The Cleveland Cavaliers have indefinitely suspended center Andrew Bynum for conduct deemed detrimental to the team.
ESPN also reports the team will now aggressively begin looking to trade Bynum, still in his first season with the Cavs after signing an offseason free-agent deal. The website adds Cleveland has until Jan. 7 to decide if it will guarantee his contract for the rest of the season. Bynum signed a two-year, $24 million deal with the Cavs last summer, but the team-friendly contract included only $6 million in guaranteed money.
Sources report the decision to suspend Bynum was made Friday and he did not travel with the team to Boston for Saturday's game against the Celtics. ESPN adds its unclear what led to Bynum's suspension, and Cavs coach Mike Brown failed to give any details as he was questioned by reporters.
"I'm worried about the guys in the locker room," Brown told ESPN. "It's simple as that. In our business, there are a lot of ups and a lot of downs throughout the season. So what you do as a head coach is keep moving forward. Any time you look back on anything or dwell on anything, is wasted energy from the guys in the locker room, which is obviously very important."
After missing all of last season with knee injuries, Bynum has returned to play in 24 games for the Cavs this season, averaging 8.6 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting just 42 percent from the floor. But Brown stresses he still believes that the 26-year-old former All-Star, still can be a high-impact player.
"Yeah, he's a good player," Brown said. "I think everybody saw glimpses of it."
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