Brian Shaw thinks Andrew Bynum will help the Indiana Pacers

When the Indiana Pacers acquired center Andrew Bynum, it came as a surprise to many.

However, the Pacers did their research before making the move.

Pacers’ head coach Frank Vogel called current Denver Nuggets’ head coach and former Pacers’ assistant Brian Shaw to ask about Bynum. Shaw coached Bynum as an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers.

“When Andrew is healthy, first and foremost, which he hasn’t been most of his career — but when he is healthy, he’ll be able to help this team out a lot because he’s a load out there on the floor,” Shaw told Scott Agness of Pacers.com after he finished holding shootaround at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. “He can rebound, he takes up space, he can protect the rim, he can score inside and he’s also a good passer. That’s No. 1.”

Shaw thinks Bynum could help push the Pacers to the next level.

“I think it’s a great pickup for the Pacers, in that I know what he is capable of. He was a big part of the two championships we won in ’09 and 2010, and it’s a situation where if he’s able to get healthy and get out there, he’ll help the team. If it doesn’t, they don’t lose anything by trying to bring him along.”

Bynum averaged 8.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in 24 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers this season.