Why is andrew bynum not playing

Just ask Kevin Garnett. During the season, Bynum came into his own as a dominant big man, averaging He didn't seize the title of "Best Center on the Planet" from Dwight Howard, but he wasn't far behind.

He never reached that level of play again. Traded to the Sixers following his breakout year. Knees fall apart. Lost season. Signed by the Cavs. Inconsistent play, poor behavior like shooting the ball every time he touched it in practice, no matter how far he stood from the basket.

Traded to the Bulls. Waived immediately by Chicago to save cap room. Signed by the Pacers. More knee issues. So, his largely successful tenure in Los Angeles could have gone a little better with some improved injury luck, but the Lakers got just about everything they could have expected from Bynum. Shortly before training camp in , Bynum underwent treatment designed to ease the pain in his arthritic knees.

Then he was diagnosed with a bone bruise. Then, a couple of weeks into the season, he injured his left knee while bowling and not, by the way, practicing or playing in actual basketball games.

I don't know what's going on, but the doctors are saying pretty much that it's a weakened cartilage state. Bynum had season-ending arthroscopic surgery on both knees on March The Sixers didn't get a single NBA minute from the guy they hoped would be their franchise cornerstone.

Following a dismally disappointing season, they let Bynum walk away as a free agent. Again, injuries seem to be the main culprit for Bynum's failures in his second NBA stop. But there was also an increasing sense in Philly that he just wasn't interested in overcoming the various maladies that befell him.

It's not Bynum's fault that his knees degenerated after leaving L. When the body decides it's time to break down, it breaks down. But maybe he could have been more committed to conditioning.

Maybe he could have worked a little harder in his rehab. Maybe he could have skipped the bowling alley. One thing that could definitely have gone better was the way Bynum presented himself during his lost season. His hair was a bigger story than he was, and while it's silly to focus on his appearance in any serious way, the fact that his goofy coif coincided with a detached demeanor was a bad look in more ways than one.

In an alternate universe, Bynum could have used his time in Philadelphia to prove to the world that he was ready to build on his breakout season. If healthy and fully committed, he would almost certainly have helped the Sixers challenge for a playoff spot. Even without him, Philly missed out on the No. Frankly, a strong performance in would have netted Bynum a max deal as a free agent, and would almost certainly have made him one of the hottest commodities on the market.

Remember, he was a beast in his final year with the Lakers. Before everything went wrong in Philadelphia, it seemed like he was poised to take another step forward. You'll note the past tense in the heading above. It's there because Bynum's time with the Cavs is most assuredly over.

After signing a heavily incentivized, partially guaranteed contract on July 19, Bynum actually debuted in Cleveland's season opener on Oct. He looked almost nothing like the guy who averaged 19 and 12 for the Lakers two years ago, but at least he was on the floor.

On Nov. That would mark the high point in Bynum's Cleveland tenure. The Cavs suspended him indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team on Dec. In hindsight, there were some indicators that things were headed downhill, despite a couple of flashback performances from Bynum. Retirement was a thought, it was a serious thought. It still is. But it's much more complicated, and strange, than anyone could expect. If it comes from Woj, it's probably true. But apparently other teams courting Bynum "were concerned about his desire to play and commitment to continue the rehab needed for him to play in the NBA after repeated knee problems," Woj reports.

Cleveland knew he was a risk and signed him to a multi-million dollar deal anyway. In , Andrew Bynum delayed offseason knee surgery so he could attend the World Cup without crutches. Like we didn't see this coming. His contract his huge and he hasn't played well this season. You never know — he may even retire.