Andrew Bynum not an upgrade by any means for the Philadelphia 76ers – NBA Feature
The Los Angeles Lakers acquired superstar centre Dwight Howard in a blockbuster four team trade earlier this month. The trade sent Howard from the Orlando Magic to the Lakers, while Lakers sent their big man Andrew Bynum to the
Philadelphia 76ers.
The deal seemed too good to be true when it had not been finalized, and many in the NBA were arguing that the Lakers would not be able to land Howard by letting only Bynum go. They needed to put something else in the bag as well,
commented several NBA analysts. But Mitch Kupchak, General Manager of the Lakers, is a master of putting together championship teams and once again, he did the impossible. Kupchak upgraded Bynum for Howard, without letting any other player go, and made the
Lakers instantaneous favourites for the NBA title next season.
A great deal has been said and written about the Howard trade, but not many have analyzed the other part of the trade, which sent Andrew Bynum to the Sixers.
The Sixers, in order to acquire Bynum, had to trade All Star forward Andre Iguodala to the Denver Nuggets. In effect, they lost Andre Iguodala and got Andrew Bynum, and for some reason I cannot understand the rationale behind that.
Bynum had a great 2011-2012 season with the Lakers, one in which he truly proved that he is finally ready to play in the big league alongside the established centres. The seven-footer helped the Lakers finish with the third seed
in the Western Conference, averaging 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, both career highs.
There is no doubt that he is truly a superstar in the making. However, Bynum is a centre, who cannot make plays for himself. In the Lakers, he had Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol to help him set up in the low post and make the easy shots.
When Bynum moves to Philly, he will completely change the type of offence they play over there, since the offence will now run through him predominantly.
Iguodala is the man who the Sixers traded to land Bynum. He is now a veteran in the NBA, and has All Star appearances under his belt. The shooting guard who can also play small forward, just came home from winning a gold medal
with team U.S.A at the 2012 London Olympics.
Last season, Iguodala averaged 12.4 points and 6.1 rebounds for the Sixers. However, he had 5.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game to go with those figures. In short, Iggi was the kind of player who got the offence going. He could
set up plays as well as create shots for himself. And, he is one of the most under-rated defenders in the NBA, being a big reason why the Sixers were one of the best defensive teams in the Eastern Conference last season.
So the Sixers parted ways with a veteran All Star who is just back from winning gold medal at the Olympics and who has been a crucial ingredient in their team on both ends of the floor for the past few seasons. And in his place,
they got a 24 year old centre who needs the right players around him to be effective and who is still unproven when it comes to leadership and mental toughness. Last and not the least, Bynum likes to do things his own way, something which will be very difficult
in a team which lives to defend and is coached by Doug Collins.
The only thing that makes this trade a little acceptable is the fact that Iguodala was not happy in the Sixers line-up as he felt that the franchise was not doing enough to become regular playoff contenders.
His averages had been on the decline over the past few seasons and he had been involved in trade rumours. Hence, it is good for both parties that they parted ways on a good note. But if the Sixers are looking at Bynum as the guy
who will make them contenders in the Eastern Conference in the near future, they have surely got it wrong.
Bynum still has a few years to go before he can become a consistent and reliable player who can lead a team into the playoffs. So the way i look at it, this trade is by no means an upgrade for the Sixers. They have rather gotten
out of an awkward position with Iguodala, and will need a few other pieces around Bynum before they can become the team they are aiming to become.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not represent Bettor.com’s editorial policy.
Tags: