Philadelphia 76ers give a warm welcome to Andrew Bynum – NBA Update
Andrew Bynum could be the new face of the Philadelphia 76ers.
The towering centre was traded over as part of a four team block buster trade last week and the early signs do show that the Sixers fans are ready to embrace the big man as he was given a huge welcoming roar as soon as he entered
the National Constitution Centre on Wednesday.
"My first experiences here have been so great," Bynum said at the occasion, "I'm really leaning toward making this my home.”
Bynum was part of the trade that saw Orlando Magic send over Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers and Jason Richardson to the Sixers along with Bynum.
Both these players made their first public experience on Wednesday and the warm welcome left the big man enticed about the future he could have with the organization.
"It makes me super-excited," said Bynum "I enjoy Philly, I'm from here, I don't see anything wrong," Bynum said. "I don't see any problem why I wouldn't want to stay here."
The 24 year old centre is set to receive $16.1 million on his current one year contract and can choose to sign a five year maximum deal worth $102 million at the end of the season.
On the other hand, the Sixers could not have asked for a better turn of events for the strategy they applied in the summer. In order to free up a lot of cap space and afford a player like Bynum, the Sixers management amnestied
Elton Brand while letting go Louis Williams as a free agent.
They laid down the final move and traded Andre Iguodala over to the Denver Nuggets allowing for the Bynum deal to take place. Bynum’s arrival in Philadelphia can be a huge step forward for the Sixers organization as they look to
step out of NBA’s middle ground – somewhere they have been stuck for the past few seasons.
With his arrival, Bynum finally provides the Sixers with a solid centre who is coming in from his best year in the NBA, one in which he averaged double-double and played 60 of the total 66 games.
But with a new team, comes a new system. However, Bynum is ready to take on the responsibility and step out from the shadows of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.
"Obviously, there's a lot of pressure," Bynum said. "I want to be ready for it."
Tags: