3 minutes 31 seconds. 0 rebounds, assists, steals, blocks. 0 turnovers. 0 free throws.

1-1 from the field.

Of all the lines Shaq, Kobe, Wade, or Odom put up last night (nevermind the rest of the starters), this stat line was the most impressive.

After getting follow-dunked on with authority by one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history, 18 year-old 3rd string Laker center Andrew Bynum not only hustled down court, posted up the most dominant center of our era, proceded to fake him out of his socks and politely dunked the basketball, BUT ALSO ran back on defense and threw an exuberant elbow in Goliath's thoroughly miffed ribcage. Sure he only scored once. Sure he took O'Neal's retaliatory forearm blow to the neck. Sure he only played 3 and a half minutes--but in that fragment of the game, I witnessed the emergence of the next great center in the NBA. Knock on wood to avoid jinxing it with a foot injury, but by the 2008 season Bynum will be THE center to reckon with in the league.

He'll have competition of course:

Rising Centers of the Next Generation
1. Amare Stoudomire
2. Dwight Howard
3. Greg Oden
4. Andrew Bynum
5. Samuel Dalembert

Speaking of centers, here's a good read on the decline of center productivity in the league and a few steps Mr. Stern could take to remedy the situation.