With a quarter of the season already completed, we are starting to get a feel for the identity of most teams.
There is still plenty of basketball left to play with plenty of questions about many teams, but if you were wondering if the Toronto Raptors or the Cleveland Cavaliers could potentially make the playoffs before the start of this season, those thoughts are probably no longer there, given the struggles of those respective teams.
Although there is a general picture painted of what we can expect for the remainder of the season, a bunch of teams still remain enigmatic because of who they are missing. The following critical players have missed all of or most of this season: Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Andrew Bynum, Eric Gordon and John Wall.
Until these players return for the teams they play for, it’s mostly difficult to get a read on how good or bad their teams will be this season. Luckily, there is positive news for the status of most of them, found below:
Andrew Bynum opened up about what it was like to play in L.A. with Kobe Bryant, who agreed with his former center’s sentiments. Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles has details: “I thought it really helped me a lot obviously at first, because he draws so much attention it’s hard for guys to double team and key on you, so it helped me tremendously,” Bynum told a group of L.A. reporters before the Lakers played the Sixers on Sunday. “Later, I felt I was able to get the ball more and do more things with the ball, so I could definitely see how it could stunt growth.”… “For sure, because when you’re playing with me you obviously have to sacrifice something,” Bryant said. “Same thing with me and Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal). You kind of off-set each other to a certain extent. So, I mean, that’s true. When he gets back and he’s healthy, he’ll come out here and he’ll be the focal point of their attack and he’ll be getting the ball more and you’ll see big games from him more consistently.”
- Bynum also touched up on what he thinks about Dwight Howard, from McMenamin: “Personally I think they traded No. 1 for No. 2,” Bynum said, referring to the Lakers acquiring the 27-year-old Dwight Howard as the major part of the four-team exchange that landed him in Philly. The 25-year-old Bynum warned that Howard will have to get used to the balancing act of playing alongside Bryant. “I think Dwight is a great player, but he’s going to have to get accustomed to playing with Kobe and not touching the ball every single play,” Bynum said.”