Andrew Bynum most powerful trading chip in the NBA?

[magicbalala245]

One player who can affect the future NBA title picture is not named LeBron or Dwight or D-Wade or Dirk.

 

He doesn't fit the description of a guy who has the most clout — not with his achy knees, bad decisions, and, at times, his bad attitude.

 

But he controls the board, he's a Laker….and his name isn't Kobe Bryant. Is Andrew Bynum the league's most intriguing and powerful trade chip?

 

He's considered a top-10 center in a class led by Dwight Howard, but there's currently no more pivotal pivot than Bynum. He might be able to deliver 2012 prospective free agents Howard or Chris Paul or Deron Williams to L.A., compensation to those stars' respective teams and revive Kobe's title plans.

 

1.Bynum could extend Kobe's championship window a few more years if the Lakers trade him to Orlando for Howard. If Howard wants to leave and designates L.A. as a landing spot, the Magic could do far worse than receiving Bynum as compensation.

 

2.If Howard stays put, the Lakers have other options. They could dangle Bynum in front of the New Jersey Nets and perhaps acquire Williams, an all-star who has yet to express his undying love for the Nets. The Nets have promising center Brook Lopez, who'd become a trade asset.

 

3.The Lakers could offer Bynum to the New Orleans Hornets for Paul, the league's best point guard. Like Howard and Williams, Paul is another restless star of the 2012 free-agent class.

[Cleveland's Finest]

Eh...I think Josh Smith is up there too. Both are still young yet have been in the league for awhile. Even JR Smith is in the same category.

 

It'll be very interesting to see how the Lakers handle him and if they decide to trade him now and get a star or stick with him.

 

Last season they chose to stick with him instead of getting Carmelo, so it looks like they are loyal to him right now.

[Check my Stats]

Horrible, just horrible.

[ChosenOne]

Eh...I think Josh Smith is up there too. Both are still young yet have been in the league for awhile. Even JR Smith is in the same category.

 

It'll be very interesting to see how the Lakers handle him and if they decide to trade him now and get a star or stick with him.

 

Last season they chose to stick with him instead of getting Carmelo, so it looks like they are loyal to him right now.

 

Ok Josh Smith I can he is an allstar,player but Jr come on man really?lol dont put him in the same page as thoes two.

 

Bynum for Dwight I think would be the only trade the Lakers would do, and I hope it get done some how!

[KurbyFX]

Can somebody explain to me why a player that hasn't played more than 65 games in the past 4 seasons is the most powerful trading chip in the league?

[Nitro]

Can somebody explain to me why a player that hasn't played more than 65 games in the past 4 seasons is the most powerful trading chip in the league?

 

And while he has shown flashes of dominance, he is still nowhere in the vicinity of a Dwight Howard. I'd kind of understand it if he was playing like 2006-2009 Yao while healthy to warrant all the hype, but he simply hasn't.

[GamerGuy]

Why an Orlando newspaper would hype up Bynum like that? Are they afraid of losing Howard next year to free agency because of the lock-out? That's the only logical explanation I can think of for this.

[?QuestionMark?]

He is.

 

He's probably the biggest expiring contract in the league.

 

He's a 24 year old, back-to-the-basket, two-way, center that can anchor.

 

The only question is his health. But if you can get him ready for the playoffs, then he's probably the 2nd best center in the league.

[KurbyFX]

When you say "ready" what is this status? Like? Standing on 2 feet? Able to run? Able to jump? Able to run AND jump? C'mon son. 2nd best center is out of the question for him... forever.

[Real Deal]

When you say "ready" what is this status? Like? Standing on 2 feet? Able to run? Able to jump? Able to run AND jump? C'mon son. 2nd best center is out of the question for him... forever.

I'm assuming few were saying this when he was kicking everyone's ass from mid-December to the end of the season, even as a third or fourth option that wasn't getting the ball as much as he should've been. You're acting like he can't play a single game, but you're dead wrong.

 

Once Drew gets the ball down low, he's tougher to stop than most every center in the league. He's not a better player than Howard, but he has three times as many post moves and a broader skillset.

 

In fact, it was Drew that nearly pushed us into the top seed in the West last season, when the Spurs were far ahead. Bynum anchored our defense better than Gasol has ever done in either position on the court.

 

So, using his injury to justify him never being the second best center in the NBA would've been like me saying Grant Hill was never going to be anything ever again, until he became an all-star after the many surgeries he had to go through, and was one of the best defensive players in the league last year.

 

But, of course, you know that.

[?QuestionMark?]

When you say "ready" what is this status? Like? Standing on 2 feet? Able to run? Able to jump? Able to run AND jump? C'mon son. 2nd best center is out of the question for him... forever.

