NBA
NBA Rumors: Will Bynum Get Signed?
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
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Thursday marks three full weeks since Andrew Bynum became a free agent. Two main reasons it’s believed he does not yet have a new team …
No. 1: Bynum wants more than min. money. No. 2: No team willing YET to pay more than minimum given ?s about how much he really wants to play.
It’s time to start wondering whether we’re going to see Bynum again this year or even beyond. Earlier this season he mentioned that he was still considering retirement due to the persistent knee trouble that has plagued him his entire career. Without any interest throughout the league beyond a minimum contract, Bynum’s financial incentives, the only thing that was really motivating him, to put his body through the grinds of playing basketball may not be great enough to justify the pain that comes with it.
Still, he’s gifted enough that contending teams like the Miami HEAT or Los Angeles Clippers would probably give him a spot if he came off of his stance of not accepting the minimum. However, there clearly isn’t a big need for him on their end. They’ve made it clear than can do without him.
It’s his choice, but as of right now you can’t help but feel like the odds are more in favor of it being awhile before we see Bynum, if ever again. His next big pay day is likely a full season, if not more, of proving himself at a low salary away, which he may not find worth it. Even if he succeeded and got a new big deal, it would mean he’s stuck playing the game he’s lost his passion for and that continues to be aversive to his health. It’s easy to see how he could be ready to do something different with his life.
“The lack of effort is just not acceptable,” Cavaliers general manager Chris Grant said. “It’s not who were are or who we want to be.”
Grant said he believed in coach Mike Brown and his offensive and defensive systems and said he thought the coach was connected to the team. He said the players need to be more consistent in their execution of both. Whereas Brown talked about making unspecified changes after Tuesday’s loss, Grant wasn’t sure if there would be more changes in the roster. The NBA trading deadline is Feb. 20.
“Obviously, we added [Luol] Deng, which was a big trade and big position need for us, and he’s been fantastic,” Grant said. “Like anything else, this group is capable of doing better than how they’ve played recently during this stretch. But at the same time, yeah, we’re a team that’s always looking to improve ourselves. I’m never going to say we’re never going to do anything. That’s not our focus right now. Our focus is, ‘Hey, we’ve got some talent on this team and we’ve got to get them to play more consistent.”
The Cavaliers have reached the point where it won’t just be the roster that is subject to change if they don’t have a strong second half of the year. At the end of the season, Grant, and even recently re-hired head coach Mike Brown, could find themselves on the out.
The trade deadline is their last opportunity make a personnel change and it’s safe to say that as long as it’s with making the playoffs this season in mind, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert will sign off on it.
The Cavaliers have plenty of trade assets to work with, whether it be their young players still on their rookie contracts or the expiring contract of veteran big man Anderson Varejao. Expect them to be one of the most active teams in the final weeks prior to the deadline.
Florida freshman Chris Walker has been cleared by the NCAA, sources told ESPN. Eligible to play Tuesday.
Between Andrew Wiggins’ recent explosion, Dante Exum signing with power agent Rob Pelinka and the development of Joel Embiid, chalk up Chris Walker’s clearance as just another reason to get excited about how the 2014 NBA Draft can be.
It was looking like we weren’t going to get the chance to see Walker this season as he dealt with eligibility issues that stemmed from accepting illegal benefits from two different agents, but he’s going to get back on the floor just in time to show NBA scouts why he’s a top-ranked prospect in the eyes of most high school talent evaluators.
Walker is an elite-level athlete with immense potential on the defensive end. There are questions right now about just how big of a part he’s going to have in Billy Donovan’s rotation, but with a month still left in regular season play, the postseason conference tournament and the NCAA Tournament, Walker will have plenty of opportunities to build his stock back up. He’s been practicing with the team for weeks now, which should help make his integration slightly easier.
If he decides to stay another year and get a full offseason of development under his belt at Florida, we’re talking about a potential top 10 pick in 2015.
