REINVENTING THE PUZZLE

Systems, puzzles, games and teams all have pieces and when one is missing, you notice. Just ask the Lakers who have lost three of the last five games to potential playoff opponents. Since their 15 ppg (points per game)/8 rpg (rebounds per game) piece went down with an Achilles injury on March 20, the unit has struggled. The piece in question is young Goliath Andrew Bynum, a guy whose early career has been virtually slain by major and minor physical setbacks. Big Bynum is a sizable piece too at 7’0″tall  and 285 pounds. He’s like the edge pieces of a puzzle, distinct in shape and purpose. I suppose anybody his size is vital component in a league, scratch that, in a country where only five percent of the population of men is 6’2″ or taller.

It’s been no secret that the Lakers have played with a loaded deck since the acquisition of other “edge” pieces Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol who also scrape the sky at or near 7’0″. Three skilled giants on a team with arguably the greatest scorer in NBA history equals no excuses. That is unless you’re the Lakers and you’ve not learned how to play without one of the big pieces. The difference between the NBA and the puzzle, Life and the puzzle is that you can be successful even when pieces go missing. Add to the jettison of your starting center a host of injuries and the fatigue of a long season and the game gets even trickier. Nevertheless, there are new configurations that will produce winning formulas. You’re probably missing a piece today that you needed yesterday. Find a way to solve today without your “Bynum”. It’ll be more fun than you’ve had in a while.