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Click below the jump for full video coverage of Bynum's exit interview.

At this point, the concerns about Andrew Bynum are well documented. The NBA, like all professional sports, places a premium on predictability, particularly for superstars.

Bynum, a superstar talent in his ability to change games on both sides of the ball, failed the predictability test in significant ways during the 2011-12. Not necessarily in his statistical output -- the numbers were very strong -- but more often in his effort and engagement. There were too many nights Bynum didn't clock in, or decided to clock out early whether figuratively (allowing his defense to be dictated by his offense) or literally (two silly ejections).

And since on any given day what comes out of his mouth could easily be any combination of insightful, candid, or cartoonish, like you I was very curious to see what Bynum would say to the media after an extended exit interview with Mitch Kupchak and Mike Brown this afternoon in El Segundo.

Which Bynum would we get?

The candid and self-aware one, as it turns out. Bynum's answers weren't the sort of self-flagellation/mea culpa more self-righteous corners of sports media love demanding, but without getting too specific he certainly acknowledged shortcomings and noted skills away from the court requiring development. "I definitely need to mature and get the locker room to follow me," he said. "Have a presence, have an aura that demands my teammates’ respect. That’s something I can definitely work on."

That, and consistent energy and investment during every game, more a mental than physical challenge. "It’s hard for anybody, I think, to focus at all times. That’s what makes people get to that superstar status when they’re able to do that four out of five games. That’s the difference. That’s the next step for me," he said.

Like many, at this point I have taken a "show, don't tell" approach with Drew, and in Mitch Kupchak's shoes certainly would be nervous about giving Bynum the keys to the kingdom. He's a smart guy, and there's time for him to grow out of the immaturity plaguing him this year. Kupchak reiterated today faith he would and the team's plan to pick up Bynum's $16.1 million option for next season.

We'll find out in a few months if today's words translate eventually into change next season.

Among other highlights:

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For the second straight season, the Los Angeles Lakers have been bounced in the second round of the NBA playoffs. Not cause for panic in many markets, but in Los Angeles, where expectations are always stratospheric and Kobe Bryant is far closer to the end than the beginning of his career, it's enough to sound the doomsday horn. The end of a season is (almost) always a disappointing time, but usually comes with a tinge of wait-'til-next-year optimism. To that end, while the goal is not to add insult to Thunder-induced injury, people deserve candor:

I have no idea how the Lakers quickly return to a championship level.

Not to say I don't know what they need -- the needs are pretty apparent, and not a whole lot different than the ones from last offseason -- just that I don't know how they get it. Change, likely significant, must come, but unfortunately while the Lakers may be rich in the literal sense, as it relates to assets available to reconstruct a team, they're relative paupers:

• The Lakers lack young prospects not already integral to the team's success, have no quality draft picks, or easily moved talent bringing comparable talent in return.
• Well over the salary-cap and luxury-tax thresholds, the Lakers have limited tools -- a mini mid-level exemption worth a little more than $3 million, basically -- available in a market thin on quality unrestricted free agents. (Most restricted FA's won't be an option, because L.A. can't offer a contract large enough to dissuade a rights-holding team from matching.)
• After next season, the CBA's new SuperTax! kicks in, which at current levels could cost the Lakers tens of millions of dollars.

Good players cost money. The Lakers need more of them at a time when the prevailing pressure is to bring payroll down not up, or at the very least have a rock-solid plan to do so in the very near future.

Enjoy the summer, Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss!

Having spent years kicking the can down the road in an effort to build a winner, for which management should be applauded, the box in which the Lakers placed themselves in the process has grown incredibly tight. They're still a good team, but one that just lost to a better team. No shame in that, except the standards in L.A. don't tolerate this sort of thing for very long. Moreover, the Lakers are on the way down, while the competition around them is rising. Oklahoma City is a juggernaut. Memphis, despite the early exit from the postseason, is a team with upside, as are the Clippers. A healthy Denver team is a threat. They're feeling good about the future in Utah, too, and is there any reason to believe San Antonio won't again be awesome next year?

This is the context of what could very well be a transformative, challenging and potentially fascinating offseason.

Here are eight questions facing the Lakers' front office as the summer rolls on ...

