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Kendrick Perkins: But then—I don’t mind being criticized or critiqued; everybody’s entitled to their own opinion—but then Kenyon was like: “Well, yep. Perk would be a liability.” Hold on. Hold on one second, brother. Liability? Let me give you some facts—okay? Back him up. Let me give you some facts when it comes to throwing out that word: liability. The Oklahoma City Thunder never went to the NBA Finals until Kendrick Perkins arrived on that team—because they couldn’t get past the Lakers, who had the Twin Towers: Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. That’s number one. They were a problem.
Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis trade was only third time All-NBA players were dealt for each other
Another interesting note from our research found that only two other times before Saturday’s Luka Doncic-for-Anthony Davis trade had reigning All-NBA players been moved the following season in deals involving each other. It first happened in the 1979 offseason when 1st Team All-NBAer Paul Westphal was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Seattle SuperSonics for Dennis Johnson, who was coming off a 2nd Team All-NBA campaign in ’79. Then, in the 2012 offseason, the Magic traded their 1st Team All-NBA center, Howard, to the Lakers in a very complicated four-team deal that saw L.A. star big man Andrew Bynum, who had just made 2nd Team All-NBA the season prior, head to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Who was the best player in the league when you played? Goran Dragic: Definitely it’s Kobe Bryant. If I go back, I play the 2010 Western Conference Finals, Phoenix versus Lakers, I see that Mamba mentality. It was unbelievable. We put like three or four guys on Kobe, and he was just smiling and shooting over three guys and scoring. He had a good team. He had Pau Gasol, [Andrew] Bynum, [Jordan] Farmar, [Lamar] Odom, all these players, but when the game was on the line, we all know where the ball was going to go, but we couldn’t stop it. So for me, for sure it was Kobe Bryant at that time. And then you have D-Wade, LeBron James, you have many many players, I would say Kobe was the best closer, and D-Wade. When I played with D-Wade I saw so many games where he would take the ball and bring us home. And that was unbelievable.
Josh Powell on the misconception that was around Andrew Bynum and if was really interested in basketball at all: "It might’ve seemed like that. I think that other factors had something to do with people’s perception of him and I mean, you gotta think, right? My number could be slightly off but, he went before he tore his meniscus he was on a stretch for like, six or seven weeks I think in limited time because I don’t think he was getting 30 minutes a game… but that man was averaging I want to say between 22 and 25 points per game and 13 rebounds. Remember the game that he had 42 on the Clippers? It was like, ever since that game something clicked and he just went on a tear. Andrew was always talented. He had a big body and had great footwork, great hands and he was super young but he had a good feel for the game on the defensive end; he had a big presence, he could guard, he could block and alter shots… like there so many things that he could do on both ends."
Josh Powell: "But when he was healthy and locked in it didn’t matter what people would say that if he liked the game or didn’t, that man was dominant. He was DOMINANT! And then between him and Pau [Gasol] at the big spots it was just unreal. It was just unreal, you know what I’m sayin’? Whether if he has the passion or not, that man could play the game of basketball and I’m sure that you can name a lot of other people -- we could even name some superstars that were like, Well I don’t think he likes the game like that… but then come to find out that person is a top-40 NBA player of all time for somebody who doesn’t like the game much. I don’t get caught up in all that, man. ‘Drew was great for us. He’s also a great person off the court too. He was somebody that hung I around and we clicked and just had a chance to really see him. A lot of people really didn’t get the opportunity so I’m thankful for it."
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Phil Jackson: “We had discussed the trade for Pau a season before. My reluctance was that he wasn’t a defensive center and protecting the lane was a priority. However, Andrew Bynum was an important member of the team and allowed Pau to play both positions when the Lakers won back-to-back titles. Pau’s ability to play both positions really made the Lakers a potent offensive team.”
Pippen also joins current Golden State Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in giving their support for the Kings, after the pair shared their own videos earlier in the series. Again, Curry and Thompson may be diehard Kings fans, but they are also former teammates of Andrew Bogut - part of the team's ownership group - as well as current Kings import Ian Clark, both of whom were part of the Warriors' championship dynasty from 2015-2017. Others who have shared their support for the Kings include former Kings players who are now in the NBA - Didi Louzada and Jae'Sean Tate - as well as former Kings coach Will Weaver, former NBA lottery pick Thon Maker, Sydney Swans player Jake Lloyd, and Super Netball team the NSW Swifts.
Before the Lakers’ game against the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 28, 1997, Bryant decided to take a nap. “I was excited,” the then-rookie told The San Bernardino County Sun. “I was thinking about it and visualizing it. It helped me go to sleep.” Twenty-five years ago, at 18 years, 5 months and 5 days old, Bryant became the youngest player to start an NBA game, a record that still holds. He replaced former Atlanta Hawks small forward Bill Willoughby, who previously set the record during the 1975-76 season, in the record books when he stepped on the court at Reunion Arena. Bryant’s former teammate and Laker Andrew Bynum is the youngest player to play in an NBA game, a record he set when he came off the bench at 18 years and 6 days old.
Jared Weiss: Rob Williams joined Hakeem, Duncan, Dwight, Mourning, Bynum and Coleman as the only players with 10+ points, 9+ rebounds and 9+ blocks in a playoff game per @Sportradar. Only one to do it without a TO. He’s the 1st player ever with 9 blocks in under 25 minutes in a playoff game.
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The two best centers when it comes to defending without fouling are Al Horford and Vucevic, and that has been the case each of the last few years. This season so far, Vucevic is averaging just 1.7 fouls per game, which for someone who plays as many minutes as he does in a starting role is not only rare, it’s potentially historic. Only two centers all time have started in at least 60 games, averaged a minimum of 33 minutes of playing time a night and committed 1.7 fouls per game or less, per Stathead. They are Mike Gminski, who in 1988-89 with the Sixers averaged 1.7 fouls and 33.4 minutes with 82 starts, and Bynum, who in 2011-12 with the Lakers averaged 1.7 fouls and 35.2 minutes with 60 starts.
Borrego liked the contrast of styles: the run-and-gun Nuggets against the behemoth Lakers, starting the Pau Gasol-Andrew Bynum mega-frontcourt. Bynum averaged 17 points and 12 rebounds per game for the series, and put up a triple-double -- including 10 blocked shots -- in the Lakers' Game 1 win. "A lot of our guys probably don't even know Andrew Bynum," Borrego said. The series was also incredibly physical. The offensive teams rebounded almost 37% of all misses, a mark that would lead the league today by a laughable margin. The teams combined for 47 offensive rebounds in the Lakers' 96-87 win in Game 7; Gasol had six -- all in a row -- on one pivotal fourth-quarter possession. "Part of this is to show them what physical playoff basketball looks like," Borrego said. "This is where we want to get to someday. Let's study it."
One name that was on United’s list, but has since become unavailable, was former NBA All-Star Andrew Bynum. Bynum, who won two championships alongside Kobe Bryant with the Los Angeles Lakers during a troubled career, has not played since the 2013-14 NBA season and is currently attempting a comeback. Unfortunately, as fun as it would have been to see Bynum suit up for Melbourne against the Sixers, the thirty-year-old has since been scratched off their list. “Originally Bynum was on there but I think he’s hurt his knee again,” Vickerman explained. “You want to look to see if there is someone who you would potentially, down the track, look at the Aussie league at some stage.”
Shams Charania: Sources: Former Los Angeles Lakers champion center Andrew Bynum worked out in the Lakers' facility this week as he pursues NBA comeback. Not an official Lakers workout, but gave Bynum opportunity for open gym runs.
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