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NBA Injuries: 20 Stars Who Deserve A Career Do-Over

By Gerald Bourguet

AUBURN HILLS, UNITED STATES: Detroit Pistons player Grant Hill (L) drives around Indiana Pacers player Chris Mullin during the first half of their game 07 February at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons beat the Pacers 107-98. AFP PHOTO/JEFF KOWALSKY (Photo credit should read JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP/Getty Images)
AUBURN HILLS, UNITED STATES: Detroit Pistons player Grant Hill (L) drives around Indiana Pacers player Chris Mullin during the first half of their game 07 February at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons beat the Pacers 107-98. AFP PHOTO/JEFF KOWALSKY (Photo credit should read JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP/Getty Images) /
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NBA Injuries
LOS ANGELES, CA – MAY 19: Andrew Bynum #17 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts in the first period while taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals in the 2012 NBA Playoffs on May 19 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /

16. Andrew Bynum

Remember back when Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum were the two dominant bigs in the NBA, and it was a legitimate discussion who would soon rule the league? As a two-time NBA champion who averaged 18.7 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks at the apex of his powers in a Second Team All-NBA season, it seemed like Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers had found a new star to mold.

Unfortunately, Bynum’s dedication to playing through a knee injury during the 2010 NBA Playoffs came at a price, especially since he postponed summer surgery until after attending the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and vacationing in Italy. The delayed surgery on his torn meniscus caused him to miss the beginning of the season.

He embraced more of a defensive, rebounding role that year, but the Lakers were humiliated by the Mavericks in the conference semifinals, with Bynum earning an ejection in the decisive Game 4 of the sweep for his revolting hit on J.J. Barea. Bynum had the best year of his career after that, but the following year he was included in the Dwight Howard trade that sent him to Philly.

He underwent a procedure on his knees a week before the season started, developed a bone bruise unrelated to those treatments a few weeks later, and then suffered a setback not long after that while bowling. He didn’t play a single game for the Sixers, undergoing season-ending arthroscopic surgery on both his knees in mid-March.

He played 24 games for the Cavaliers and two games for the Indiana Pacers in 2013-14, but was universally perceived as an injury-prone, washed up locker room cancer. He hasn’t played in the NBA since, but his double-double potential was always tantalizing — even if he lacked the proper attitude and work ethic to make it in this league, especially after the injuries changed his situation.

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