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"Pau's got to be more assertive. He's the guy out there that we need. When he's getting the ball he's looking to pass. He's got to be aggressive. He's got to shoot the ball. He's got to drive the ball to the basket and he will in the next game ... He's just looking to swing the ball too much, he's just got to shoot it. We played pretty much the same way the entire game. The second half what they did was front Andrew (Bynum), so when they front Andrew and in the fourth quarter they crowd me, the other guys have to be more aggressive, simple as that." - Kobe Bryant

"It's hard to say. Obviously we want the ball in Kobe's hands, but it doesn't necessarily need to be so early in the shot clock. I think it should get there later in the shot clock when the ball has moved and changed sides of the floor. Instead of being there from the beginning and then they kind of collapse and everybody's kind of sitting and it makes it hard for us, sometimes." - Pau Gasol

Above are two very different thoughts expressed by the Lakers' stars when asked about the stagnant fourth quarter offense that, along with simultaneously porous defense, eventually resulted in a blown lead and 3-1 deficit heading to Oklahoma City. Upon hearing these remarks, fans and media are typically inclined to debate "who's right" in an effort to determine which Laker was most "at fault" for the loss. But for me, what was most compelling about these comments was the stark reality exposed.

Kobe and Pau aren't on the same page. At all.

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The Lakers got off to a great start, but from there Friday's game turned into a slugfest. In the end, though, they came out on top, effectively saving the season and giving them a chance to knot up the series Saturday night.

We broke it all down on Lakers Late Night with special guests Arash Markazi and Dave McMenamin!



Click below for all the postgame moving pictures, from Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant, Mike Brown, Andrew Bynum, Ramon Sessions, and Steve Blake.

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Lots of talk about the debacle in Game 1 (has "The World Naked Gardening Day Pruning" caught on, yet? I didn't think so.), and looking ahead to tonight's Game 2.

And while there is still a lot of hoops left to play against OKC, more than a few fans are looking forward to the offseason. We take a look at what might be coming, as well.

Here's the link to the transcript.

On May 27, 1985, the Celtics destroyed the Lakers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, 148-114, a game quickly declared the "Memorial Day Massacre."

The Lakers, of course, went on to win the series in six games, finally vanquishing the Celtics curse.

Monday, the Lakers went to Oklahoma City and were similarly dominated, finding themselves down 30 points to the Thunder by the end of the third quarter. It was ugly on every level, and equally deserving of a nickname. Unfortunately, May 14 is a little short on signpost holidays or commemorations. The best I could come up with is "The World Naked Gardening Day Pruning."

Not bad, actually, and (with some imagination) maybe even a little apropos, but nonetheless unlikely to catch on.

More bad news: About the only commonalities in those games were the lopsided nature of the defeats. That 1984-85 Lakers team was dominant, winners of 62 games and favored to beat Boston for a title. This Lakers team is good, but not as good as their opponent. OKC outplayed them in about 10 of 12 quarters during the season series, and was superior in just about every measurable when considering the year as a whole.

Via Twitter and such, I've seen it suggested the law of averages will likely change how things play out in Game 2 on Wednesday night. Probably true. OKC was certainly above the mean in more ways than one. No team was more turnover prone than the Thunder in the regular season, but on Monday they gave up the rock only four times. Their starting lineup went 26-of-41 (63 percent), a tough number to reproduce even if L.A.'s defense doesn't improve much, and from 10-15 feet, OKC was a white-hot 60 percent (9-of-15). Put in perspective, Miami led the NBA from that distance this season, at 42.7 percent. The Thunder's offensive efficiency was straight out of NBA Live, at 133, versus 107.1 pre-playoffs. There are probably a few other areas in which the Thunder might naturally regress. Unfortunately for the Lakers, even if OKC suffers some slippage, it has a 30-point gap to chew up in Wednesday's Game 2.

That's more than a few more turnovers and missed jumpers.

Among the items on an extensive laundry list of needed improvements:

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The prospect of facing the Oklahoma City Thunder in the postseason has for most of the season conjured incredibly pessimistic images for Lakers fans. As the regular season wound down you could practically hear Adrian's pre-Drago speech to Rocky ringing throughout the city as most prayed the Lakers would leap through whatever logistical hoops required to avoid the Thunder until the Western Conference finals. But steadily the Lakers built momentum, solving some of their road woes and finding some actual support in the supporting cast.

Two games into their first-round matchup against Denver, things looked even better. Four games after that, they seemed much, much worse. Saturday, a strong performance pushed the Lakers through Game 7, finally earning a date with those very Thunder, starting Monday night in Oklahoma City. Nobody, save those viewing the world entirely through purple-and-gold-colored glasses, will make them a favorite -- nor should they. But despite the inconsistent effort vs. Denver, it's not out of the question the Lakers, through strong post play, attention to detail defensively, the intensity shown eliminating the Nuggets, and perhaps a healthy dose of ultra-rustic Siberian training can give OKC a genuine test.

Maybe even pull the upset?

