LAKERS NOTEBOOK: BYNUM LIKES STARTING.Byline: ROSS SILER Staff Writer EL SEGUNDO El Segundo (ĕl sēgŭn`dō), industrial city (1990 pop. 15,223), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1917. Its products include navigation and computer systems, aircraft parts, office machines, telephone apparatus, and -- Until Kwame Brown returns from a sprained left ankle in another week or two, the Lakers can put off deciding whether 19-year-old center Andrew Bynum Andrew Bynum (born October 27 1987, in Plainsboro, New Jersey) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. Bynum is listed as 7'0" and 285 lbs and plays center. should continue starting or come off the bench. For his part, Bynum clearly believes he is best served starting. He said as much at practice Wednesday: ``When I start, I think I'm more effective than when I come off the bench.'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson
Philip Douglas "Phil" Jackson (born September 17, 1945 in Deer Lodge, Montana) is the current coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, an American professional basketball team. said such a decision was too far away to consider right now. Jackson also is unlikely to give the opinion of the NBA's youngest player much weight whenever that decision is made. ``He's not old enough to determine it,'' Jackson said. ``There's a few guys in this game that do have that ability to dictate that. But it's up to coach's distinction as to how the team functions. ``We really want to put defense as a priority in this team, and Andrew has to bring that defense along with his offensive game. We think he's making progress all the time, so that's good.'' Jackson would like the Lakers to be better than the NBA's 26th-ranked team defensively, giving up 103.1 points on average, and Brown brings size and strength inside. Jackson also believes the players on the second team look to pass the ball more to Bynum than the starters. The Lakers are 16-9 with Bynum starting and 11-6 with him as a reserve. Bynum is averaging 9.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 25 minutes as a starter compared with 6.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 15.4 minutes off the bench. It's a moot point moot point n. 1) a legal question which no court has decided, so it is still debatable or unsettled. 2) an issue only of academic interest. (See: moot) for the time being. Brown sat out practice Wednesday as he continues to recover from the Dec. 31 ankle injury. Air Sasha: The Lakers ended Wednesday's practice on a thunderclap thun·der·clap n. 1. A single sharp crash of thunder. 2. Something, such as a startling or shocking piece of news, that is similar to a crash of thunder in suddenness or violence. of a play. Sasha Vujacic -- yes, the 200-pound Vujacic who loves to shoot 3-pointers -- drove baseline and dunked over both Bynum and Lamar Odom Lamar Joseph Odom (born November 6 1979, in South Jamaica, Queens, New York) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays power forward (also plays both forward spots and is a "point-forward") for the National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Lakers. . All Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant (born July 23 1978) is an American All-Star shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. could do was fall to the court laughing and head to the locker room joking about how cold the devil must be. Bynum pleaded his case to reporters that he actually blocked Vujacic's dunk into the basket. ``It was the most surprising dunk I've ever seen,'' Bryant said. Also: Forward Lamar Odom reported no problems with his injured right knee and said, ``I'll be playing on Friday.'' ross.siler@dailynews.com (818) 713-3610 |
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