Maybe This Didn't Work Out How We Hoped...

When Andrew Bynum wrenched a knee on January 13 many people thought the Laker's playoff hopes were going to be ruined as their young star looked to be out for an extended period. Then the robbery happened. The Lakers traded Kwame Brown and some stiffs for Pau Gasol. All of a sudden, the Lakers were back at the top of title talks and the Western Conference.

A lot of the hype surrounding the Lakers was centered around the idea of Gasol and Bynum being a tremendous duo down low. Now, as it turns out, we might not get to see the two of them together. Gasol has missed the last couple games for LA and is expected to miss a few more at the least. Not to worry, as we've seen in the past, even earlier this season, Kobe can carry a team by himself for a while.

Now it looks like we may be seeing just how far the Kobe-Pau connection can go, with Gasol on a bum ankle. Typically it wouldn't make sense to rush a star back from an injury this late in the season while sitting near the top of your conference. However, with the strength of the Western Conference and the news now that Bynum will be out until at least the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers situation gets a whole lot more hairy.

The want to rush Gasol back now goes up as the Lakers jockey for position and home court down the stretch. The idea of "Twin Towers" in Gasol and Bynum has to be fading fast. It's had enough to introduce a player, let alone a star, in the middle of the season. The Lakers seemed to take that challenge on fairly easily. But it wasn't the playoffs and it wasn't a lot of role changing as Gasol just took Bynum's spot. In the playoffs, LA is going to have to try to figure out how they can work both Gasol and Bynum in together. That may be a tougher road to hoe than it seems. Between easing Bynum back and figuring out how he and Gasol can and will play together Phil Jackson will certainly have his hands full.

Now, this isn't to say that Lakers can't do it. Title hopes are very much alive and Bynum's expected return can only help encourage that dream. However, when initial reports had Bynum down until early this week and then Gasol news came through, everyone expected a three-headed monster in the West. Instead, we get a two-headed monster with a limp and a sore baby trying to re-learn how to breathe fire. Certainly, not how the Lakers drew up the blue print when they traded for Gasol, but it's still a lot better than most.