The series features serious star power, with each team trotting out a high-end big three. Oklahoma City's combo of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden brings, among other things, scoring punch and athleticism, while the Lakers counter with the length, experience and skill of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Lovers of subplots and intrigue will have a field day, too, starting with the NBA's two leading scorers facing off in a battle of old vs. new guard. Metta World Peace and Harden will share the floor for the first time since this happened. Bynum and Gasol each have narratives to repair.

And, of course, the Lakers face a motivated Derek Fisher in a playoff series. The citizenry fears getting .4'd.

With all that in mind, here's a first look at the matchup ...

SEASON SERIES -- Oklahoma City 2-1

1. Thunder 100, Lakers 85 (Feb. 23, Chesapeake Energy Arena): The Lakers finished the first quarter up 23-19, but were outscored by 19 the rest of the way. Bryant finished 7-of-24 from the field, while Durant popped for 33.
2. Thunder 102, Lakers 93 (March 29, Staples Center): Again, L.A. got up early but was thoroughly outclassed after the first quarter. Durant and Harden were relatively quiet, but Westbrook went off for 36. Again, Kobe struggled (7-of-25).
3. Lakers 114, Thunder 106, 2 OT (April 22, Staples Center): The Lakers limited OKC to 14 fourth-quarter points, erasing an 18-point deficit and pushing the game to OT. Kobe again struggled overall (9-of-26), but hit huge shots late and ate up Westbrook (3-of-22) defensively. Big games for Gasol and the Lakers' bench.

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When the Lakers won Game 4 in Denver to take a 3-1 lead, the odds that this series would reach seven games seemed long. L.A. absorbed a quality shot from the Nuggets, trying to even things up, and now had a chance to close at home in a building where Denver has historically seen little success.

Two games later here we are, with the season -- and in many ways the future composition of the Lakers -- in the balance.

On Saturday night at Staples, the Lakers have a chance to move on and start fresh (if somewhat weary) against Oklahoma City on Monday. Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol have a chance to redeem themselves on both sides of the ball following Games 5 and 6. The Lakers can show the sort of competitive grit displayed in the fourth quarter against Oklahoma City a couple of weeks back, but seen too little in the postseason.

To set the mood, as we've done all series, we fired up the chatting machines for a conversation with TrueHoop's Roundball Mining Company, where Kalen Deremo provided a look at the game from Denver's POV.

Land O'Lakers: After winning two straight and three of four, how confident are the Nuggets heading into Staples for Saturday's game?

Kalen Deremo: As confident as they'll ever be. I think the Nuggets have always been so intimidated by the Lakers, but something is different this time around. They have a confidence they've never had, which has to be one of the scarier things for L.A. to face.

Do you plan on seeing an entirely different Lakers team Saturday? Nuggets fans sure do.

LOL: I'd like to think so. Unless there's a Game 8 I don't know about, they don't get another chance.

More than the issues of execution, the problems with effort, energy, and commitment have bothered Lakers fans, and certainly Lakers coaches. Those can be catch-alls, used as easy explanations for losses. "We didn't match their energy." But particularly in Games 5 and 6 it's been true. Denver has flat out-hustled and outworked the Lakers. As for players needing to play a full 48, it starts with the bigs. Bynum had 16 boards Thursday, but faded in and out defensively and in transition. Gasol was worse, disappearing completely in what might have been his worst game in the NBA, context considered.

They have to be better Saturday, right? And if as a team they don't allow themselves to be outworked, the Lakers should win.

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In Denver, the conversation around Saturday’s Game 7 at Staples is entirely optimistic.

The question is “What if they win?” They’re the team playing with house money, only now discovering potential that even if it doesn’t get them over the top in this series, is reason to be excited for next year. Game 7 is an opportunity to do something special, energizing a franchise and a fanbase, but to some degree the Nuggets have already done that. Two big wins down 3-1 with a young team coming together on the fly is no small accomplishment.

In Los Angeles, the context is almost entirely pessimistic. “What happens if they lose?”

If the Lakers can’t get out of the first round with this group -- Kobe Bryant having turned back the clock, a four-time All-Star in Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum after a breakout season from both a health and performance standpoint -- how can they be expected to be better next year without massive change? What does an opening series exit after building a 3-1 lead do to the future of coach Mike Brown in L.A.? I’d be shocked if he was fired, but the collapse would absolutely undercut the program Brown hopes to build here. Pau Gasol’s future with L.A. is already in doubt, given the size of his contract, the mileage on his odometer. Invisible performances like Thursday’s only add layers to the conversation. Another clunker Saturday could ensure an offseason trade.

There’s the future of Bryant, and whether he’ll ever again have enough around him in Los Angeles to win another title. If not, what then?

