Los Angeles FAKER? Andrew Bynum uses handicap parking spot.
Just two months removed from his infamous elbow to the ribs of mighty mite J.J. Barea during the Dallas Mavericks sweep of the Lakers, L.A. center Andrew Bynum is in the headlines again.
This time instead of trying to make someone handicapped with a well placed body shot, he was caught doing his best Boston Celtics imitation at a Playa Del Rey supermarket in Los Angeles.
The oft-injured Bynum has spent the better part of his career on the injured reserve and with his history of repeated knee problems has most likey benefitted from legal handicap placards through the years, but he was healthy for most of the year and is currently injury free. Could be he just got accustomed to being able to use the handicap spots or didn't realize that his TEMPORARY injury placard expired. However, I suspect this is just another blatant case of professional athlete sense of entitlement.
According to a store employee, this is nothing new. He claims to have seen Bynum pull this stunt many times.
What's most disturbing to me is that the pictures were taken by an LADOT parking offical. If the "official" had the presence of mind to snap pictures, why didn't he also cite Bynum for the violation on the spot? Was this "offical" simply star struck, or does the fact that Andrew's a quasi-celebrity in a celebrity driven town exempt him from such everyday nuances? Does the financial ability to drive an expensive European sports car with deep dish rims that are more than most mortgage payments give him the right to park half-cocked in a handicap stall in broad daylight?
Either way, this is just another example of the disconnect that fame can feed.
In his heart, Bynum MUST realize that he was wrong.
Is this a major violation?
Hardly.
It is a very minor infraction in which no one is really hurt by his actions, but it does serve to magnify the arrogance and routine abuse of common decency that permiates the behavior of modern athletes. Where sports stars have always had a modicum of elevated social status due to their physical abilities and therefore are by definition "special" in the heirarchy of American and global society, does that mean they should be above the law of the land?
Has celebrity so infected their mindset that the everyday rules of the average folk no longer apply to such luminaries?
In todays climate, such a violation doesn't seem so shocking but could you imagine Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams or Joe Louis doing such a thing?
Unfortunately, times have changed and class amongst the bourgeois sadly seems to be going the way of the dinosaurs or balanced budgets in Washington D.C. It has been replaced with eliteism and a sense of entitlement that stinks like rotten caviar.
Though recently labeled as "untouchable" by the franchise, Bynum's name has been tossed around quite frequently on the NBA trade rumor mill. He is one of the most valuable trade assests the Lakers have due to his age, skill level and lack of quality big men in the NBA right now. A void that is only more apparent with the retirement of Shaquille O'Neal and Yao Ming.
The 23 year old Bynum actually was the only Lakers player in the Dallas series that seemed to be playing with any sense of urgency, though it obviously got the better of him when he leveled Barea and was rightfully suspended for it.
Lakers stalwart Magic Johnson's reaction in the wake of the Lakers playoff ouster was to simply blow up the team and start over. That type of knee-jerk reaction is typical of spoiled Lakers fans and this handicap scandal will surely renew the calls to send Andrew packing - To which I say - ONLY if Dwight Howard is involved.
Logic dictates that you don't trade the second best center in the league without getting a proven big man in return.
Anyone recall Orlando's record once Shaq moved to Hollywood?
How did Milwaukee fare after sending Kareem Abdul-Jabbar packing?
Do you think the Hawks regret trading Bill Russell to Boston all those decades ago?
All-Star calibur centers don't grow on trees.
You simply can't teach 7 foot.
The Bynum upside far outweighs his immature actions, on and off the court at this point.
Maybe a visit to Ron Arte....I mean, Metta World Peace's psyciatrist would do young Drew some good. Teach him about right and wrong and how not to behave. It has worked wonders for the wingnut Artest.
...I just hope he doesn't park in the blue stall when he gets there.
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