Andrew Bynum: Best Case and Worst Case Scenarios

"Bottom line is Andrew is out indefinitely," DiLeo said before the Sixers played the Oklahoma City Thunder. "There are no timelines; we just have to wait and see how he reacts."

"His knees now and the MRIs are not the same; it's a different type (of) situation," DiLeo said. "At the time of the trade, we had four doctors look at his MRI; we knew it was a calculated risk. We also knew we were getting the second-best center in the league, a franchise-type player. We took that risk."

Just two days ago, this was the quote from the Philadelphia 76ers, and represented every single fear that they had upon dealing for him in a four-team trade last August. In fact, this exact situation is was the "worst case scenario" that MAMBINO listed in our Philly season preview. 

Drew has again fallen prey to a knee injury, though this time the cause is as nebulous as the man himself. For weeks, the Sixers have been maintaining that a "bone bruise" has been the source of Bynum's absence, with mysterious, non-surgical treatments being used to try and get the new Philly center on the court. However, unlike previous catastrophic injuries from on-court mishaps, the fear of the unknown is seems to be more frightening than watching him writhe in pain on the floor. Matching up the words "Andrew Bynum" and "indefinitely" creates a sentence more terrifying to fans of his teams than the words "Andrew Bynum" and "your babysitter" together.

There's no return date for Bynum, but according to DiLeo, a December debut is absolutely out of the question. Whether or not Drew comes back at all this season, which at this point is a possibility, could totally change the complexion of the massive deal that sent 12 players and four 1st round draft choices around the league. Let's take a look at how the best case, worst case and everything in between could change how the "Dwight Howard" trade will be viewed going forward. 

Will Andrew Bynum Work? - Philadelphia 76ers Season Preview

Starting Five: PG Jrue Holiday, SG Jason Richardson, SF Evan Turner, PF Spencer Hawes, C Andrew Bynum

Key Bench Players: PG Royal Ivey, SG Nick Young, SF Dorrell Wright, SF Thaddeus Young, PF/C Lavoy Allen, C Kwame Brown

Notable offseason additions: C Andrew Bynum, SF Dorrell Wright, PG Royal Ivey, SG Nick Young

Offseason subtractions: F Maurice Harkless (15th overall pick), C Nikola Vucevic, G Willie Greene, F Andre Iguodala, SG Sam Young, G Lou Williams

It's no secret that THE GREAT MAMBINO holds Andrew Bynum in great esteem. To say the least, he's an extremely complicated young man whose insistence on constant improvement to his game is remarkable considering his injury history. Bynum has moved along relatively anonymously the past years under bigger stars in Los Angeles, whose personalities have outweighed even Andrew's idiosyncrasies. However, Lakers wouldn't have won the 2010 title without the 2012 2nd Team All-NBAer, nor would they have been in contention from 2008 until 2012. When he wants to be, he's one of the truly dominant two-way players in the league, scoring at will and exerting his full dominance on defense. Other than his health problems (which have already manifested themselves in training camp), there's no reason why Andrew can't be one of the top twenty players in the NBA.

But Bynum is moving onto Philadelphia. The city that's done this:

Or this:

Needless to say, Philadelphia's not the type of city to put up with Andrew Bynum's bullcrap. Episodes like postponing surgery in order to attend the World Cup. Or double parking in a handicap spot. Or shooting a three-pointer in transition. Or sitting on the bench during huddles. Or proclaiming that "close-out games are actually kind of easy", and going on to lose the next two contests.

Derrick Rose Is Not Walking Through That Door - Chicago Bulls Season Preview

Starting Five: PG Kirk Hinrich, SG Richard Hamilton, SF Luol Deng, PF Carlos Boozer, C Joakim Noah

Key Bench Players: G Marco Belinelli, G Marquis Teague, F Taj Gibson, F Jimmy Butler

Key Additions: G Marco Belinelli, G Kirk Hinrich, C Nazr Mohammed, F Vladimir Radmanovic, G Nate Robinson, G Marquis Teague, F Jimmy Butler

Key Departures: F Ronnie Brewer, G C.J. Watson, G John Lucas, G/F Kyle Korver, and C Omer Asik

To borrow a phrase from Rick Pitino, “Michael Jordan is not walking through that door. Scottie Pippen is not walking through that door. Phil Jackson is not walking through that door.” True, but as much as the names in the starting five and bench are relatively uninspiring, the two most important names in the franchise today were left off. And as long as Derrick Rose and Tom Thibodeau are in the picture, so are the Bulls.