And perhaps most important, there’s Bynum, in theory at least the team's next foundational superstar. The talent is unquestionable, but is the commitment, night in and night out? Is he capable of growing into the leader the Lakers will need should they decide to make a long term, likely very expensive, contract offer? What does he do with the sort of power he'd have as the face of the organization?*

The answer depends largely on whether the controversies of this season were an aberration or a trend, but how many millions ought to be staked on it?

Change with this roster is coming in some form, but if the Lakers lose Saturday, it's basically open season.

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To some degree, there's only so much players can say about a Game 7, given the general lack of nuance to the situation. Win, or the season's over.

For the Lakers, coming off weak efforts in Games 5 and 6, the winning formula isn't a huge mystery. At the very least, it starts with matching Denver's effort and energy. From there, the other considerations come into play. Hitting outside shots. Continuity in pick and roll defense. Finding creases in the paint, despite the flood of bodies Denver sends.

At least Kobe Bryant isn't tossing cookies any longer. His health, he said Friday, has improved. "They’ve been a tough couple days, but I’m feeling a lot better now," he said. Obviously good news, because the stakes in Saturday's game are large. Nervous hours for Lakers fans, maybe, but not for Kobe. "They’re fun," he said of Game 7's. "They’re fun games. Every possession counts even more so. There’s a lot of energy in the building and teams play with a sense of desperation on every single possession. It’s a fun game to be a part of."

Bryant also talked about getting Metta World Peace back in the lineup, and his comments following Thursday's loss that MWP is the only guy he can rely on to compete, play hard, and with urgency "night in and night out," along with the message he's delivering to Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum :



Click below for more video from this afternoon, from Mike Brown, Bynum, and Gasol.

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These closeout games ain't looking so easy, huh?

There will be a Game 7 after the Lakers drop -- and we do mean drop -- Thursday's Game 6 in Denver. Ugliness all around, save a great night from Kobe Bryant, who went for 31 despite battling a nasty stomach bug leaving him dehydrated enough to require two halftime IV's.

As for everything else, here was the agenda for tonight's show...

• A huge night for Denver's shooters, who were due for a breakout.
• A wretched night for Pau Gasol, who is now due for a breakout. One field goal, one dime, three rebounds.
• How did Andrew Bynum respond after the controversial Game 5?
• Will the Lakers win Game 7? We get into what has to change, the odds those things will happen, and what Metta World Peace brings to the table for Saturday.

The Nuggets played Game 5 like their season depended on it (can't imagine why) and the Lakers played like they wanted one more view of the Rocky Mountains before next season.

As a result, there will be a Game 6 Thursday night in Denver. Lakers lose, 102-99 Tuesday at Staples Center.

On tonight's edition of Lakers Late Night, we get into a very disappointing loss, starting with ...

• A befuddling lack of intensity early in the game.
• Poor perimeter shooting, allowing Denver to collapse consistently on L.A.'s bigs in the paint and help take them out of the game. Which, in turn, seemed to take Andrew Bynum out of the game defensively.
• A huge fourth quarter for Kobe Bryant, who found himself short on support.
• The practical implications of losing Tuesday's game. Fair to say the Lakers did themselves no favors.

Click below for postgame video from Bryant, Mike Brown, Bynum, Gasol, Jordan Hill, and more:

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A few themes played prominent Monday afternoon after the Lakers finished practice in El Segundo. Trust was a big theme, looking back at the final minute of Sunday's Game 4 win in Denver. Mike Brown talked about the play of L.A.'s small forwards in the absence of Metta World Peace, as well as the work Andrew Bynum did last night.

More than anything, though, the Lakers talked about ending the series Tuesday night in Game 5. Don't screw around, don't give the Nuggets life, don't add wear to the collective tread. (And should anyone think the Lakers might intentionally look to toss Game 5 so that World Peace might be eligible for Game 1 of the next round, please stop. A) It's a horrible idea. B) Asked about it this afternoon, Brown thought the reporter was joking.)

Here are all the moving pictures from Thursday ...

Kobe Bryant, on showing trust in his teammates late in Sunday's game, adjusting to officiating, and the nature of closeout games:

Bryant, on pick and roll execution, and some interesting comments on why having stars matters late in games. "It's not really about having one guy, it's about having somebody that's going to demand double teams and free everybody up. That's really what it's about. We have three."

Click below for more video from Brown and Bynum...

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You didn't think the Lakers would sweep, did you?

Friday night in Game 3, the Denver Nuggets threw that possibility out the window, jumping all over the Lakers early in front of their home crowd. They built a big lead, managed to hold it as the Lakers fought back, then extended it at the end. Game 3 goes to the home team, and the series now stands 2-1 Lakers.

