back early, you better be 100% or your Kwame Brown. What a fucking joke, people are getting fatter and more and more ignorant here in America. God bless this country twice because were getting so dumb and fat McDonalds well probablly be running this joint in 5 or 6 years…
May 11th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
karizmatic says:
Very funny.
May 11th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
K Dizzle says:
@
“No asshole, when you have a near season ending injury and come back early, you better be 100% or your Kwame Brown”
What does that even mean? If you’re noit fully healthy and you come back to help your squad, then you’re Kwame Brown?
Fat? Dumb? McDonalds? WTF? Stick to the topic
May 11th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Rafa23 says:
@ dk
what did they put in your coffee this morning?
May 11th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Clemo says:
@dk
if you’re talking about fat, McD and stuff u could at least mention Big Baby Davis hahahaha
May 11th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
CB9 says:
@clemo
uauhauhauhauhauhauha poor fat baby hahahahahhaha
May 11th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Big Shot BOB says:
Wow seems pretty quite for an article like this. What happened to all the laker love and “were gonna win a championship with our eyes closed this year” talk? Kobe lovers? anyone? Or did Ron Ron shut that ass up?
May 11th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
dk says:
@10, If I was making a joke I would have included Big Fatty and the fact he has a Mc Donalds in his house. I unfortunately was being serious. If people are to stupid to figure out Bynum is not 100% they should keep their ignorant fat mouths shut with dollar menu Items. Obviously, hes still not back to full health mentally, physically and is far from Kwame Brown…
@8 It means an injury to a seven foot person of the type could have ended his season, easily. The only reason he has a shot of playing again this year is due to the fact he is in phenomenal shape. But Laker fans and critics should expect there to be a reconditioning phase and even a period of reservation…
May 11th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Blah Blah.. Armageddon??
lemme say it again.. Armageddon in LA?? for really?? we down 2/2 going back home.. all you niggas is just going to be bitter if we win it cuz lord knows NOBODY outside of Cali wants us to win this chip..
OOOOOOOOO Bynum isnt playing up to par.. oh well we ARE better than last year cuz Ariza is healthy knocking down 3’s and we are deeper @ the guard position.. and Bynum can still come around.. Fuckin Vultures always looking to pick at us.. Shit Fisher just let a rookie drop a career high in a playoff game.. i wouldve smacked that reporter with my size 12 if he asked me some silly shit when he aint supposed to..
@ E$ - enjoy it all you want in “H-town” cuz when its all said and done its still going to be 4-2 Lakers.. As it will be with the Nuggets.. Cavs will go out in 5..
May 11th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
dmitry of jersey says:
yeah Cavs will go out in 5… they’re gonna go out of L.A. with championship rings.
May 11th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Big Shot BOB says:
Nah Dallas is done. ANd you really think ATL will when a game?
May 11th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
LakeShow84 says:
@ BIG SHOT BOB
No suckaassnigga we still talking chip.. And RonRon couldnt shut up Ronald McDonald shooting 3/20 or whatever it is the past 2 games.. Who’s been shut up if we going home tied 2-2?? aint nothing easy out here for us.. funny how the first seed has the hardest road in the whole playoffs.. Utah, Houston and Denver?? wow Cleveland has had Detroit, Atlanta and Orlando??
Shit even the Nuggets in the 2nd seed have been chilling the first 2 rounds.. New Orleans and Dallas?? shit ill take that over our matchups all day.. oh well all that shit stops soon when those 2 cakewalkin ass teams meet us..
May 11th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
LakeShow84 says:
@ 15
Fuck Jersey..
May 11th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
dmitry of jersey says:
@18
haha are you upset bc Andrew “I’m gonna fuck up Kobe’s last chance to win a title” Bynum grew up 10 miles from me?
anyway, I was being generous saying Cavs beat LA in 5… they gonna win in 7, against Denver.
May 11th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
baron von faulk says:
“aint nothing easy out here for us”
you play for the Lakers? that’s awesome!
May 11th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Siiigggghhhh..
Why do Jersey cats always bring up Bynum growing up close to them if he aint shit?? everyone so quick to name drop about the kid but still hate.. Why would that make me mad Dmitry?? explain please.. but Bet Melo disappears against us in LA..
it aint hard to eat up Stojakovic and Howard.. Howard aint been a good defender since Wade mentally down syndromed him in game 6..