The Life and Times of Andrew Bynum

Immature. Strange. Dominant. Lazy. Enigmatic. Brash. Uncompetitive. Headstrong. Captivating. Passive. Disrespectful. Talented.

All those are words to describe the new Philadelphia 76ers center and yet, a muddled jumble of seemingly unconnected adjectives couldn't come close to painting the portrait of the irrepressible Andrew Bynum.

In sixty years of Lakers basketball, whose history spans from the blue collar mid-western sprawl of Minneapolis/St. Paul to the glamorous lights of Los Angeles, the franchise hasn't seen many players that closely fit the profile of Drew. We've covered him extensively on MAMBINO, including this article that made us the middling featherweight sports blog that you've come to at least know, if not love.

In his seven seasons with the Lakers, the term that would most accurately described Drew is "a walking contradiction". Which man is he? The guy who involuntarily entered JJ Barea into a midget shotputting contest, put off knee surgery to attend the World Cup or the player who has recognized a weakness in his game each offseason, and has worked extremely hard to improve himself year after year? He's a fragile player who has undergone no less than three major knee surgeries since being drafted in 2005, and yet, has diligently toiled to bring himself back from what has to be a demoralizing medical chart. He has often visibly tuned out teammates and coaches, and still, the most competitive athlete in the NBA, Kobe Bryant, raves about his work ethic and desire to win.

At the essence of Andrew, I truly believe that he is a competitive person who perhaps just doesn't care about basketball as much as he cares that it's something he's extremely good at. I'm not sure that the concept of a "team" or the franchise is all that important to him, but I am certain that he enjoys being dominant and exerting what can be a mammoth hand print all over a contest.

All that being said, the road to where he is today--2nd Team All-NBA honors, a starting All-Star berth, averages of 19/12 on 56% shooting--is an accurate reflection of Bynum; a paradoxical series of events, ranging from the hilarious to the disappointing. Maybe, adding judgment to any descriptive word about Drew isn't appropriate. Perhaps we should just value him for being what he is; fascinating. Presenting The Life and Times of Andrew Bynum.

Instant Trade Analysis: Dwight Howard to the Los Angles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers get: C Dwight Howard, PG Chris Duhon, SF Earl Clark

Orlando Magic get: PF Moe Harkless, C Nikola Vucevic (from Philadelphia), F Al Harrigton, SG Arron Afflalo (from Denver), 3 1st round picks (from Philadelphia, Denver and Los Angeles), 2 2nd round picks

Philadelphia 76ers get: C Andrew Bynum (from Los Angeles), SF Jason Richardson (from Orlando)

Denver Nuggets get: F Andre Iguodala (from Philadelphia)

In a trade that had become so apparent that it eventually became surprising again, the Orlando Magic have finally traded Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers in a four-team deal that immediately changes the face of each franchise.

To break this mammoth deal down, let's go city-by-city:

Los Angeles: Suffice to say, this trade was a complete "win" for the Lakers organization. But, it's important to note that this isn't at all out of character for a franchise that prides itself on staying competitive year after year with little segue between eras of success.

State of Laker Nation Playoffs Recap: Too Big, Too Strong, Too Good

"If I play good D, we'll win games. I think I'm just going to be as aggressively as I can defensively to contest their shots. ... You've got to win Game 1. Statistics are against the teams that lose Game 1, especially on the home court."

Andrew Bynum's quote after game 1 of the Western Conference first round matchup of the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets summed it up pretty tidily. With a monstrous 10/13/10 block performance, number 17 made his presence felt on every part of the floor, helping limit the highest scoring team in the league this year to only 88 points on 35% shooting. The Lakers won the first game of a potential 16 on the way to their 17th NBA title, and handily at that. With a wire-to-wire 103-88 W, LA thoroughly dominated the game, allowing only 1 Nugget over 12 points (Danilo Gallinari, with 19), and perhaps more importantly, limiting any Denver player to 8 or less rebounds.

