It has been more than a month since the Indiana Pacers signed free agent big man Andrew Bynum to a contract, but after that lengthy period of time, Bynum is expected to finally make his debut with the team on Wednesday night.
At this stage, nearly everyone knows the story with Andrew Bynum, as he is a documented head case (to put it mildly) with some serious baggage wherever he goes. The 26-year-old center signed a lucrative 2-year contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers prior to this season, but he appeared in only 24 games before being traded (there are great stories here) and waive, and from there, he landed in Indiana.
The Pacers were considered to be a “stable” locker room that could handle him, but it is a bit telling that Bynum needed an injury to Ian Mahinmi (Indiana’s backup center) in order to make his debut, and expectations should be low. When he’s on the court, Bynum can still be effective in a slow, grinding game (as evidenced by his league-average PER this season), but gone are the days where he was a legitimate beast with the ability to dominate on the interior.