May 11th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
Rafa23 says:
baron, thats not really funny. lots of people talk about their team like that.
May 11th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
swiper says:
damn, bynum’s trade value is prolly equal to dan gadzuric right now. or should i dare say…eddy curry!
May 11th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Mike says:
Um, Kwame Brown did way more for the Lakers in the postseason than Bynum has in these playoffs. That comparison is unfair to Kwame Brown.
May 11th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Clemo says:
daaaaamn LakeShow84 is the best hater if seen for a long time on dimemag… props my man…
go lakers!
May 11th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
dmitry of jersey says:
you insult my state, i insult your player who is from my state.
you know this made me think of something more on topic. bynum grew up in central jersey and played high school in metuchen. i know that area real well, very stable and suburban. makes me wonder: is he struggling bc he just not ready for the pressure of being LA’s savior? this dude was far from Lebron.. he didn’t have all that pressure and spotlight on him growing up. believe it or not, i don’t have LA or Bynum, but this situation could scar him and prove once again that the minimum age rule is good for the NBA.
May 11th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
dmitry of jersey says:
*meant to type “I dont hate LA or bynum”
May 11th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Raj S says:
@FakeShow84
It’s pretty funny how the three best centers in Laker (and probably NBA) history grew up either in, or a stone’s throw from, New Jersey. Chamberlain: Philly; Kareem: NYC; Shaq: New Jersey.
Who is the best center in NBA history who calls Cali home? Tyson Chandler? Bill Walton? Fall back sweetheart.
May 11th, 2009 at 8:09 pm
Austin Burton says:
Bill Russell went to HS in Cali…
May 11th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
LakeShow84 says:
@ RajS..
Whats that go to do with anything?? i said fuck Jersey cuz its part of Dmitry’s name.. Dmitry understood this cuz he clearly smarter than a lima bean.. where you coming from??
When did i say “fuck Jersey and every basketball player to ever come out of there”? So u can fall back chump and take that “Stones throw” shit somewhere else.. i would be dumb to insult East Coast basketball and everyone who has come out the East Coast.. Shit our whole team (minus Farmar) is from the East coast you dip.. Shit even the Eastern hemisphere..
May 11th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
Raj S says:
Where one went to HS and where one calls home are two different things.
Bill Russell is from Louisiana. That’s where he calls home (before his time with the Boston Celtics, at least).
Shaw went to HS in Texas, but he calls New Jersey home.
May 11th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
LakeShow84 says:
@ Mike
Kwame Brown fell for Tim Thomas’ pump fake in the end of game 6 when that Phoenix series was a done deal, ruining our upset..
Hence FUCK Kwame and his Basketball IQ of a skittle ass..
May 11th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Raj S says:
@FlakeShow84
Then say fuck Dimitri, not fuck Jersey. When you say fuck Jersey, other people, such as myself, will take offense to it. But if you are trying to insult Dimitri from Jersey, then insult Dimitri from Jersey, not Jersey.
May 11th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
LakeShow84 says:
@ RaJ S
You really think i am going to listen to you?? LOL thanks for the wise words DAD.. “well he really says he from here even though he was born there”.. WTF?? you back from the future with the almanac or something?? WHO CARES..
Lol you were off base from jump so keep coo.. i never said anything about Jersey and its place in history with Centers in the league.. so ill type whatever i want about it.. but like i said im not impressed with peeps who hate on a hometown guy.. Everyone got something negative to say about Bynum and they FROM JERSEY.. you guys should support your rising stars.. just a word of advice from your son pops..
And get a new name.. fake ass RayJ..
May 11th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Big Sia says:
Is Bynum Russell? Hell nah… thats why hes a flopstar when it matters… at least so far
May 11th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
LakeShow84 says:
@ Dmitry
Nah i think Bynums going through a stage where is a big thing in LA and he isnt as focused as he should be.. that might scar him.. if he was in NJ or Charlotte he might have a chip on his shoulder and continue to grow.. thats the only thats worried me about him.. he likes offense more than defense now and he has whined about his minutes like a future Diva..
And sorry if i sounded aggressive.. i dont want to hear about any Cavs beating my Lakers in 5 lol
May 11th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Austin Burton says:
@Raj — It’s not the same for everybody. Example: Jordan was born in NYC, went to HS in North Carolina, and calls NC home. Just depends on the man. As for Russell, I’ve never heard him say which place he calls home.
