Despite being a potentially huge signing coming out of nowhere in the middle of the season, Andrew Bynum isn’t getting the kind of attention some thought he’d be when he became a free agent. It seems that the only teams willing to sign him are the Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers at the moment.
What about the rest of the supposed group that should have been chasing him? The Miami Heat are still believing in the Greg Oden project and aren’t about to give up on him, filling all of their 15 roster spots. Bynum, even on a minimum deal, means luxury tax implications as well. The Clippers, Nets and Hawks aren’t that into him at the moment, but not for money reasons. The only teams willing to think about giving him a minimum deal for the rest of the year are the Mavs , Knicks and Pacers.
Bynum played in 24 games for the Cavaliers, averaging 20 minutes a night, adding 8.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He shot only 41.9% from the field, the first time he’s shot below .500 since his rookie year, but it might have something to do with being away from the court for over a year. He was released after being traded to the Chicago Bulls, as both teams didn’t want to have him on as the clause in his contract guaranteeing him more than $6 million for the rest of the season and $12 million for next season was triggered.
Bynum might be a piece that helps a team win a championship, but his two titles with the Lakers aren’t enough to erase the fears regarding his knee problems and maybe even worse, his attitude and motivation to get back into shape and give his all for a championship-caliber team.
Bynum himself is still waiting for a more-than-minimum deal that just isn’t going to happen for him, not in the middle of the season. His attitude problems that go way back to his Lakers days, the off-year in Philadelphia and his disappointing time with Cleveland, mostly due to his attitude and pretty much giving up on trying to be part of the team, might cost him a chance to play for anyone this season.