National Basketball Association

Bynum not upset about benching

Published Mar. 28, 2012 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Only days after benching Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown sat center Andrew Bynum for much of the second half Tuesday night.

Brown apparently was unhappy with Bynum after the 7-footer badly missed a 3-point attempt early in the third quarter of the Lakers’ 104-101 win against the Golden State Warriors in Oakland, Calif.

Brown pulled Bynum from the game with 9:33 left in the third and did not put the center back on to the floor until the start of the final quarter. Bynum was pulled again with 9:10 left in the game and did not return.

The coach explained that he sat Bynum over concerns the ill-advised 3-pointer might have ruined the Lakers’ flow.

Bynum, who played only 23 minutes and scored 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting, did not seem concerned that his coach was unhappy with his decision-making.

"I don't know what was bench-worthy about the shot, to be honest with you," Bynum said. “I made one (Sunday), and I wanted to make another one. That's it. I guess he (Brown) took offense to it, so he put me on the bench."

Bynum has made one of four 3-point attempts this season.

Bryant, who was benched by Brown on Sunday during the Lakers’ loss to Memphis, took Bynum’s benching in stride.

"It's somewhat amusing to me because he's in some ways, the edginess and the chippiness of him makes it very easy for me to relate to him because I had some of that when I was young," Bryant said, according to The Orange County Register. "It’s easy for me to see where it's coming from."

Bynum told the Los Angeles Times he did not intend to press the matter with Brown.

"I'm good," Bynum said. "I guess it's 'Don't take threes' is the message, but I'm going to take another one and I'm going to take some more, so I just hope it's not the same result. Hopefully, I make it."