Are the Lakers better without Bynum?

As good as the Lakers were with Andrew Bynum in the lineup, I think they have been better with Gasol. AND I think it is possible that their best rotation is the one they have now. There is a mindset (proclaimed with much veracity by Stephen A. Smith) that when Bynum comes back, the Lakers will be even better and the favorites to come out of the Western Conference.

I must supply some caution to this way of thinking because addition of a good player does not always equate to a better team. The case study that gives me pause is the Phoenix Suns the year Amare Stoudemire came back from injury. Boris Diaw had been playing out of his mind including receiving the 2005-06 Most Improved Player of the Year. When Stoudemire came back the next year the team was good, but it did not necessarily improve. Diaw's production fell way off and has not been the same since (from 13-6-6 to now 8-4-4). Now, I know this example isn't a one-to-one correlation with the Lakers situation, but it is a cautionary tale. Maybe Bynum comes back and the Lakers cruise their way to Kobe's first Shaq-less championship, but I can see a scenario where the Lakers struggle to incorporate Bynum back into the mix. When Bynum returns: Gasol may not be as effective, Odom will have the potential to become even more nondescript than he at times is, and Kobe feeling the pressure to make good on the expectations that others place on the team (having such a potent line-up on paper) tries to do too much and ends up hurting the team.

Just a thought...

Update 3/17: I initially inked this to be posted over 2 weeks ago, but since then Mr. Gasol has sustained an ankle injury and it is showing how much the Lakers miss him in the middle.