Alright, it's my fault. Last year I frequently posted about the Lakers when they were on their hot start, then they all got injured and plummeted. So despite watching almost every game this season, I kept quiet as they rose up the rankings to be a half game out of the top spot in the West.

But I forgot that it's bad luck to be superstitious, and I should've just written, because Andrew Bynum went down with an injury last night. I've been a fan for two years now (proof), and it's a real bummer after his phenomenal recent growth. I would've especially liked to see how he played over the next couple of weeks, when the Lakers have a stretch of Phoenix, Denver, San Antonio, Dallas, then Cleveland. This will be a real test for the Lakers without him; Fisher, Lamar, and the Luke/Ariza combo will all have to step up and help Kwame and Turiaf fill Andrew's shoes.

Back to Bynum, over the past few weeks as he has become unstoppable, I've wondered how and why he made the leap to the next level. I like to think somebody sat him down and said "Look, you dominate this year, next year you're on the All Star ballot, and you're practically a shoe-in 2nd place behind Yao and get named as a backup by the coaches. Then when your contract gets renewed either the next year or the one after, you're an All Star Center, i.e. an automatic max contract." Oh, and stop swearing on live TV, even if it's in an endearing manner.

Another bummer, the Lakers are in town tonight, but I'll be playing instead of watching because it conflicts with our rec league game. A surprisingly easy choice to make actually- no matter how much I enjoy watching, playing is better. Bynum probably feels the same way.

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