Andrew Bynum Finally Answers Some Questions...

[Dro]

For anybody who's interested. There's been tons of questions about Bynum..Its LONG..

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...drive/5962393/

He also said he cancelled the Miami visit after visiting the Pacers. I'm on the record saying Bynum ain't sh*t and since we got him, I haven't really had any opinion on the matter. I thought the team was good enough to win before we got him anyway

Seems like he really needs some structure..

[Dro]

Here's some snippets

He describes the sensation as how he imagines arthritis feels. He feels older than he is and the gray coils, that he refuses to dye black, popping up in his afro are not helping him look like a 26-year-old NBA center who should be entering his prime years.

team president of basketball operations Larry Bird phoned Bynum's agent the day the center became available — the damage is permanent. Not long ago, the thought of retirement crossed his mind.

This has led fans to wonder what's really up with his knees and critics to ask what's wrong between his ears.

But the Bynum who sits inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse says he now has the drive to get through the pain.

"My motivation is because I want a championship," says Bynum who has been in the league for nine years and won two NBA titles with the Lakers.

"I want to play."

Bynum still looks the part. His white practice uniform clings to his chiseled features while working on post moves with Pacers assistant Popeye Jones after the rest of the team ran 5-on-5 full court.

But much has changed since that fresh-faced kid arrived in Los Angeles.

"I'm somewhat surprised and miffed by the rumor mill," says Jim Cleamons, who watched Bynum developed into a "very hard worker" as an assistant under Phil Jackson. "The Andrew that I saw growing in front of my eyes ... is not the young man I heard (rumors about) for the last four to five months

In Philadelphia, his personal doctors never cleared him to play, but one month after undergoing surgery, cell phone video emerged of Bynum moving his hips and working his knees with flamenco dancers in Madrid.

"Being in Philly and not being able to play was terrible," Thomas says.

Then in Cleveland, the reputation grew after Bynum was suspended in December before being traded to the Chicago Bulls.

"The situation there just wasn't very good for me," he says.

[Dro]

The hope was that the young mix of talent — point guard Kyrie Irving and No. 1 draft pick Anthony Bennett — along with the veterans could form a playoff-bound team in the feeble Eastern Conference. But after only a few weeks, as the losses piled up, Bynum grew frustrated.

He did not work well under coach Mike Brown's detail-oriented structure.

"It's kinda like, if I send you to the grocery store and I give you three choices for peanut butter, you'll probably pick one easily. But if I give you 25 choices, you might stand there for half an hour. Having it be too detailed may not always be the right thing," Bynum says.

Also, Bynum raged against the shoot-first guards. During a practice, Bynum said that he launched a shot from mid-court, clearly out of the rhythm of the offensive play. Another day during a scrimmage, he did not like a call from assistant coach Phil Handy and mocked him as "a horrible referee."

"Those are the two things I did," Bynum says. "I did them on purpose because it was over there for me."

Then, when asked if Brown had provided that same culture for Bynum when he coached in Los Angeles, Gasol responded: "Nah. Not the same."

However, in Indiana, Bynum noticed something he liked. As did the Pacers.

The day Chicago waived Bynum and gave him the right to pursue another team, Bird reached out to Bynum's representative and expressed the team's high interest. When the sides finally met on Jan. 31, the conversation went so well that Bynum canceled a trip to Miami. Bynum signed with the Pacers the next morning.

"I (had) only been in Indy for a week and certain things are similar," Bynum said while comparing his best years with the Lakers to the Pacers. "The way coaches handle things and how everything is time regimented. ... It's better, it's more structured. You're here, they do what they need to do with you and then you're out. It's not like something is going on forever. Everything has a plan and you try to stick to it and accomplish it, that's always good."

So, he's happy here. The only thing missing is that 20-and-10 performance. Of course, to do so Bynum would have to get on the floor first, but there's still the issue with you-know-what.

The knees — the set that requires having an orthopedist on speed dial.

