NBA
Report: Former All-Star Andrew Bynum Wants to Make a NBA Return
Former All-Star Center, Andrew Bynum has hired an agent and is scheduling team workouts to attempt an NBA return, reported Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Bynum, 30, was drafted No. 10 in the 2005 NBA draft out of high school by the Los Angeles Lakers. He is one of only five players from the 2005 draft to make an All-Star game. Others who made the All-Star team are G Chris Paul, G Deron Williams, PF David Lee and F Danny Granger. Bynum also won back to back championships with the Los Angeles Lakers (2009, 2010).
Injury Issues
Bynum had reoccurring knee injuries which ultimately impacted his basketball career. He only played in more than 65 games in one season (2006-2007 season). But he had five seasons where he failed to play more than 50 games, including the 2012-13 season when he missed the entire year after being traded from the Lakers to the Philadelphia 76ers in a four-team deal that sent All-Star Center Dwight Howard to Los Angeles.
Bynum, 30, had a large chunk of his career impacted by various knee injuries. He only played in more than 65 games in one season, and he had five seasons where he failed to play more than 50 games, including the 2012-13 season when he missed the entire year after being traded from the Lakers to the 76ers in the four-team deal that sent Dwight Howard to Los Angeles.
Bynum’s Career Plummets
After sitting out the entire year while with Philadelphia, Bynum signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the summer of 2013. Things were looking bright once again for the former Laker. Bynum started 19 of the 24 games he played with Cleveland until he was traded to the Chicago Bulls for Luol Deng. The Bulls waived him the next day after the trade.
Bynum then signed a contract with the Indiana Pacers for the remainder of the 2013-2014 season, but he only played in two games.He has not played an NBA game since March 15, 2014. Bynum spent the rest of that season listed as inactive while still on the Pacers roster.
What Can Bynum Bring to the Table?
Bynum possessed strength, size and agile footwork to make it difficult for other centers in the league. He was a serious problem on both sides of the court in his prime. For his career, he averaged 11.5 points and 7.7 rebounds to go with 1.6 blocks per game.
In his only All-Star season (2011-2012 season), he posted 18.7 points per game, shooting 55.8% from the field, 11.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks while averaging 35.2 minutes per game. Remember that was a lockout season, which means the season was shorter than usual. Bynum still didn’t play a full season that year, he played in 60 of the 66 games.
Adding Bynum to your roster is definitely a risk but it could be a huge reward, if he has any dominance left in the tank.
Photo credit to Who’s The Bet ? via Flickr
