For a brief period during the summer there was chatter that the Cleveland Cavaliers were going to throw their hat in the ring in order to facilitate Dwight Howard's escape from Orlando and reap one 7'0, 285lb benefit. Many NBA fans applauded the deal from Cleveland's perspective, but I feel like Cleveland may have dodged a bullet when they pulled out of that deal and here is why.
First of all, I want to acknowledge that I am less than excited about Andrew Bynum as a player compared to most NBA fans. There is no doubt that his size allows him to dominate the paint defensively and he has improved his offensive post moves dramatically. He's also a terrific rebounder; a traditional center in every sense of the word. He does have his weaknesses though.
For starters he has had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in May of 2008, his right knee was operated on in 2010, and although recent reports about his health are likely overblown, he did just have experimental Orthokine therapy earlier this month. He is carrying an extremely large frame, and I would be skeptical to invest long term in him given he has missed 130 out of 394 games in his seven year career.
The other concern that floats around Bynum is his character. We all remember this horrific foul on J.J. Barea, but there are plenty of other examples. In Philadelphia, and hypothetically in Cleveland, Bynum would not have the veteran presence of guys like Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol to learn from. Instead, in these situations, Bynum would and will be looked to as a leader to even younger players than himself. That's a scary proposition.
Bynum has limitations on the floor as well. A Lakers blogger points out that Bynum was rarely asked to set screens in the triangle offense and it's a skill that he has yet to perfect. Also, Bynum will be facing many more double teams without players like Pau and Kobe to draw attention and he is not very comfortable passing out of double teams at this point in his career. His assist rate is 7th worst in the league among players playing 30 minutes a game. Lastly, although Bynum is a clear defensive force in the paint, he will struggle to guard centers that can stretch the floor, espcially in pick and pop situations. I imagine he will really struggle against the Rondo-Garnett duo he will see often in this division.
I don't want this to become an anti-Bynum rant. I've stated that I tend to value Bynum less than many NBA fans but I certainly will concede that he is likely the second best center in the league. His PER numbers are very strong, and he is certainly a valuable player when on the court. My argument here rather, is that the Cavaliers might even be lucky to have not dealt for him.
If the Cavs did make this deal over the summer than their contributions would have centered around their stock pile of draft picks, among them a top 13 protected 2013 first round pick from the Kings. The one major issue with this trade is that if Bynum went to Cleveland, there is no guarantee he would sign an extension there after this season, and that would leave the Cavs without Bynum and their future picks.
If Bynum did sign an extension, than I'm not sure that would be a positive either. Bynum already makes upward of $16 million for this season. His extension would have a base salary of $17,296,652 or 105% of his current salary and would likely increase for the next 4 or 5 seasons. Would you want to pay a minimum of $70 million over the next 4 years for a 285lb center with a history of knee injuries?
Anderson Varejao may have also been a part of this deal. Instead he will play one of two roles on this team moving forward. He will either be a defensive anchor and veteran presence on a young team that struggled mightily without him most of last season, or he will be a valuable trade piece. The Cavs will also have cap space and they have a recent history of dealing valuable veterans and acquiring temporary salary in order to acquire assets. They used the Clippers first round pick (they received for paying Baron Davis and sending Mo Williams to LA) on their future star Kyrie Irving .
The Cavs can afford to take on some salary this year but will also have plenty of cap room for a max player next season. They are in a perfect position to patiently evaluate their current crop of young players (Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters, Tyler Zeller) and have the flexibility and assets to move in almost any direction either later this year or in the off-season. Had they made the Andrew Bynum move they would have essentially already pushed all their chips in. That's a move that makes more sense for a playoff team that may have already hit its ceiling like Philadelphia. The Cavaliers would be wise to learn from and mimic the Thunder model of acquiring and developing young talent before filling in the holes with veteran role players.
No comments:
Post a Comment