Andrew Bynum's tale is that of struggle. A man who could barely afford a Ferrari until his 18th birthday, Bynum has longed been known as one of the men who best understands his place as an athlete. Indeed, for years he struggled, with only one coach devoted entirely to his development and a salary merely in the seven digits. After finally blossoming over the last few years, Bynum unfortunately has had to ply his trade in obscurity. Indeed, despite Bynum's robust 11 PPG, he was only the subject of one Sports Illustrated cover story, an insult that has never been matched in sports history. Perhaps Bynum's greatest battle came from the recent Lakers-Mavericks series, in which Bynum was met with a familiar foe: Jose Juan Barea.
Barea has long been the Goliath to Bynum's David, towering over the NBA with his 5-8 frame. After years of resting on his college laurels from that prestigious athletic powerhouse of Northeastern University, Barea finally managed to get the energy together to tormet the Lakers with his unsportsmanlike ways, flopping at the littlest flying-elbow-into-his-unprotected-ribcage. How such a horrible abomination unto sportsmanship such as Barea is allowed to play is beyond me.
Certainly, the NBA must do something. There is no excuse for someone like Barea to be flaunting his toughness around like this, taking elbows and forearms to the chest and face like he owns the place. The only thing more insulting would be if he took his jersey off once ejected and didn't acknowledge any wrongdoing. Luckily, the sports media would never overlook such a horrific act as Barea's getting-elbowed-midair flop-job, and has been covering it 24/7, totally ignoring Phil Jackson's retirement. Kudos to ESPN for taking the moral stance instead of just glazing over an important issue.
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