Stones Bynum

Andrew Bynum needs a good nickname. Drew is lame. How about Stones Bynum ?

Why? It goes back to that game a couple of years ago against the Heat, where Stones does the dunk and bump on Shaq. Now, it still took a lot of stones to be so bold, even though if he'd done that to a Shaq anywhere close to his peak, Andrew would have been abused like a redheaded stepchild for the rest of the game/season/decade. Ergo, Stones.

There was a post on one of the boards recently asking whether Andrew would soon be the best player on the Lakers. The answer is a clear no, Kobe is still the best. But Stones should become the team's most consistent and efficient player, and that's no small feat. Rock solid. Stones.

As a Suns fan, I worry about the Lakers. Not about Kobe, but about the base level performance of the rest of the team. We saw this at the beginning of last season, when Kobe started the season injured, and that team went unbeaten before he rejoined them. That was a testament to just how good a coach Phil Jackson is, and to the general idea that organization, teamwork and execution can win you all the games you should win, and 80% of the ones you can win.

Of course, you need that 20%, and that's where Kobe comes in, the one player on the Lakers who can on a consistent basis singlehandedly take over a game for a quarter or two. Remember, Michael Jordan didn't start to win championships until he learned to trust his teammates, and to give up his shot for a better one.

One gets the feeling that Kobe is slowly starting to truly grok that idea, and that by trying to do less himself, his team benefits. And I do see him becoming a little more Nash-like in the sense of seeing his teammates as an extension of himself, and Stones in particular, rather than as obstacles in his way.

Still, as a Suns fan, I'm perpetually glad that Kobe is continually prone to 8/25 shooting nights. If he ever learns how to pick his moments properly, and tone down his need for individual approbation, this Lakers team could be really good this year, and scary good next year as Stones, Lamar and the rest of the Lakers mature and cohere.