Andrew Bynum Is Back and So Are the Lakers

Andrew Bynum is the Lakers very large secret weapon.

Christmas slump? What Christmas slump? I don't remember anything like that.

The Lakers have won four in a row and six out of their last seven. Granted, they have not been beating up the NBA's power teams, but when you're slumping, you take the wins where you can get them. Like Tuesday night when the Lakers take on the NBA's worst team, the Cleveland Cavaliers (whose season just got worse with the loss of Anderson Varejao for the season).

What's the key to the Lakers turnaround? Andrew Bynum got his legs and timing back. He is the Lakers secret weapon. As much as a 7-foot, 285-pound person can be a secret.

Bynum returned 14 games ago but for the first seven games, he was rustier than the Tin Man when Dorothy first found him. It took a lot of oil -- in this case game minutes -- to get him going again. But in the last few games, he has gotten his conditioning and timing back, and with that the Lakers are a different team. A championship caliber team.

Most importantly, he along with Pau Gasol -- two 7-footers -- on defense change things. The Lakers have gone to a defensive system where the guards and wing players try to funnel the driving guards right at Bynum or Gasol, forcing them to score over some long arms. It also allows the Lakers to pressure teams more out by the three-point line because if the player drives by them there is a very stout second line of defense waiting.

The other defensive key -- Bynum makes the Lakers a much better rebounding team. As Zach Lowe pointed out at Sports Illustrated, while Bynum was out, the Lakers were 29th in the league in defensive rebounding percentage. Meaning only one team in the entire league gave up more offensive rebounds (per shot attempt) than the Lakers. In the 14 games since Bynum's return, the Lakers have been one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the league. His return -- moving Gasol to his more natural power forward spot -- changes everything.

Bynum also means a chance to exploit some offensive mismatches. Last Sunday, Andrew Bynum tore up the undersized New York Knicks in the paint (until he was tossed on a bogus technical foul, one the league rescinded two days later, which is as close as the NBA gets to saying "sorry"). Only a handful of NBA teams can match the Lakers length when they are healthy.

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The real key for Los Angeles -- be healthy when the playoffs start. That means Bynum in particular, who has yet to be fully healthy for a playoff run. Because the road to the three-peat will be tough and the Lakers will need all hands on deck.

Including this Andrew Bynum, the healthy secret weapon.

Kurt Helin lives in Long Beach and is the Blogger-in-Chief of NBC's NBA blog Pro Basketball Talk (which you can also follow in twitter).

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