The Los Angeles Lakers sent shockwaves through the NBA Thursday night when the acquired center Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic. The four-team trade involved three notable pieces, but as far as the Lakers are concerned, they effectively turned Andrew Bynum, the second best center in the game, into Dwight Howard, the best center in the game.
While the news elicited predictable calls of “unstoppable” and “L.A.’s Big 3,” a half-day of perspective is reeling in expectations. The Lakers were already absurdly loaded before this trade. The acquisitions of point guard Steve Nash and small forward Antawn Jamison (17.2 PPG last season) created one of the most terrifying starting lineups of recent memory: Nash, Bryant, Jamison (or Metta World Peace), Gasol, Bynum. Los Angeles already had an impressive Big 6. There is no denying that Howard is an upgrade from Bynum. But just how much?
Scoring (2012 stats listed)
Bynum: 18.7 on 55.8% vs. Howard: 20.6 on 57.3%. Howard averaged 0.1 more shots per game last season, so the comparison is pretty fair. Both players expanded their low-post repertoire in recent years, and while neither will ever compare to Olajuwon or McHale, they both have become reliable scorers. The only problem for Lakers fans is that their center now shoots 20% lower from the charity stripe. Bynum shot 69.2% from the line, Howard shot 49.1%. Hack-a-Shaq worked out alright last time.
Rebounding
Bynum: 11.8 RPG vs. Howard: 14.5 RPG. This statistic is heavily influenced by Pau Gasol. Bynum split rebounds with Gasol, and while Bynum took more boards, Gasol averaged 10.4 last season. A comparison of Total Rebound Percentage, a metric that measures the estimated percentage of boards a player grabs when he is on the floor, shows that Howard has grabbed 21% of all rebounds he has been on the floor for in his career. Bynum has grabbed 17.1%. Howard appears to be an upgrade, but Orlando’s second leading rebounder, Ryan Anderson, averaged 7.7 rebounds per game.
Blocks
Bynum: 1.9 BPG vs. Howard: 2.0 BPG. A look at the players BLK%, an estimate of opponents’ two-point shots blocked by the player when he is on the floor, shows that Bynum blocks 4.6% of all shots in his career while Howard blocks 4.5%. This again could be influenced by Pau Gasol and the help-side intricacies of NBA defense, but there is no doubt that both men are intimidating protectors of the tin.
Maturity
This one is a real toss up. Both players seem batshit crazy at times. Bynum thinks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar cannot teach him anything more and Howard pulled a complete coach assassination in Orlando while constantly denying it. Neither player has what it takes to be a number one option on a championship team, but luckily for Howard, he will just be one of the star-studded gang.
Health
This is why the trade is so great for L.A. Bynum has missed 160 games in his seven year career; Howard 13 in his eight year career. A big man with lower-half injuries is a hazard and the Lakers turned a lesser quality, injury-prone center into one of the healthiest stars in the game.
The Lakers improved with this trade, but not by leaps and bounds. If Bynum can remain healthy in Philly on a team full of young talent it will be interesting to compare the two centers careers. Howard, of course, will own more rings thanks to his Hall of Fame teammates, but Bynum’s numbers will admirably compare to Howard’s as long as his knees do.
The Big Guy
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