"There's nothing really he could do surgically to repair what's already wrong," Thomas says. "It's just grit your teeth and hopefully Monday is better than Sunday. Hopefully Tuesday is better than Monday.

"That's the thing that most people don't see, 'Oh, he doesn't care about the game.' If you're in pain every day, it's really hard to have the same joy that you had at 17 and you were bouncing around and you could run miles with no issues."

But the question remains for Bynum: Does he truly want to grit his teeth and play? How broken can he stand his body to be at 40 when he's trying to fold into his fast cars? Even back in Cleveland, as he went through hours of rehabilitation almost every day, he wondered if it was worth it for a team on pace for another lottery pick. Retirement at 26 did not seem that far-fetched.

"Yeah. My knees hurt. It's not fun playing and having to (freakin') like sit at home and just feel like an old person, you know?" Bynum says. "My niece or nephew, they just want jump on me and play around and (stuff), but I got to be worried about something instead of just doing that, and that gets a little frustrating sometimes.

"Obviously, when I'm not playing, I tend to feel better because I'm not doing anything."

It is moments of pure honesty like this that has deepened the divide between Bynum and his detractors. He still carries baggage filled with "ifs."

If he's healthy.

If he's committed.

If he gets with the program.

In spite of the doubts from others, there's an elixir for Bynum's banged-up knees and tattered reputation.

And he found it in Indiana.

"Here," Bynum says. "The atmosphere is just winning.

"I've been in the game now for nine years, so these are definitely my prime years and like I said, that's why I'm confident and I feel like it's like riding a bike. I can just come back — I know what to do. I know what it takes to get here. I know what I have to do to be able to be productive and it's just a matter of doing it."

[AnaheimLakers24]

this didnt answer sh.it.

whens he playing is all i care about.

[no pun intended]

lmao completely forgot the pacers had this clown

[RedBlackAttack]

So, basically, when after a just a few weeks of the season here, the second youngest team in the league wasn't playing like a contender... so he quit. Nice job, Drew. Definitely something I'd be bragging to the press about.

Way to stick in there.

Brown attempted to build the offense around him. Truth is, he wasn't up to the task.

[Dro]

this didnt answer sh.it.

whens he playing is all i care about.

It answers plenty of questions people have been asking. About his time in Cleveland and LA, about playing for Brown, about the practice incident when he shot from the other end of the court or whatever, his motivation, etc. Did you even read it? This was answered and the condition of his knees is described in full detail...

[Dro]

So, basically, when after a just a few weeks of the season here, the second youngest team in the league wasn't playing like a contender... so he quit. Nice job, Drew. Definitely something I'd be bragging to the press about.

Way to stick in there.

Brown attempted to build the offense around him. Truth is, he wasn't up to the task.

Yeah, he said Brown's offense was TOO structured. Thats not an excuse to quit though but many players don't play well in a structured offense. I guess it depends on the offense. The Pacers offense is structured too so he better get used to it. But look at what Gerald Green and Darren Collison are doing this year on run and gun teams.

[RedBlackAttack]

Yeah, he said Brown's offense was TOO structured. Thats not an excuse to quit though but many players don't play well in a structured offense. I guess it depends on the offense. The Pacers offense is structured too so he better get used to it. But look at what Gerald Green and Darren Collison are doing this year on run and gun teams.

The difference is, he will be nothing more than a stop-gap while Hibbert is resting in Indiana. If he can't handle that, he doesn't deserve to be in the league.

Brown was actually trying to give him another chance to be a franchise centerpiece. He failed. Miserably.

Again, not something I'd be bragging to the press about, because he will never get an opportunity like that again. He should have been kissing Brown's feet every night after practice. He did everything he could for Bynum and Drew would occasionally show flashes. He just wasn't able to do it consistently and he gave up.


There were games that he did dominate, though, so I expect him to work well on limited minutes backing up Hibbert.

