Late in the third quarter of last night’s Lakers/Rockets game, Bynum was fouled by Samuel Dalembert on his way to the basket, and he didn’t like it.
I don’t know if he felt like he was pushed in the back or what, but Bynum lost it a little there, leading to a technical foul. That’s when Mike Brown talked to him:
we told him, ‘You got one technical; don’t pick up your second,’ and he acknowledged us
Then, just a few minutes later, Bynum did this.
Good night, Drew. Your night’s done. So was the Lakers’. They lost a winnable game to the Houston Rockets. Now here’s the whole quote from Brown:
“I’m disappointed because we told him, ‘You got one technical; don’t pick up your second,’ and he acknowledged us, and he went out and picked up his second when I thought he could have helped us win the ballgame,” Lakers coach Mike Brown said.
Bynum did not speak to reporters after the game.
“He acknowledged us, and it happened anyway,” Brown said. “When you have that, that is concerning. … Call it whatever you want to call it. It’s not right.”
Bynum’s behavior is slowly devolving (or maybe we can say it has already devolved) into a meltdown. And the worst part of it all for the Lakers is that he doesn’t seem to get it. After each of these incidents, he blows it off and goes about his merry way as if this is all some joke.
It’s not a joke to Kobe Bryant, who has gone to great lengths to be ready for this season. It’s not a joke to Mike Brown, who is trying to avoid another hit to his reputation after he didn’t win it all with LeBron James in Cleveland. And it’s not a joke to the Lakers franchise, who have not only invested good money in Bynum, they have resisted trades involving him… meaning this behavior could make their faith in him a bit misguided.
I don’t know what it is about the centers in the NBA today. The two best, Bynum and Dwight Howard, might be two of the most immature players in the league. It’s probably just a weird coincidence, but it boggles the mind. Bynum is going to torpedo the Lakers chances this year if he doesn’t turn this around. And torpedoing Kobe’s chances won’t sit well with Kobe. Drew needs to change his attitude quick, or this will crash and burn in spectacular fashion.
