It is about time for Bynum to earn his salary, Forbes says

As another NBA season opens, the Lakers are positioned well, with arguably the best player and coach in the league.

Forbes magazine thinks the Lakers have something else: the most overpaid player in the league, Andrew Bynum.

Tom Van Riper writes, “Leading the pack [of most overpaid players] is Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum, a first-round pick out of high school four years ago who’s churned out nine points and six rebounds in 21 minutes per game as a pro.

“Despite putting up meager numbers during his first three seasons, the Lakers, still intrigued with Bynum’s ‘project’ potential, invested four more years and $58 million in him after the 2007-08 season.

“The project may yet pay off -- Bynum improved to 14 points a game last year while averaging the most minutes (29) of his four-year career. But his numbers have a long way to go to catch up to his contract.”

For Bynum, the chance to play himself off that list begins tonight.

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Trivia time

Who wrote the baseball-related book “Nice Guys Finish Last”?

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Let them have snooker

With nearly 85,000 fans packed inside Wembley Stadium for Sunday’s game between New England and Tampa Bay, the NFL considered its annual foray into the England market a success -- and more evidence that an NFL team would fare well in London.

On this side of the pond, ESPN analysts were less thrilled by the idea.

Tom Jackson said that when he was a player, “I didn’t even want to travel to Kansas City.”

Mike Ditka was more adamant. “Football doesn’t belong over there. It’s a stupid thing,” he said. “It’s an American game. It’s not a European game.”

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Price is right

For the first time since 2003, the Best Team Money Can Buy has reached the World Series. The Yankees are back, which has prompted more hand-wringing about the club’s ability to outspend everybody else.

Writes Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “With most teams constrained by revenue concerns in this tough economy, the Yankees will keep adding free agents like CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira. Since the 2005 season, this franchise has invested $1,056,894,314 in new players.

“This is a good time to be Matt Holliday and a bad time to be the Tampa Bay Rays.”

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Trivia answer

Leo Durocher, with Ed Linn.

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And finally

Montana Tech football Coach Bob Green, to the Montana Standard, after his team was penalized 11 times for 111 yards in Saturday’s 28-24 win over Eastern Oregon: “They called us for everything but adultery.”

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mike.penner@latimes.com