One of my favorite commercials during my youth was the McDonald’s commercial featuring Larry Bird and Michael Jordan shooting all sorts of crazy trick shots with Jordan’s Big Mac on the line. Thirty-some years later, it seems the pride of French Lick is still at his gambling ways. This time, however, instead of betting on a Big Mac, he’s betting on a big man – Andrew Bynum, to be precise.
Bird and the Indiana Pacers recently signed the former Lakers, 76ers and Cavaliers center for the remainder of the season at a modest (by NBA standards) one million dollar price tag. That may sound like a heck of a deal for a former all-star and two-time NBA champion, but Bynum is certainly not the same player he was in the purple and gold.
For those needing a refresher, the Lakers dealt Bynum to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2012 after his first (and only) All-Star appearance. The 7’0” center failed to suit up for a single game in Philly due to lingering knee issues. He then signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers as a free agent, averaging a disappointing 8.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. The prevailing notion is that a bad attitude and less-than-stellar work ethnic got him suspended indefinitely by the Cavs and ultimately traded to the Chicago Bulls and waived before he ever set foot in the house that Jordan built.
Still, decent centers are hard to find in today’s NBA, so it was no surprise when the Pacers, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks and others showed interest in Bynum. Despite rumors of being disinterested in basketball, Bird has now given Bynum an opportunity to resuscitate his career in Indiana. The question atop basketball minds everywhere is whether Bynum will be a boom or bust for the Pacers’ championship aspirations.
Upon the initial announcement, my reaction was similar to that of many basketball fans. I wondered why in the world Larry Legend would look to a lazy, injury-prone clubhouse cancer as the missing piece to bringing a crown to Indy. Upon further review, Bynum and the Pacers may be a match made in heaven.
I don’t expect Bynum to all of a sudden go back to averaging 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds, like he did his final season in L.A. Quite frankly, his arthritic knees won’t allow it and his new Pacers team doesn’t need it.
Though the Pacers only rank 20th in points scored, that statistic is a bit misleading. Indy likes to control the pace of games with its tremendous defense. If a shootout is needed, Paul George, Lance Stephenson, David West, Luis Scola and Danny Granger can all put up points in a hurry. The Pacers’ interest in Bynum was all about putting another long, bruising body in the paint to deter defenders when Roy Hibbert is taking a breather. Bynum is not agile, but neither is Hibbert. His job will be to block shots, grab rebounds and deliver hard fouls – something at which Bynum has proven to be a savant. Just ask J.J. Barea.
As far as Bynum’s bad attitude, the Pacers seem to be a team on a mission and it will be difficult for him to disrupt them. If he acts out, expect him to be tucked away far on the bench since the league-leading team certainly doesn’t need him in order to be a contender. Also, most of the issues with him being a head case occurred once he was out of L.A. and playing for teams with zero chance of winning an NBA championship.
If basketball isn’t Bynum’s first love, his motivation will likely be the spoils of victors and cash money. He knows the aforementioned dearth of centers means one successful half-season run in Indiana would likely translate into big bucks in offseason free agency. Then he can find another sucker like Philly to pay him double digits to watch from the sidelines.
Under no-nonsense coach Frank Vogel’s watchful eye, Bynum’s minutes and expectations will be limited. In Cleveland, the lottery-loving Cavaliers expected Bynum to be a big part of the team’s success and floundered when he flaked out. In Indiana, their new acquisition will be asked to be effective in a backup role and compete with Ian Mahimni for the role of “guy who won’t screw it up while the reserves are on the court.”
If Bynum’s oft-achy knees cooperate, the much-maligned player could be the original Bird-man’s latest and greatest trick to lift the championship trophy away from Lebron, out of Miami, far from the coast, away from the West and into the Bankers LifeFieldhouse to cut down nothing but nets.
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