[Dro]

The difference is, he will be nothing more than a stop-gap while Hibbert is resting in Indiana. If he can't handle that, he doesn't deserve to be in the league.

Brown was actually trying to give him another chance to be a franchise centerpiece. He failed. Miserably.

Again, not something I'd be bragging to the press about, because he will never get an opportunity like that again. He should have been kissing Brown's feet every night after practice. He did everything he could for Bynum and Drew would occasionally show flashes. He just wasn't able to do it consistently and he gave up.


There were games that he did dominate, though, so I expect him to work well on limited minutes backing up Hibbert.

Well Vogel said he would still be the 3rd Center behind Mahimi. Ironically, Ian has really picked up his play since the trade. He's been a great backup this year.

[RedBlackAttack]

Well Vogel said he would still be the 3rd Center behind Mahimi. Ironically, Ian has really picked up his play since the trade. He's been a great backup this year.

Well, then there you go.

Drew has gone from having an offense designed around him in Cleveland to a third string center in Indiana. He's trending in the wrong direction.

Let me tell you, though, since you are a Pacers fan... he has more left than people think. His biggest issues on the Cavs -- besides his obvious horrendous attitude -- were that he slowed down the game too much for a young, guard-oriented team (not a problem on the slow paced Pacers) and entry passes to him basically have to be perfect. A little low or outside and he can no longer adjust his position to catch the ball.

However, when he does get the ball on the low block, he's a bull... a very skilled bull. I watched him dominate Noah a couple times... He still gives smallish centers all kinds of trouble.

As long as he's not creating problems in the locker room, which cannot happen on a veteran team like Indiana, he'll be a net positive for you guys. I'm confident of that.

[Dro]

Well, then there you go.

Drew has gone from having an offense designed around him in Cleveland to a third string center in Indiana. He's trending in the wrong direction.

Let me tell you, though, since you are a Pacers fan... he has more left than people think. His biggest issues on the Cavs -- besides his obvious horrendous attitude -- were that he slowed down the game too much for a young, guard-oriented team (not a problem on the slow paced Pacers) and entry passes to him basically have to be perfect. A little low or outside and he can no longer adjust his position to catch the ball.

However, when he does get the ball on the low block, he's a bull... a very skilled bull. I watched him dominate Noah a couple times... He still gives smallish centers all kinds of trouble.

As long as he's not creating problems in the locker room, which cannot happen on a veteran team like Indiana, he'll be a net positive for you guys. I'm confident of that.

Thats great to hear and I would be very happy if he can contribute. He said he had problem with Waiters and Irving shot jacking. Who knows, maybe Indiana will play them both together (Bynum and Hibbert) for SMALL stretches if they need some interior size/defense/rebounding.

[RedBlackAttack]

Thats great to hear and I would be very happy if he can contribute. He said he had problem with Waiters and Irving shot jacking. Who knows, maybe Indiana will play them both together for SMALL stretches if they need some interior size/defense/rebounding.

He's making excuses... trust me on that. I watched the games. Every minute he was on the floor, the whole gameplan involved trying to get him the ball. The offense ran through him.

He just needs someone to blame.

[Dro]

He's making excuses... trust me on that. I watched the games. Every minute he was on the floor, the whole gameplan involved trying to get him the ball. The offense ran through him.

He just needs someone to blame.

Yeah, not surprised at that. Also, I'm not sure if he meant they were shot-jacking in games or practice but regardless, its probably an excuse.

[Dizzle-2k7]

He's making excuses... trust me on that. I watched the games. Every minute he was on the floor, the whole gameplan involved trying to get him the ball. The offense ran through him.

He just needs someone to blame.

Bynum never had a chance with Cleveland. Kyrie and Dion have NO IDEA how to get a big man involved in the game. Throw in Anthony Bennetts dumbass and you got one BIG MESS.

glad bynum is out of that situation.. hopefully deng leaves ASAP as well.