 

C'mon son, you mean to tell me that, using your logic, you would have given up on Wade when he played only 51 games in back to back years?

 

My point is with Bynum you can get him healthy for the playoffs, even if he misses 30 regular season games, it's worth the risk. He's a difference maker at both ends. Outside of Howard, no other center impacts the game as much as Bynum does at both ends.

[Nitro]

My point is with Bynum you can get him healthy for the playoffs, even if he misses 30 regular season games, it's worth the risk.

 

That's awful logic. Think about it- who will the Lakers trade Bynum for? A bonafide superstar, like Howard. Now, the team that trades that superstar will likely go into all-out rebuilding mode once they get Bynum, making him the centerpiece. Those teams will likely not make the playoffs for at least a year or two, and their success will largely be contingent on Bynum's ability to consistently be their dominant player. However, Bynum has played 65 games or less 5 of his 6 years in the NBA, including 3 under 55 in the last 4 years. That is a HUGE downfall to Bynum's trade-stock considering that the team's that will likely receive him won't have the luxory of simply "using the season to get him healthy for the playoffs." They will need and expect a lot more from him during the regular season to give them a chance at the playoffs, as well as build around him and get that chemistry/consistency straightened out. Without his health, he can never be the centerpiece that any team trading their star player envisions him to be.

Edited August 11, 2011 by Nitro

[Real Deal]

I think teams will still take that chance because Drew has come back from his surgeries far too early every single time.

 

This time, he didn't have to have surgery, and he's also going to be resting for what could be an entire NBA season + another off-season.

[?QuestionMark?]

That's awful logic. Think about it- who will the Lakers trade Bynum for? A bonafide superstar, like Howard. Now, the team that trades that superstar will likely go into all-out rebuilding mode once they get Bynum, making him the centerpiece. Those teams will likely not make the playoffs for at least a year or two, and their success will largely be contingent on Bynum's ability to consistently be their dominant player. However, Bynum has played 65 games or less 5 of his 6 years in the NBA, including 3 under 55 in the last 4 years. That is a HUGE downfall to Bynum's trade-stock considering that the team's that will likely receive him won't have the luxory of simply "using the season to get him healthy for the playoffs." They will need and expect a lot more from him during the regular season to give them a chance at the playoffs, as well as build around him and get that chemistry/consistency straightened out. Without his health, he can never be the centerpiece that any team trading their star player envisions him to be.

 

It's not awful logic given the circumstances.

 

In most cases, I agree with almost everything you said. But when you're in Orlando's position, where there's a HIGH probability of losing Howard for nothing, you take the best you can get. And Bynum is the best they're getting offered at the moment. If Portland is willing to deal Aldridge, then fine they should deal for him. But that's not on the table (possibly because Howard has a psuedo-no-trade clause with his player option), at least not right now.

 

ideally you want to trade a star for a star but when Orlando holds no leverage, and other teams want to pair Howard with their own star player, there aren't many other options for the Magic.

 

Orlando is going to need another star anyway next to Bynum anyway, which they'll only get via the draft. So if you assume Bynum is out for 30+ games, then it's probably a blessing in disguise if it means a shot at Perry Jones or Harrison Barnes. Or if they find another star in the draft that would essentially make Bynum a 2nd option.

[Nitro]

All of what you said prior to the following excerpt I agree with (for the most part), but that isn't what I was arguing. Anyway...

 

Orlando is going to need another star anyway next to Bynum anyway, which they'll only get via the draft. So if you assume Bynum is out for 30+ games, then it's probably a blessing in disguise if it means a shot at Perry Jones or Harrison Barnes. Or if they find another star in the draft that would essentially make Bynum a 2nd option.

 

That's just awful. If you're trading arguably a top 3 player in the game in Dwight Howard (I've seen a lot of people on other sites arguing him as top 2, only behind LeBron, but at worst he's top 5), then to expect your prized return to miss 30+ games a season to pseudo-tank for a high draft pick, then that's pathetic. If that's seriously their expectation, or they believe that's a high probability, then there are a lot of other massive expiring contracts out there that can give the Magic greater cap relief and will leave the team in a position where they will be in the lottery a number of seasons.

[?QuestionMark?]

 

That's just awful. If you're trading arguably a top 3 player in the game in Dwight Howard (I've seen a lot of people on other sites arguing him as top 2, only behind LeBron, but at worst he's top 5), then to expect your prized return to miss 30+ games a season to pseudo-tank for a high draft pick, then that's pathetic. If that's seriously their expectation, or they believe that's a high probability, then there are a lot of other massive expiring contracts out there that can give the Magic greater cap relief and will leave the team in a position where they will be in the lottery a number of seasons.

 

Such as?

