Certain plays can tell you when his head isn't in the game. Failing to dive for a loose ball at his feet is one. Loafing back on defense when the matchup should be routine is another.
In late March 2012, Mike Brown decided he had just seen a third example, courtesy of his own Los Angeles Lakers starting center.
Andrew Bynum rather carelessly launched a three-pointer. The shot missed, but that wasn't the problem. The issue was that the former Laker had tried it in the first place.
Bynum was benched immediately. But that wasn't the end of it.
Two nights earlier, in a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies , Bynum did something he hadn't done in seven NBA seasons. He drained a three.
For the 2005 lottery pick, selected straight out of high school, that was reason enough to try another one. He did so in the third quarter of the next game against the Golden State Warriors .
The situation didn't look particularly promising. Bynum arrived rather late to the possession. The seven-footer then pulled up well beyond the arc.
Letting it fly with 14 seconds left on the shot clock? That was also very bold, especially since his Lakers teammates hadn't even had time to get into position to crash the glass.
As the shot clanked off the rim, the broadcast reaction quickly shifted from utter confusion to something unfolding on the sideline. Coach Mike Brown was already on his feet. He was waving for the backup center to get ready.
Brown pulled Bynum just seconds later. He explained the decision afterward. The shot, the reigning NBA champion with the New York Knicks said, could have knocked the Lakers "out of rhythm."
"It was best to go with the group that we had out there," Brown added.
The Purple & Gold eventually escaped Oracle Arena with a 104-101 win. The outcome was enough that you could've simply stamped it a learning experience for everyone involved.
Bynum? He went the other way when asked about it afterward.
"I don't know what was bench-worthy about the shot, to be honest with you," said the two-time NBA champion. "I made one last game and wanted to make another one. I swear that's it. I guess he (Brown) took offense to it, so he put me on the bench."
Then came the line that really stood on its own.
"I guess don't take threes is the message," Bynum added, "but I'm going to take some more. I just hope it's not the same result. I hope that I make it."
Bynum would take some more, alright. Just not with the result he, or anyone rooting for him, was hoping for. Over eight years in the association, he attempted just nine three-pointers . Only one found the bottom of the net.
These days, a big man benched over his three-point shot selection is usually a different story. It's more likely to come from his being too reluctant to take the open looks the modern game demands. Talk about stretch fives.
Back in the early 2010s, the problem ran the other way. But even then, that likely wasn't a product of the era. It was more so on Bynum himself.
The one-time All-Star was simply a bad three-point shooter, and had he ever shown a flicker of real touch out there, Brown probably never would have pulled him at all.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Aug 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