But I DO know that Brian Zoubek is from Jersey, so…
May 11th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
dmitry of jersey says:
LakeShow84
if you were from Jersey you would know that it is a part of being from Jersey to hate on everyone. shit, every new jersey person i know hates new jersey, it’s in our nature.
funny thing is, new jersey pride comes out when people step across the border.
anyway, i’ve seen bynum dominate. he has talent but lacks will power and passion. at least that’s how it looks like on the basketball court now.. i hope he can get past this and take a class in Giving A Shit and Playing Hard 101. then Lakers Cavs would be very interesting.
May 11th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
dmitry of jersey says:
and P.S. I am watching the end of the fourth and Lebron just dominated Atlanta and just refused to let his team win. ridiculous he is dominating the playoffs on a Shaq-like / Jordan-like level.
May 11th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
dmitry of jersey says:
shit… that sentence makes no damn sense
May 11th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
LAballer says:
when do we not have drama in la?
notice how all you non cali people are the ones saying we’re done and this and that..none of us out here pay attention to that bullshit..
we all knew the lakers weren’t winning that last game..we know our team..we know our faults..we know who we are..and we know we are STILL WINNING THE CHIP BITCHES
just wait and watch..
May 11th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Raj S says:
@FakeShow84
Raj S is my real name sweetheart. No Mickey Mouse alias for me. Also, I don’t return verbal insults, especially over the computer. I’m a grown man, but you know that already seeing as you called me daddy. If your mom really named you LakeShow84, you should smack her because I, as your father, would have named you Raj Jr. Btw, tell her I said to stop calling.
Goodnight!
@AB
It does depend on the man, you’re right. After all, home is where the heart is. If that’s the case, Bill Russell is probably from Boston.
Corey Fisher from ‘Nova played HS ball in NJ, but he’d call NYC home. Sam Dalembert played HS ball in NJ too, but that man calls Haiti home.
I hate Duke, and I hate south Jersey basketball, but Brian Zoubek is from NJ. Shaq makes up for him though, haha.
May 12th, 2009 at 6:00 am
S-SiN says:
Bynum had a smirk on his face when he was taken out, like pfff! is that the worst u can do phil? cuz i sure as hell don’t give a shit and would laugh my ass off if i could!
could it be the whole “i want to play without a knee brace-no we won’t let u- okay, then i’ll play like shit to prove i’m right and then say i told u so” thing?
afterall he’s a 21 year old with a suffering ego. anyone?
May 12th, 2009 at 6:15 am
Rainbow says:
Last time I checked Paul Pierce was from LA, and I don’t think any of us are rooting for his Judas Ass !!!
May 12th, 2009 at 10:35 am
johnny says:
Kwame Brown is a good post defender these days.
May 12th, 2009 at 11:00 am
jbas says:
fish has 3 airballs in this series…nuff said.
May 12th, 2009 at 11:10 am
doc says:
@lakeshow-thats yall new shit, saying yall played Utah and Houston like they was powerhouses all year.If I remember correctly Atlanta beat your favorite team ass and Dwight and them ran through the whole West including yall this year.Not to mention I know Boston record was good againts the West since they won 60 games.And yall said this last year when Boston got through the East going through game 7’s to ATLANTA and CLEVELAND, but quickly switched it up to its because Andrew Bynums hurt when yall seen KG and them wasnt letting none of them pussies get one rebound without permission.These four East teams now 3 thats standing beat the West ass all year.
May 12th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Citizen B says:
Bynum’s not playing well because his coach is a star-bleeper. What young player has Phil Jackson every coached into an all-star?
May 12th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Big Shot BOB says:
@ Lakeshow I’m from Cali and I ride or die for them. So we on the same side but since I’m form the bay aka da bidness my team is The Warriors. How you end up liking the Lakers. I know it’s a lot of them Laker fans in the bay but I just don’t get that unless you in stay in L.A.
And for the cat that said that Shaq is from Jers might be mistaken I could have sworn Shaq was a military brat that moved all over and didn’t find a home until he moved to Louisiana and still claims down south. The best center to play the game came from cali Bill Russell. I also think Bill Walton the hall of famer came from cali.
May 12th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Big Shot BOB says:
@ Citizen B you sound stupid for that last comment.