 

Bynum has two years left, with a team option which makes him expiring. If he is healthy, and puts up 20/12/2, then they can pick up his option to keep him for another year.

 

If he gets hurt or just not worth the money, then he's a 15 million expiring deal by simply not picking up his option. Or they can trade his expiring for something else.

 

It's a risk, it's a gamble, but given the how few big men there are in the league that are as impactful at both ends, it is probably worth it given the circumstances. Either way, it'll be a rebuild for Orlando. This just gives them an option of having a two-way big man or not as they go forward.

[Nitro]

Such as?

 

Bynum has two years left, with a team option which makes him expiring. If he is healthy, and puts up 20/12/2, then they can pick up his option to keep him for another year.

 

Two things- his health is a huge "if", as we've discussed, and the idea that he is an automatic 20/12/2 when healthy is premature. We can play the whole "if he got the minutes and responsibility, he's capable of that, check his per 36min stats", but the fact of the matter is he's cracked 30MPG only once in his career, and we have no idea how he would react to the increased workload on an already fragile body, and we also have no idea how effective he'd be without a superstar wing player, all-star PF and an offense perfectly suited to his abilities, while being the main focus of the defense. While he has a lot of talent, he still has a good amount of holes in his game that makes me question the prospect of him being the #1 guy on offense.

 

If he gets hurt or just not worth the money, then he's a 15 million expiring deal by simply not picking up his option. Or they can trade his expiring for something else.

 

It's a risk, it's a gamble, but given the how few big men there are in the league that are as impactful at both ends, it is probably worth it given the circumstances. Either way, it'll be a rebuild for Orlando. This just gives them an option of having a two-way big man or not as they go forward.

 

Unless the Magic really, REALLY believe he can be the centerpiece of their future, then I think it might be just as/more benefcial to find another team that can offer greater cap relief (whether it be by unloading Arenas/Hedo's contract on them, getting huge expiring deals, or a mix), better draft picks and a few young prospects. I'd have to look over future FA's and whatnot to really give you specific examples of who can do that while being a contender once they get Dwight, but I'm sure those teams are out there.

[?QuestionMark?]

Two things- his health is a huge "if", as we've discussed, and the idea that he is an automatic 20/12/2 when healthy is premature. We can play the whole "if he got the minutes and responsibility, he's capable of that, check his per 36min stats", but the fact of the matter is he's cracked 30MPG only once in his career, and we have no idea how he would react to the increased workload on an already fragile body, and we also have no idea how effective he'd be without a superstar wing player, all-star PF and an offense perfectly suited to his abilities, while being the main focus of the defense. While he has a lot of talent, he still has a good amount of holes in his game that makes me question the prospect of him being the #1 guy on offense.

 

You can use this argument about practically everyone. "How will T-Mac play as a number 1 option outside Vince's shadow?" , "How will Amare do without Nash?". If you look at how Bynum scores, it'll translate anywhere. He's also only getting 11 shot attempts, and a lot of them are off offensive rebounds. To your point about how he'll do as a focal point, well if he is drawing double teams, how is that a bad thing? Teams don't usually double team bad/ineffective players (unless you're Lakers and have Derek Fisher who doubles anyone). Even if he averages 13 points but he's drawing enough attention that he gets open shots for everyone else, isn't that a good thing? Wouldn't his floor impact exceed his stats? Lets say he is a disappointment offensively, he's still would be effective defensively. Not as good as Howard, but he'd still be able to alter shots and clean up the glass.

 

 

 

Unless the Magic really, REALLY believe he can be the centerpiece of their future, then I think it might be just as/more benefcial to find another team that can offer greater cap relief (whether it be by unloading Arenas/Hedo's contract on them, getting huge expiring deals, or a mix), better draft picks and a few young prospects. I'd have to look over future FA's and whatnot to really give you specific examples of who can do that while being a contender once they get Dwight, but I'm sure those teams are out there.

 

Yes that would be better. But give me a team willing to do it. It's easy to say what teams SHOULD do, it's another to look at what's really happening and what their real options are.

 

Orlando has to either get much better really quick; risk losing Howard for nothing; or trade him. Orlando has no leverage so you can pretty much cross out any team giving up their star for him. No team will give up prospects or take Turk/Gilbert unless Howard signs an extention, so that limits things further. Howard will probably only sign if he goes to a contender, possibly in a big market so that shrinks Orlando's options even that much more.

 

Yes, in theory a Bynum for Howard deal straight up is horrible based on talent. No one in their right minds would deal Howard for Bynum. But Orlando might not have much of a choice. The reality is that Orlando is stuck between a rock and a hard place and will risk losing him for nothing if they don't deal him because they waited a year too long to make a trade. So Orlando needs to make the best of a really bad situation, which at this point probably is Bynum.