Andrew Bynum could really be done. And we’re not just talking his top-seeded Indiana Pacers’ apparent struggles against the No. 8 seed Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
With the 7-foot, 285-pound center already ruled out of the opening round series with a chronic knee injury, the Morning Journal & News Herald is reporting “there’s a chance Andrew Bynum’s career is over. Bynum’s knee is so bad, he likely won’t play in the postseason, even if the Pacers get to the NBA Finals in early June. One could surmise that his career is in serious jeopardy, despite being just 26 years old.”
It’s been as rocky a stretch for Bynum as it was for the Pacers in their 101-93 Game 1 home loss to the Hawks on Saturday night. Since averaging 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers three years ago, Bynum has played in just 26 NBA games combined. The Lakers traded Bynum to Philadelphia following the 2011-12 season, where he never suited up. This season he lasted just 24 games in Cleveland, where he averaged eight points and five rebounds, before being shipped to the Pacers at the trade deadline.
When healthy, Bynum has proven to be a force to be reckoned with, averaging 15 points, seven rebounds, and nearly two block shots over his last three seasons in L.A. In his nine NBA seasons since joining the league from New Jersey’s St. Joseph High School, Bynum has averaged 12 points and 10 rebounds.
But for every point and every rebound he has accumulated, Bynum has seemingly incurred a measure of controversy. During Game 4 of the Dallas Mavs 2010 second round playoff sweep of the Lakers, Bynum was ejected following a flagrant foul on guard J.J. Barea that also netted him a $25,000 fine and a four-game suspension to start the next season.
In Philadelphia, teammates openly questioned his commitment after he sat for the entire year, even after he told reporters his knees were feeling better. And during his short stay in Cleveland, Bynum and first-year coach Mike Brown openly clashed over the team’s offense and what he considered his underuse in the team’s style of play.
