"Timber!"

It's happened again. I guess Andrew Bynums log-like legs can only handle approximately half of a season. Last night against the Grizzlies, halfway through the first quarter I heard a fan yell "timber!" and a few seconds later Andrew was curled up on the ground grabbing his right leg in agony. After watching the replay it seems the "Black Mamba" crashed into Bynum following an off-balanced drive. Apparently the x-ray taken showed no structural damage, but I believe those only show major breaks in the bones. A torn ACL or similar injury(just as damaging) will not show up until they get extensive MRI done.

You really feel for this kid though...to some extent. I mean, sure, he signed a fat contract extension and is going to make more money next year than I will probably make in my entire life, but even so, some empathy is understandable.....maybe he'll pay me for it. It seems like whenever he starts to get a great feel for the NBA game something drastic happens. He has put together his best streak of games in his career recently; Bynum's averages from the 5 games previous to the Memphis game:

26.2 points 13.8 rebounds 3.2 blocks 65%FG 83%FT

All this while getting to the free-throw line eight times a game in that stretch(and a career best 42 point game). Most importantly, though, is the fact that he looked explosive and played with an aggression we have been hoping for. He no longer caught the ball on the block waiting for the double-team so he could pass out of it. He no longer took fade-away hooks going up against a defender several inches shorter than him. He no longer worried about committing a foul before contesting a shot. Simply put, he started playing instinctively; stopped over-thinking everything and let his natural ability take over.

I was on the verge of blogging about Bynum's recent surge and how he makes the Lakers that much better....so of course some freak incident happens. Bynum's presence was becoming Superman-like, causing opponents to think twice about driving the lane. His footwork in the post is incredibly agile and as fundamentally sound as any other 7+ footer. His soft hands and ability to catch passes on the fast-break are unusually superb. He was playing at a level that would suggest he is worth the big contract extension; a level that would put him up there with the top 5 centers. Here's a nice little display of his skills:



Then a random play changes it all. With Kobe off-balance after a shot he crashes into Andrew's leg. For some reason I felt like this was deja vu, but I wasn't sure why. The more I compared this injury to last years the more I felt a growing sense of loss. Why? Remember last years injury to Bynum? Let's take a look at the two injuries:

• Both injuries happened in January
  
• Both injuries happened against the Memphis Grizzlies
• Both injuries happened with Bynum playing at a career best
• Both injuries were caused by a teammate(Odom lasy year, Kobe this year)

A little eerie wouldn't you say? Of course last years injury was to Andrew's left knee, while this injury seems to be his right knee. That's really the only difference: different legs. It's possible that it's just a slight sprain, but it's also possible it's a season ending injury. With the ridiculous similarity to last years injury it's hard to think the outcome will be any different.

Sure, the Lakers are still a solid contender without Bynum, but I seem to think they won't be able to win a ring this year without him. Let's hope the similarities to last years injury are stopped once the MRI is taken. Simply put: it sucks. It seems this kid is cursed by the "random teammate injury monster". It appears this could be a trend with Bynum; whenever he's getting his explosion back and becoming the star we thought he would be........BANG!