KEEP KWAME! It's Yang time.

All right, all right. I admit. I've disliked the former number one overall draft pick for quite some time. He's been a negative for most of the time he's been in the league, and even when he seems like he's ready to turn the corner and be a major contributor (last year and this year), he gets riddled with little injuries that seem to take months to recover from.

He's given Phil Jackson headaches. Given MJ head trauma. He's being way overpaid at 9 million, and as tempting as it would be for the Lakers to dump that salary, I'm saying DO NOT. Not under any circumstance. Not for J Kidd. Not for anybody not named Lebron, Dwight, or Chris Paul. Obviously those guys won't be offered, so bottom line...DON'T TRADE HIM.

Have I gone mad? Have my marbles gone spilling out onto the floor? Nope. The Lakers are 23-11 right now. Everyone is hyping Bynum as beast 1A to Dwight Howard. The whispers that the Lakeshow is a legit contender have gone from sweet nothings to banshee-like shrieks. Just ask Suns, Jazz and Hornets fans. Kobe is sharing. D-Fish is leading. Odom is balling. So why, oh why am I saying to keep the $9 million, bust-of-a-draft-pick, injury-prone, stone-handed, noose named Kwame Brown?

Let me break it down for you slick. First off. Look at the boy. Yes, boy. Okay, manboy. He's only 25 (okay, soon to be 26, but people are all giddy about Jamario Moon and he’s 27!). So it’s not like he’s even reached his prime yet. He’s only 3 years older than Dwight Howard. In comparison, Dwight's 2 year's older than Bynum.

Yes, it's taken Brown a few years to find himself, and no, he's never going to live up to his billing as the number one pick in 2001, but that doesn't make him a bust.

Let’s take a look at what we have here. Dude’s listed at 270. Probably weighs more than that. Just look at how he's built himself up. He is rock solid. Muscles everywhere. How many other 7 footers are out there that weigh in at an athletic 270?

Well, Dwight Howard is 265 (listed weight) and he’s the epitome of athleticism. Then there’s…well Greg Oden is listed at 250. And he’s since bulked up to around 270-280. But he hasn’t played in a single game yet and has already had microfracture knee surgery.

Of course, there’s Shaq. But athletic is hardly a word associated with the BIG fella now. Unless we’re talking about a lack of. Ditto for Big Z, Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Duncan’s 260. But he’s on the wrong side of 30.

How about Amare? Stat weighs in at a paltry 245. And it shows, while he can lay a hurting on any other player, he himself gets abused by any center. And I mean any center. Look at how Mehmet Okur tore him up last night. Okur! The jump shooting, 3 point specialist grabbed 17 boards, 5 of which were offensive.

What I’m saying is a 7-footer with athleticism who weighs 270 is a hard find in today’s, yesterday’s or even tomorrow’s NBA. With the sudden “reemergence” of the center position, the need for quality big men is “returning” as well.

And Kwame has one skill that makes him invaluable. His defense (he's an underrated passer as well). Don’t believe me? Ask Phil. Everyone thought he was crazy when he said he was going to reinsert Kwame into the starting lineup when he came back from his injury.

Or, better yet, see for yourself. Get a recording of that Celtics, Lakers game on Dec. 30. Yes, the one where the Lakers got spanked with their asses hanging out of their shorts.

See how the hope of the Lakers future, Bynum (who, I might add, was everyone’s favorite target to trade this past off season, mine included) got into early foul trouble. See how Odom, yes, the Odom who is currently balling, got balled on by KG.

Then notice how the Lakers insert Kwame into the game to guard the Kid who is no longer a kid, and voila. They suddenly slow down the Celtic’s attack. Even make a little run despite shooting a putrid 30 something percent. KG looked like a midget compared to Kwame. And Kwame uses his weight and size and stays grounded. He doesn’t get a lot of blocks, but he’s mastered the Bruce Bowen style of defense. Stay down, stay in front, stay balanced. Make the other player shoot over you. And he's become deadly effective. 

Bynum is an awesome offensive force. But he’s only 20. And defense is the harder of the two skills to learn. He’s like the Yin to Kwame’s Yang. And in the overcrowded West, where the likes of Carlos Boozer, Yao Ming, Amare Stoudemire, Tim Duncan, and Tyson Chandler play, a Yang is sorely needed.

Besides, if the Lakers do get out of the West (which is looking more and more plausible each and every day) they'll have to face KG or Rasheed Wallace or Dwight Howard. Again, the Yang will be needed.  

Look at the job Kurt Thomas did for the Suns last year against Duncan. Think the Suns aren’t hurting for him this year?

So keep Kwame Mitch. Please. We, gasp, need his toughness, his interior defense, his massive bulk clogging the middle. We need him to play the Yang to Bynum’s Yin.

Hell, resign the dude when his contract expires.  

After all, you did trade Caron Butler for him.