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Mike Brown knew when he took the job as the Los Angeles Lakers head coach this summer that he would be under intense scrutiny from the local and national media. Soon after his hire the rumor mills churned out stories ranging from Kobe Bryant's disappointment of the hire to turmoil in the locker room once the team came back from the NBA lockout.

Through it all the Lakers and Mike Brown have been resilient. Brown is the perfect coach for the mix of stars, veterans and young up and coming athletes in the Lakers locker room. The latest "controversy" involving Brown and his team involves the big man, Andrew Bynum.

Bynum has taken to launching three-point attempts this season and each time he unloads from behind the three-point arc, he draws the consternation of disciplinarian Brown. Brown benched Bynum for throwing at three-pointer up in his last game against the Golden State Warriors.

It is par for the course for Bynum to act out as the spoiled child on he Lakers. He came to the Lakers as a teenager and the way he acted after being benched against the Warriors didn't do much to show he has grown up since his first year with the team.

Bynum joked on the bench and avoided team huddles after he came out of the Warriors game in Oakland. His behavior on the bench caught the eye of Kobe Bryant and other veterans who shot him stoney glares while they listened to their coach.

Anyone thinking Bynum learned any lessons from the latest benching quickly realized Bynum has no idea. Bynum told the Orange County Register's Lakers beat writer Kevin Ding, "I don't know what was bench-worthy about the shot, to be honest with you," Bynum said. "I made one (with 1.2 seconds left in the last game, a loss to Memphis), and I wanted to make another one. I swear, that's it. I guess he took offense to it, so he put me on the bench."

Bryant also commented in the same article that he enjoyed Bynum's defiance, "It's somewhat amusing to me, because in some ways the edginess and the chippiness of him make it easy for me to relate to him - because I had some of that when I was young,"

Mike Brown is just what Bynum needs at this stage in his career and it may have been a major reason for Mitch Kupchak to hire Brown. Brown is the father-figure Bynum needs and Brown has just enough power to keep the older veterans in line, including Kobe.

*Todd Jacobs is a native Southern Californian who has followed the Los Angeles Lakers since the '70s.

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Mike Brown's in Control of Los Angeles Lakers: Fan Reaction