Andrew Bynum missed all of last season with the Philadelphia 76ers due to knee injuries. He became a free agent and signed a two-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers. There’s been speculation as to whether or not he’ll come off the bench due to his injuries but according to coach Mike Brown if he can play, he can start. Read more after the jump.
Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal:
Cavs coach Mike Brown confirmed Friday that the Cavs aren’t really considering bringing Bynum off the bench in an effort to protect his knees and ease him back onto the court. If he can play, Bynum will start.
“He’s most likely going to start for us because he’s obviously an All-Star caliber player,” Brown said. “But we need to see where his health is as we progress toward training camp, into training camp, preseason and into the regular season. If everything fits right, if he’s completely healthy, no doubt about it, he’s our starter at center.”
Bynum is of course All-Star caliber and his agent says he plans to be an All-Star again this year. The rest of the Cavs’ frontcourt rotation includes Anderson Varejao, Tyler Zeller, Tristan Thompson, and Earl Clark so no doubt that Bynum is the best of the bunch, when healthy.
Brown was the Lakers’ head coach in Bynum’s best season as a pro, when the big man was an All-Star and averaged 18.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocked shots in 35.2 minutes per game during the 2011-12 season. Ironically Bynum and Brown also had plenty of drama during that season with Bynum reportedly having no respect for Brown’s authority. We’ll see how things work out this time around.