State of Laker Nation: The Bynum Situation

(Hello friends - if you're here, you might wonder why this article is our all-time numero uno hit-getter. Well, it's because Bill Simmons of ESPN is, quite frankly, a king maker. In late April, he linked to this article in a mailbag of his, noting why any Laker fan should be worried about relying on Andrew Bynum as a future franchise player. He's not wrong. Check out his fine work that cited MAMBINO and made us even more arrogant than we already are right here)

In his first public comments since being ejected from Friday's 112-107 loss to the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum was unapologetic for the incident.
"I don't have any regrets. Stuff happens," Bynum said after the Lakers' 125-105 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. "I was ejected for something that happens every game. People talk. It is what it is."

If you're a Laker fan, that statement should make you want to throw your purple and gold coffee mug straight at your "16x Champion" pennant banner.

Andrew Bynum - the Awkward Passing of the Torch

Mambino welcomes another guest post, this time from Lakers die-hard The CDP. He is the man behind Stream of Conscience, and agreed to lament on the stylings of one Andrew Bynum.

Unless you’ve been under a rock for the last few days, you’ve undoubtedly heard about the benching of Andrew Bynum. For the uninitiated, Bynum decided to take a 3 pointer with 16 seconds on the shot clock of a close game, a move that could only be described as boneheaded and absolutely deserving of its punishment. It was lucky to hit the rim. Within seconds, head coach Mike Brown had burned a timeout to angrily pull Bynum and left him out for most of the rest of the game.

For a guy accused of being spineless with LeBron James while coaching the Cleveland Cavaliers, which is something I always blamed more on owner Dan Gilbert, Mike Brown has sure asserted himself this week with 4th quarter benchings of both his All-Stars. Postgame, he said, “if I don’t feel like he’s playing the right way, I’ll take him out of the game.”  It’s impossible to ignore the fact that Mike Brown is trying to publicly separate himself from the dynamic he had with LeBron, but it also seems like he’s failed to take the direct route with his players by holding them accountable in private. An honest conversation with Kobe or Andrew could go a long way in terms of influencing their shot selection or defense without the public drama created by a benching. Remember Mike, this is why Mike “The Pringles Man” D’Antoni is out in New York, so man up.

State of Laker Nation: Is Bynum better than Howard?

Welcome to the State of Laker Nation kickoff post. Like BockerKnocker's recent State of the Union address on his beloved Knicks, I will be irregularly posting rants and raves (mostly rants) on the state of Laker Nation, complete with a 1 to 5 MAMBINO rating on each of the weekly (or so) issues. The inaugural subject? The ever evolving issue of Dwight Howard in a potential trade for Andrew Bynum.

Andrew Bynum vs. Brook Lopez: Who provides the best value for a potential Dwight Howard trade

It’s less than two weeks away from the beginning of the NBA season. Usually at this point in the year, there would be some sort of consensus, or at least disputed consensus, on how the season could play out, and where teams would generally finish at the end of the year. This season, no matter who you ask, from the most excitedly overzealous super fan to a jaded old beat reporter, I don’t think that one person could give a correct appraisal for how the 2011-2012 NBA season will look like in June. The swirling rumor mill regarding Chris Paul and Dwight Howard have completely destabilized the entire NBA, from the Lakers to the Clippers, the Rockets to the Knicks and everyone in between. Add in a new set of rules coming from the freshly negotiated CBA, the balance of power in the league will tip, but in what way, I don’t think that anyone really knows.

One of the most hotly debated questions is Dwight Howard’s future (David Stern and the league’s involvement with the Hornets and thus Chris Paul turns that situation into a Tim Wakefield special – unwieldy, unpredictable and fat. Maybe not that last part. But damn, Tim Wakefield has a belly), specifically where he’ll end up. Two of the dispersed rumors would be a deal that either ends with Dwight on the New Jersey-turned-Brooklyn Nets or the Los Angeles Lakers. The Nets package would be headlined by 7’ center Brook Lopez, accompanied with two draft picks (including Golden State’s 2012 first rounder, as well as the Nets own 2012 pick) and the cap space to take up Hedo Turkoglu’s remaining $30+ million dollar deal. The Lakers’ offer would presumably be fellow 7’ center Andrew Bynum, two draft picks (Dallas’ 2012 first rounder and the Lakers 2012 first rounder) as well as a $8.9 million dollar trade exception to pick up the remainder of Hedo Turkoglu’s contract.

