Andrew Bynum Returns

[Derek]

When? The last year he played..

He's not that guy anymore

 

[wremy]

Bynum had few bad games.. still is the only post player we have.. still has very good post moves... still is the only shot blocker we have.. guy has played 27 games.. even at 80% he can be 15-10 guy with 2 blocks and the ability to score in the paint.. I wouldn't trade him...I would play him all year and then make my decision

 

[Maximus]

He had that nice stretch of games where he had 20/10, 14/7, 20/13, 18/6. We won 3 of those 4 games including wins over the Nuggets and Clippers. He shot .571 or better in 3 of the 4 games. In the 7 fames since then, he's only had two games like those. 13/9 vs Portland who we lost to at the last second and 19/7 vs the Bulls, which was just 2 games ago.

His individual stats were nice in those games you mentioned, but look at how we did as a team when he was on the floor...only once did we have a positive +/-. Even when he's putting up nice stats, we typically lose while he's on the floor.

In the 20/10 game we were +9
In the 14/7 game we were -3
In the 20/13 game we were -11
In the 18/6 game we were -4
In the 13/9 game we were -10
In the 19/7 game we were -10

 

[Marcus]

When? The last year he played..

He is nowhere near that player anymore, and he never will be again. The fact that he's even able to walk, let alone jog and play basketball, is a miracle.

 

[Derek]

Bynum had few bad games.. still is the only post player we have.. still has very good post moves... still is the only shot blocker we have.. guy has played 27 games.. even at 80% he can be 15-10 guy with 2 blocks and the ability to score in the paint.. I wouldn't trade him...I would play him all year and then make my decision

He scores inefficiently even in the paint, is a poor defensive rebounder, and despite his shot blocking he's a very poor defender.

 

[6kiss]

Bynum just isnt going to be good anymore. He has no lift which is completely affecting every shot he takes. Why do you think we keep seeing all his shots bounce off the rim 2 or 3 times and rimming out? Because he has 0 lift in his shots causing him to shoot bullet type hook shots with no arch. You can have all the footwork in the world but If you can barley leave the ground, you arent going to be efficient.

 

[Tornicade]

Ill disagree with that. although bynum cant get much air he is used to taking those shots with lift. its a matter of adjusting.Bynum seems aware of this but when he gets into rythm sometimes he forget. its all a mater of retraining himself.

 

[Nathan S]

Bynum had few bad games.. still is the only post player we have.. still has very good post moves... still is the only shot blocker we have.. guy has played 27 games.. even at 80% he can be 15-10 guy with 2 blocks and the ability to score in the paint.. I wouldn't trade him...I would play him all year and then make my decision

The Cavs rank 10th in the league with 0.86 points per play in the post. So Bynum's doing a pretty good job, right?

Wrong. Bynum is averaging only 0.75 points per play in the post, which would rank 28th for a team. Meanwhile Tristan is averaging 0.99 points per play and Andy is at 1.06. Even Bennett has been better than Bynum, scoring 9 points in 10 post plays.

 

[Tornicade]

The Cavs rank 10th in the league with 0.86 points per play in the post. So Bynum's doing a pretty good job, right?

Wrong. Bynum is averaging only 0.75 points per play in the post, which would rank 28th for a team. Meanwhile Tristan is averaging 0.99 points per play and Andy is at 1.06. Even Bennett has been better than Bynum, scoring 9 points in 10 post plays.

I dont think anyone understood how to play the post until bynum got here. Ive seen more back to the basket plays in 27 games from thompson this season than his first 2 seasons collectively.

Scott was frustrated last season he didnt have a proper post player. now they have a guy with technique passing it on to the other guys..

 

[AB21Fan]

He has absolutely no elevation right now.

 

[cavsfanclanman]

I just wish he didn't mind coming off the bench. I think he would excel there. He could get his 12 and 7, very efficiently and only play 20 minutes of really productive ball. Of course, he might just retire if that's the case. I wonder if his demeanor has been positive for this young team, I have a feeling it doesn't translate well with the rest of the guys. Plus, he has to look like he's getting a free pass from Brown. Oh well. Have him be the 7th man off the bench. Start Varejao and Thompson, and let's see what happens.

 

[Zen]

Could someone fill me in on the specifics of the Bynum contract? If I recall we have until a certain date to make the decision on this year.

At this point I have several observations -

1.) Bynum deserves a ton of credit. I posted in the off season that he has a degenerative knee condition, and that cartilage doesn't grow on trees. I was extremely skeptical and did not expect to see him on the court until after Christmas. I feel for the guy, he worked his ass off. He showed flashes of brilliance, but it is becoming sadly apparent that he will never be able to contribute at a high level again. The guy is in pain, he has no mobility, and he is just not having fun out there.

2.). Forcing the Bynum project to continue, even if you feel for the guy, will set this team back. Right now we essentially play two versions of basketball. When Bynum is on the court it forces us into a style that does not mesh with a Mike Brown defense. Brown has to make concessions to keep him Bynum on the court, and often the payoff is not worth what we have to concede in terms of fluidity with what is expected out of the other players on the court.

3.) Zeller is not as terrible as advertised. It seems like ages ago but he was impressive in the summer league and showed a new and improved physique. While he may only ever amount to a reserve level player, he is certainly far more mobile than Bynum and can keep the continuity flowing with our defensive principles.

With these things in mind, I believe that we need to cut ties with Bynum in an effort to improve our long term outcome. At the very best Bynum will provide a mild spark here and there throughout the season, and we will not keep him on beyond that. I would much rather work with pieces that have a legitimate chance of being with this team for the foreseeable future.

It is hard not to feel for the guy, being chopped down in your prime is about as hard of a thing that an athlete can experience. It is time to put an end to the experiment and move forward.

 

[wuck]

Could someone fill me in on the specifics of the Bynum contract?

He gets $6M for being on the Cavs at this point.

He gets $6M more for being on the Cavs on 1/7/2014. That's the point where the 2013-2014 contract is fully guaranteed.

He could be traded up to the 2/20/2014 trade deadline. His contract would remain guaranteed as a Cav or as a member of another team.

The 2nd year of his deal for 2014-2015 becomes fully guaranteed on 7/10/2014.

Cavs could keep him, release him, or trade him, depending on which way they want to go. For this year, 1/7 and 2/20 are the intriguing deadlines.

 

[Zen]

He gets $6M for being on the Cavs at this point.

He gets $6M more for being on the Cavs on 1/7/2014. That's the point where the 2013-2014 contract is fully guaranteed.

He could be traded up to the 2/20/2014 trade deadline. His contract would remain guaranteed as a Cav or as a member of another team.

The 2nd year of his deal for 2014-2015 becomes fully guaranteed on 7/10/2014.

Cavs could keep him, release him, or trade him, depending on which way they want to go. For this year, 1/7 and 2/20 are the intriguing deadlines.

Appreciate it. I feel like it would be in our benefit to release him however unpopular it may be. Do I see it happening? Probably not... 6 million extra this year is a drop in the bucket. One thing I"m sure of is that he will not be back next year.

 

[kidduck]

It appears to me that every time the telecast of the Cavs game flashes on Bynum when he's on the bench, he's sullen and/or disinterested. I don't recall seeing him celebrating a good run for the Cavs. He doesn't even feign interest in what is happening during the huddles.

On the court his only asset is his size. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the knees to use it effectively in the NBA.

I'd rather see Zeller getting Bynums' minutes.