Since being drafted in 2005 Andrew Bynum's played the role of tantalizing enigma. Long known as one of the league's best, if not the best, offensive centers he's always found a place despite notable attitude problems and a lengthy injury history.
2005 was a long time ago, however, and it appears his NBA second chances may be drying up. Earlier this season he was shipped from Cleveland to the Chicago Bulls for Luol Deng; the Bulls acquired him so they could chop his contract off their books, and begin tanking for a nice draft pick.
Upon his release, the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers, two veteran-laden teams with strong coaching were the rumored destinations for him. With January coming to a close, though, Bynum remains unsigned and the pursuit from both squads has reportedly cooled.
Miami, allegedly Bynum's top choice, has introduced their own oft-injured big man into the fold, former No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden. He is only playing seven or so minutes a night when he gets in, but should that increase he provides all the size that Bynum does with a different skill set. Miami doesn't necessarily need post scoring; rather they need a defensive-minded rim protector that's taller than Chris "Birdman" Andersen.
"It's all speculation," Heat executive Pat Riley said. "That's all it is. There will be a tremendous amount of research (on free agents). There's nothing going at all. There's nothing happening at all with that situation."
The Clippers have somewhat of a logjam in their frontcourt, and must dedicate big minutes to the highly productive tandem of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
ESPN's Marc Stein reported on January 12th that the Indiana Pacers might have interest in him as a backup to Roy Hibbert, although much of that speculation was along the lines of Indiana trying to block his path to Miami. With the Heat uninterested, the Pacers look set with their big man rotation.
Andrew Bynum latest: Hear Clips leaning away from idea of signing Bynum for now AND that Indy is among teams to express exploratory interest
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) January 12, 2014
Sense is Pacers' interest here is more about keeping Bynum away from Miami than actually bringing Bynum in to test their treasured chemistry — Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) January 12, 2014
Before his indefinite suspension from the Cavaliers and subsequent trade, Bynum was averaging 8.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in 20 minutes a night.
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