Bynum Has Sweet 16 Party

A lot has changed for Andrew Bynum, who a year ago was playing against the East Brunswick Bears and the Piscataway Chiefs in the Greater Middlesex Conference.

The Laker rookie had a career-best 16 points on seven-for-seven shooting Tuesday against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, 35 miles from where he attended Metuchen (N.J.) St. Joseph High.

He didn’t play until the fourth quarter, but many of points came against Knick starter Eddy Curry.

“I’ve just been waiting for a chance to get out there and play basketball and get more than one touch while I’m out there,” Bynum said. “I was hoping to play more during the season. That’s pretty much my only bump in the road, is not getting enough time. I’ve just got to earn my respect in the NBA.”

Bynum, drafted No. 10 overall last June, hadn’t made much of an impact since trading elbows with Shaquille O’Neal more than two weeks ago, but he had a dunk off a rebound against the Knicks and also made a six-foot hook shot that brought special assistant coach Kareem Abdul-Jabbar off the Laker bench in admiration.

“That’s just what I showed him to do,” said Abdul-Jabbar, who works primarily with Bynum. “I can take credit for that.”

The league’s all-time leading scorer had a favorable overall opinion of his pupil.

“I think he’s doing well,” said Abdul-Jabbar, who has affectionately given the 18-year-old a nickname of “Big Baby.”

“For someone that’s trying to make it into this league from high school, it’s a daunting thing.”

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Knick Coach Larry Brown, a longtime admirer of Kobe Bryant’s work, floated more praise his way Tuesday night.

“I think there are a lot of guys that bash this kid, but I’ve known him for a long time,” Brown said. “He loves to play. He works on his game. All these guys that talk about [Allen] Iverson and Kobe and Tracy [McGrady] taking a lot of shots, it’s not easy to get a lot of shots up in this league, and good shots, so I admire the heck out of him.

“I think Phil [Jackson] has done a wonderful job with him because with all that’s gone on, Phil being out a year, all that stuff that was said about their relationship, to see them play this way is a credit to both of them.”

TONIGHT

at Indiana, 4 PST (5:30, Ch. 9)

Site -- Conseco Fieldhouse.

Radio -- 570, 1330.

Records -- Lakers 24-20; Pacers 21-22.

Record vs. Pacers -- 1-0.

Update -- The Pacers have lost six consecutive games and are 0-1 with Peja Stojakovic, who had a team-high 17 points Tuesday in his Pacer debut, an 84-79 loss to Washington. Pacer All-Star forward Jermaine O’Neal, averaging a team-high 20.9 points and 9.8 rebounds, is out until March because of a torn groin.