Future Bright For Lakers

The Lakers’ season is officially over after losing last night in Boston 131-92, capping off a 4-2 series victory for the Celtics. Despite the way it ended, the Lakers had a banner season in 2008 and the future looks even brighter in L.A. The Lakers still have the best player in the NBA in Kobe Bryant and the best coach maybe ever in Phil Jackson. Lamar Odom and Paul Gasol are really good second and third options and young players like Jordan Farmar, Luke Walton, Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf are only going to get better.

The biggest bright spot that some may be forgetting about is 20-year-old center Andrew Bynum. Bynum was a force in the paint in 2008 before his season was cut short by a knee injury, averaging a double-double and more than two blocks per game. Insert him into the starting lineup and let Pau Gasol move into his more natural role as a four, and you’ve got a team that should go back to the finals next year. Bynum looks to have all the makings of a star big man and was already dominating this season when he can’t even legally consume an alcoholic beverage in this country. Bynum would have helped greatly against the Celtics and provided the physical inside presence the Lakers appeared to lack during most of the series. As of now, with a healthy Bynum, I would consider the Lakers the favorite to win the championship next year.

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