Andrew Bynum: What To Expect From The NBA’s Most Untrustworthy Center
A handful of offseason moves have the Cleveland Cavaliers thinking about the postseason for the first time since LeBron James still called Cleveland home. With the first pick in the draft, they selected UNLV’s Anthony Bennett. They wooed Jarrett Jack over from Golden State, after he played a key role in the Warriors’ unlikely playoff run. Earl Clark signed a two-year deal with the team after spending a year with the Lakers. All of these moves should help the Cavs go from basement dwellers to playoff contenders. But there is one other move that could have a bigger impact than all of these. That is the signing of Andrew Bynum.
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Bynum. The league’s man of mystery. The man with knees more fragile than any other 25-year-old. Look, I’m from Philadelphia, a Sixers fan until death. I was there at the Constitution Center when they introduced Bynum. Finally, we had a star big man to build around. But the joy of the acquisition was fleeting. We were told he would miss the beginning part of the season. Fine. We can wait, we just want him to be healthy. But then this happened. Then, all of these happened. And with each new hairstyle, it became clearer he would never play a game for the Sixers. He packed his bags and left a city he never really knew, leaving Philadelphians teary-eyed, lamenting what could have been.
Yes, the relationship between Andrew Bynum and the Sixers is a tragedy. An instant heartbreaker. The Sixers have since moved on, embracing one of the most unabashedly bold tanking attempts in years. Still, it was, at the time, the right move for the 76ers to make. Just as how the Cavaliers were right to take a chance on Bynum.
Bynum has been plagued by injuries throughout his whole career. When healthy, though, he proved himself as one of the league’s top centers. In the 2011-12 season, the last in which he played, he posted his best season yet. He played in 60 of 66 games in the lockout-shortened season. He put up 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, both career highs. His player efficiency rating of 22.9, a career high, was tied for ninth in the NBA and was the best on the division-winning Lakers, ahead of even Kobe Bryant. His win shares total of 8.0 also was a career high, which ranked 12th in league. He had finally developed into one of basketball’s biggest threats. Some were even suggesting he might soon surpass Dwight Howard as the league’s best center.
So, here we are today. After the 2012 season, we were ready to name Bynum one of the best players in the NBA. Now, coming off one of the most talked about seasons in history in which a player did absolutely nothing, we don’t really know what to expect from Bynum. In the ESPN player rankings, he dropped from 13 all the way to 100. He is the league’s biggest question mark. But one thing is for certain: When he is healthy, the dude can flat out play. When this season begins, he will have just turned 26. His contract with the Cavs is low-risk, high-reward; only $6 million of the $24 million is guaranteed. If Bynum stays healthy, this could be a flat out steal for the Cavaliers.
Health will always be the question with Bynum. The fact that there is no timetable for his return certainly merits some concern, but even just getting 50 games from his this season would justify calling the contract a success. When he finally does play, he’ll be the Cavs’ starting center, the No. 2 offensive option behind Kyrie Irving. They have a viable backup in Anderson Varejao, so he can slowly work his way back to playing significant minutes without being too detrimental to the team. With Bynum on the floor, the Cavs’ whole offensive dynamic changes. He forces defenses to pay attention to someone other than Kyrie. He draws double teams down on the post and spreads the floor, something which should benefit sophomore guard Dion Waiters. Defensively, he’ll give Cleveland a shot-blocking threat, an improvement over Varejao in that regard. He blocked 1.9 shots per game in 2012, good for sixth in the NBA, and has posted an even better 2.2 blocks per 36 minutes throughout his career. On both sides of the floor, he is a huge upgrade for the Cavs, someone who will provide immediate impact and also provide experience to the Cavs’ extremely young core. Just assuming he stays healthy.
If things don’t work out and Bynum continues to sit on the bench, he’ll surely be cut by Jan. 7, the date when the rest of the first year of his contract becomes guaranteed. Perhaps I’m crazy, but I have faith in Bynum. I think at some point in December we’ll slowly see him work back into being an everyday player. ESPN projects Bynum to play in 58 games this year, while putting up 17.8 points and 10 rebounds per contest. Every Cavaliers fan would have to love that. He’s playing under Mike Brown again, who coached him in 2012, his best season. He won’t have to be the first option, like he would have been for the Sixers. Kyrie will help him, but, more importantly, he will help the Cavs’ burgeoning young superstar. A healthy Bynum means the Cavs compete for a playoff spot and he helps solidify a wonderful, young core, something that will certainly be appealing in 2014’s loaded free agency class. Maybe a big enough draw to lure back an old friend.
I’m rooting for Bynum. I want to never see that wretched mop again and instead more games like that 37-point outburst in 2012. After last season’s fiasco, his expectations are lowered. There is not as much pressure on his shoulders, because people know to anticipate setbacks and troubles with him. The Cavs have a good enough core and centerpiece in Kyrie Irving that their future is not riding on the health of Bynum’s knees. But if he finds a way to stay healthy, the Cavs will reap the rewards, while other teams wish they had taken a chance on the center.
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