Here are three takeaways ...

1. Rebounding dictated results.

In the first half, the Nuggets managed only nine fast-break points. Compared to Game 2, a totally tolerable figure. What killed the Lakers early were second-chance opportunities for Denver, which built its 30-14 lead after the opening quarter in part because six offensive rebounds gave it 26 field-goal attempts to L.A.'s 19. Offensive rebounds lead to defensive confusion, which leads to easier looks, helping explain Denver's 50 percent mark over the first 12 minutes. The Lakers, meanwhile, were cold out of the gate, missing 12 of their first 19 shots and failing to get an offensive rebound on any of them. Heading into the second quarter, Denver had a whopping 17-6 advantage on the glass. The Lakers improved somewhat in the second, but Denver still went into halftime with a plus-13 in rebounding margin.

Turnabout being fair play, the Lakers made their third-quarter comeback in part because they suddenly started beating up the Nuggets on the offensive glass. Seven in the third quarter, helping them to an 18-9 rebounding advantage in the frame. Lo and behold, the Lakers got themselves to within four points with about a minute remaining. When Denver stopped the bleeding, it was offensive rebounding helping them do it, as McGee converted a third-chance opportunity, putting the Nuggets up by nine a minute into the fourth.

Over the course of the game, the Lakers evened things out from a rebounding standpoint, outdoing Denver on the boards (statistically, at least) after the first quarter. Except the damage was done. Yes, the Lakers managed to claw their way back into the game and were spectacular in the third, but had to expend a tremendous amount of energy in the process. In the fourth, they stuck around but couldn't get over the hump, and Denver pulled away over the last three minutes.

On the glass or in any other category, no team can dig that deep a hole and expect to get out with a win.

2. Third-quarter Andrew Bynum was a dominant Andrew Bynum.

Watching the game with my father-in-law, he turned to me at halftime and said, "Wow, you really didn't know Bynum was there." A high compliment for a spy or an official, but not for the starting center for the Western Conference in this year's All-Star Game. No points on only three attempts, and some fairly passive work defensively. When paired together on the floor, Bynum was thoroughly outplayed by JaVale McGee.

Out of the break, however, Bynum ramped up his energy substantially.

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To be perfectly honest, I haven't spent much time thinking about awards season this year. The big one (MVP) seems pretty obvious (LeBron James). It's hard to argue with Gregg Popovich as Coach of the Year. If James Harden doesn't win Sixth Man honors, the world might spin off its axis. Tyson Chandler had his hooks on Defensive Player of the Year for a while -- rightly so -- and Kyrie Irving is a near-lock for Rookie of the Year. The right guys, or at worst extremely credible guys, are winning thus far, so there's really not all that much to discuss.

Save maybe one. The strangest of the postseason awards issued by the NBA is Most Improved Player, given today to Orlando Magic power forward Ryan Anderson. As my fantasy team attested, Anderson had a very good year, averaging a career high 16.1 points and shooting 39.1 percent from 3-point range, but critics will point note his advanced numbers are about what they've always been, and Anderson simply benefited from moving into the starting lineup.

Someone like Milwaukee's Ersan Ilyasova, who finished second, made far larger statistical improvements.

The basic problem with the M.I.P. is the context: A player can only be so good going into the year and have a legitimate shot to win. The soft bigotry of low expectations, and all that. Which brings us to Andrew Bynum, who finished tied for fourth with Detroit center Greg Monroe. Bynum has for a while been called the second best center in the league behind Dwight Howard, the only guy worth Orlando's time in a big man swap. He's also been very effective when healthy, entering the year riding a streak of four straight seasons with a PER north of 20, which Bynum pushed to five in 2011-12. I.E., he was already seen as too good to have a real shot at M.I.P.

This season, Bynum's advanced numbers weren't all that different from ones posted earlier in his career (a knock against his candidacy, maybe, but applicable to Anderson as well), but he played a much different and more difficult role. His minutes were up, along with the level of responsibility. More importantly, Bynum had never seen the double and triple teams routinely sent his way over the course of the season. Relative to earlier in his career, producing at similar statistical levels was much harder. Still, he stayed healthy, made his first All-Star team, and firmly established himself as an elite NBA player.

Last week, ESPNLA's Dave McMenamin made a strong case for Bynum as M.I.P., posing the most fundamental question: "What's more impressive: going from average to good or going from good to great?"

I'd say the latter. That only 28 of 121 voters put Bynum on their ballots indicates either people disagree, or more likely thought Drew was already too good to win, showing again why this is the goofiest of all NBA honors.