A tale of two upstarts: Blazers and Bynum

Thank you, Andrew Bynum. Thank you, Trail Blazers. Without you, the Western Conference was threatening to become as stagnant as a Kobe Bryant interview. Same top teams, same top players, same ol' story lines.

But one of the league's youngest players and the league's youngest team have stepped up and given the conference a jolt that could be felt for a long time.

In just weeks, Bynum has helped the Los Angeles Lakers become legitimate championship contenders and, more impressive, has turned Bryant into an agreeable teammate.

The Blazers, meanwhile, have given Portland more reason for hope than at any time since the 1999-2000 team came within 10.5 minutes of reaching the Finals -- only to blow a 15-point lead to the Lakers.

But will the good vibes continue? The NBA is known for disregarding its young, and Andrew Bynum and the Blazers are historically young. Three years ago, Bynum, barely 20, became the youngest player to appear in an NBA game, and the Blazers, with an average age of 24 years, 26 days, are the third-youngest team in history.

Still, judging by this tale of the tape, both Bynum and the Blazers have the ingredients to pass the test of time.

Vital statistics
Bynum: He's a 7-footer with an even longer wingspan, and he is averaging 12.4 points on 61.7 percent shooting, plus 10.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks -- pretty good for a guy who was playing behind Kwame Brown when the season started.

Blazers: A 13-game winning streak entering the week led them to their first winning month in three years. They started the week in seventh place in the West -- pretty good for a team coming off three 50-plus-loss seasons.

Key assets
Bynum: He has excellent hands that allow him to handle just about any alley-oop. He has improved his help defense to become a feared shot blocker. He is receiving one-on-one coaching from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar when the Los Angeles Lakers are at home.

Blazers: Brandon Roy has been playing like an All-Star, averaging 22.9 points, 6.7 assists and 5.6 rebounds during the streak. Fellow second-year pro LaMarcus Aldridge has been playing like a future All-Star and leads the team in rebounding.

Biggest liability
Bynum: His one-on-one defense is a weakness. Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson, in fact, has not even committed to starting Bynum when Kwame Brown returns from knee and ankle injuries because Kwame Brown is a better post defender.

Blazers: The team lacks a top point guard. "Nate McMillan has done a great job of letting their guys find their roles and then sticking with them," a scout says. "They have everything in place except a really good lead guard."

Low point
Bynum: He was called out by Kobe Bryant last summer in an infamous parking lot interview. "Ship his a-- out," Kobe told a couple of dudes with a recorder.

Blazers: They found out the future of the franchise, Greg Oden, would be lost for the season when exploratory knee surgery in September turned into microfracture surgery.

Personality trait
Bynum: He's tougher than his baby face would indicate. "It would have been easy for him to crumble after being criticized by Kobe, but he has responded like a guy with inner toughness," a Western Conference exec says.

Blazers: These are not yesterday's Jail Blazers. "We have a group of good guys. I honestly couldn't say that two years ago," general manager Kevin Pritchard says. "It starts with Brandon Roy. He is the most unselfish kid I've ever been around."

Turning point
Bynum: He hired a personal trainer and reported to camp with a leaner, stronger, better-conditioned body.

Blazers: When Roy spoke up after Zach Randolph called out teammates following a loss last season, the Blazers started becoming more about the we more than the me. Randolph was traded to the Knicks in the offseason.

Measuring up
Bynum: Other than Yao Ming and Dwight Howard, there may not be a better true center right now. Bynum has more than held his own against Amare Stoudemire and Chris Kaman.

Blazers: They're too young to hang with the upper echelon of the West, but they did beat the Nuggets and Jazz twice and the Hornets once during their winning streak. But, as one exec says, let's see how they respond to their next bout of adversity.

Staying power
Bynum: When Andrew Bynum develops a few post moves -- he scores mostly on put-backs and alley-oops -- he will have the potential to be the best player on a team that includes Kobe Bryant. Kobe, after all, is nine years older.

Blazers: "If Oden comes back next year and is just solid, not great, this team could be a championship contender in two or three years," a scout says.

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