The question is... is Bynum better than Turiaf (The guy he replaces in the line-up)? and the answer is yes. If they play each other again it will be a great series.

The other key is Odom...

Will the lakers persist with a plan that doesn't seem to be getting the best out of LO?

He is great insurance against a major injury to either Gasol and Bynum, but really, they didn't win with him last year against the celts, so is he reallt the insurance they need?

He would look great as a knick... and i bet the Lakers would love a Q-rich...

it isnt on ESPN! no NBA is on this week.

I agree he has not reached his peak, but i think with the giant leap he took last season, people were perhaps expecting even more from him this season. He is still improving but it will be a longer process and i think Perkins may be a step ahead right now.

Any thread titled "Perkins v Bynum" has to be a joke doesn't it? Theyre not even close.

Bynums is better then Perkins and by a large mark.

Bynum at the current moment is still trying to find his groove after coming back from injury and can still add so much more to LA, come finals time watch out.

If they were on teams that needed them to be the franchise players, Bynum is killing Perkins.

But with regards to the roles they play on the current teams, is Bynum that much better than Perkins?

I'm just asking if all the fuss and talk about how much of a dif a healthy Bynum would make to the Lakers chances of beating the Celts, has the devolopment of Perkins and his perfect fit within the team structure been undervalued?

Right now you would have to say their production is practicaly equal... Identical rebounding and block numbers, the only dif being that Bynum has scored more. 9-12 dif in points per.

By the time the playoffs begin, Bynum should be back to full fitness. At the moment he is still getting over last year. A fit and healthy Bynum is worth 15 and 11 type numbers. Kendrick is not capable of that.

SEASON STATS

BYNUM: MPG: 28.7 PPG 12.3 RPG 8.60 APG 1.8 BPG 1.9 TO 1.81

PERKINS: MPG 28.6 PPG 9.0 RPG 8.40 APG 1.2 BPG 1.8 TO 2.33

Cheers K-4-MVP, illustrates my point pretty clearly.

Similar numbers, but Bynum has the ability to continue to improve and be a 20pts/10reb player

Perkins will always be that role player who will give u 10-12pts/8-10reb range for his career

Agree, to an extent, but my point is that when the finals come around and he is squared off against Perkins, its pretty much a saw, and not the one sided Laker win that some people propositioned last season.

You put Gasol into Boston and then see how Perkins numbers shrink!

Garnett complements Perkins, Gasol does not complement Bynum! Bynum needs to post up to score but if the ball is in Kobey or Gasol's hands then Bynum's points dry up.

I have no doubt if you put Bynum in most other teams he would be a 20/10 player.

Yeah- probably right, but that kinda is the point, when the finals are played, Perkins will be doing the same things as Bynum, so i would expect the Celtics to be pretty happy right now.

How about Gasol move to the bench? I think Odom was a bit of a scape goat for last years result and he would appear to fit better with Bynum than Gasol.

Plus Gasol would be of huge value as a post option when Kobe sits, to keep the offence flowing in his absence.

Or they could always swap Odom for Q-rich and James expiring contract from the knicks...

Gives them a big body off the bench, plus a guy that would slot in perfectly at sf and complement Kobes game to a tea....

Quag ad a la supporter come finals if the re match happens i have total confidence bynum and clean up perkins. The difference from last year that also frees up gasol alot more on offence/defence.

Quagmire, Lakers have the best record in the West and you want to send one of their best players to the bench because you feel Odom will play better with Bynum then with Gasol?

Thank god you're not a GM :P

you watched any Lakers game this season? Pau's the most consistent player we have! Also those stats don't show how many times Drew's helped us altering opposition shots

I think Phil needs to try have LO at the 3 alongside the other starters at the end of the game. This line up hasn't came up yet and I'd think it's worthwhile just giving it a go.

Perk is one of my favourite players and even i'm not delusional enough to say he is better than Bynum now or aruge that he has more potential, different players but i'm certain given the choice NBA GM's would go with Bynum. I think the better question is will Bynum live up to the hype of being a franchise player one day on a succesful team..

I think what has suprised people this season has been Perks ability to be more consistent and stay out of foul trouble. His minutes per game are slightly up compared to last year but they could be up by considerably more if he was needed on court more. His improvment in conditioning has allowed for his footwork to improve out of sight from a few years ago, go up to the ring stronger, run the court better, defend smarter/harder, have a not quite so limited offensive game.. etc. He fits in for the Celtics perfectly. I think people forget just how raw Perk was when he first game into the league.

Gasol doesn't need to get moved to the bench for the Lakers to improve.. and Odom shared the blame for last years final series coz he sucked. Of the Lakers games I have seen this year Farmar has impressed me a fair bit, liking his game.

About farmar.. anyone seen/heard on his injured knee?

At first they thort out a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed.

Nutwork - good to have you back!

Two points-

Can i make it any clearer to some people that i AM NOT SAYING PERKINS IS A BETTER PLAYER THAN BYNUM IS OR EVER WILL BE.

My point was that there is only one ball and only 5 per team on the court, so he and Perkins will have similar roles for their teams.

I give the edge to the Lakers because i can see Bynum having a big game at some stage of a finals series, Perkins just doesn't have a top game in him.

Second point- i'm a fan of Odom and the intangibles he brings to teams. Teams have nearly always had success when he is on them, and he deserves a bigger role than he is getting now, when he is in his prime.

The knick trade for Q-rich would be optimal, the Gasol off the bench would be interesting for a couple of reasons. Gasol, like Manu is a 'Euro' player and they are often described as team first players, willing to accept defined roles for the benefit of the team. He would still play starters minutes, just at times when he can be 100% the focal point of the offence, and when he is being guarded by the second string bigs from their opponents, who he can flat out dominate.

This is a joke, Bynum is 10x the player Perkins is. He is a better scorer, a better defender, a better rebounder, has a better body, is taller etc etc etc.

Thanks Isaac, hopefully I can build up my little basketball count in '09.

I keep hearing when the finals roll around. Well we are only a quarter into the season. Over the next 60 games Perkins stays consistent, and Bynum continues to find his groove, improve his fitness and find his place in the offense. He will be putting up 25 and 15 games once a fortnight come playoff time.

Well we could drag the good old PER stat out...

In 2008/09:

Andrew Bynum - 18.8
Kendrick Perkins - 13.7

And if we want to look at last season:

Bynum - 22.6
Perkins - 13.3