So what would you do, given that there seems to be no better options out there?

Large Suspension; Small Crime

(NOTE: This post was written by friend of THE GREAT MAMBINO, Alvy. He is one of the foulest, most bile-filled humans that I've met in my life. His hatred of mediocrity goes beyond my own, his hatred of Frank McCourt goes beyond human comprehension and his love of the Los Angeles Lakers is second only to his love of himself.

Last week, we "discussed" Andrew Bynum's suspension for his late game hit on JJ Barea in the deciding game 4 between the Lakers and the Mavericks. Needless to say, Alvy was more than opinionated about it, so much so that we asked him to write a guest post. Read on and welcome Alvy to our distinguished [nope] ranks)

There was an ugly moment in the final game of the temporary collapse of the Laker Kingdom. With a few minutes left in the game, Juan Pablo Estaban Manuel Jose Berea de Mexico drove through the matador perimeter defense of the Lakers to the hoop and, while in mid-air, was bulldozed by Fat Albert…err…Andrew Bynum.

Let me set the record straight here - this was a cheap, dirty, classless foul. The kid needs to grow up and stop embarrassing himself, the city of Los Angeles, the Lakers organization and most importantly, me.

The point I want to make is that the public outcry (get a grip, people) and the subsequent suspension (seriously, Stern?) were way over the top. And when I say way over the top…I mean Mel Gibson talking to his wife over the top. Or Christian Bale on a set talking to stage hand over the top. Everyone needs to relax.

Had that foul been committed on 99% of players in the league, it would not have resulted in such a ridiculous outcry. For example, let's say Drew had hit Dwight Howard. He may not have even felt Bynum’s foul on his way to a Sportcenter Top 10 Dunk of the Year. Even if that had been a smaller player like Trevor Ariza or Ronnie Brewer, then it’s just a hard, cheap shot. But because Barea is so freaking tiny, he took the hit harder than other normal-sized players, and his fall to the ground looked worse.

THIS IS NOT BYNUM’S FAULT. It is ridiculous to expect NBA players to consider the size of the opposing player before taking a particular action (in this case, a cheap, hard foul). It’s completely unreasonable.

Bynum is a big boy. One of the biggest in the NBA. Barea is a small boy. One of the smallest on the planet. The NBA is played at a lightning-quick pace. Decisions are made in nano-seconds and plays happen in the blink of an eye. It is a silly statement to presume that an NBA player should have to be responsible for the way a player lands after a foul.

And to the suspension itself - it's absurd. Back in the 90’s, players got 1 and 2 game suspensions for FIGHTING. Not cheap fouls or elbows, fists to the ACTUAL FACE. I point to the famous ’97 brawl between the Heat and Knicks (remember? It's the one where Jeff Van Gundy grabbed onto Alonzo Mourning’s legs). No player got more than 2 games for that. Let me remind you once again - that was a full blown BRAWL. And how about the most infamous fight of all? In 2004, after basically inciting what turned into a riot and oh, after THROWING A CHAIR AT A FAN (yes, a spectator!) Ben Wallace got just 6 games! Bynum jumps into Barea and the little maggot falls to the ground and Bynum get 5 games. Had Bynum subsequently THROWN A CHAIR AT A FAN, then yeah, 5 games is right. But that didn’t happen. All that happened, was that Barea - because he’s so small - fell to the floor hard. That’s not Bynum’s fault and he shouldn’t be held responsible for the tiny stature of Barea. It’s an absurd burden to place on any player in the fastest, most athletic league in the world.

The final argument is that David Stern and his minions that run the NBA Corporation were sending Bynum a message. There was the a de-lunging Gerald Wallace two seasons ago (he’s completely fine btw) and the clobbering of Michael Beasley (also perfectly healthy). IT’S A BIG BOYS LEAGUE. If someone wants to say that this punishment was the league sending a message, I am fine with that. But if a punishment is designed to ‘send a message,’ then one of the implications is that it did not fit this particular crime, but rather the body of Bynum’s assault work. And that just proves my point that this was way over the top (both the media and fan reaction, not to mention the suspension itself) for what actually happened last week. Everyone needs to chill out. He deserved 1-2 games MAX for a dirty play. Anyone who disagrees doesn’t know anything about the NBA.