(Howard Smith/USA Today Sports)
There was plenty of hype surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers when they acquired Andrew Bynum from the Los Angeles Lakers prior to the 2012-13 season, but the trade turned out to be one of the biggest busts of all time after the star center failed to suit up once during the regular season due to knee injuries. To top it off, Bynum bolted the City of Brotherly Love this offseason to join the Cleveland Cavaliers and while it’s unlikely the team will experience what the 76ers went through last year–it certainly isn’t getting off to the best start.
Bynum will reportedly miss the entire preseason for Cleveland as he’s “nowhere ready” to return to the court–which is the last thing Cavaliers fans need to hear at this point in the offseason. For a team surrounded with plenty of young talent, many believe the Cavaliers have what it takes to be a sleeper team in the Eastern Conference when it comes to making a playoff run and the organization was hoping Bynum would play a key role in making that happen.
While the team still hopes Bynum will be ready for the regular-season opener on October 30 against the Brooklyn Nets–the fact that Bynum is still taking this long to recover is ridiculous.
Once again, Bynum has nobody to blame but himself for his knees taking this long to recover considering how he handled his rehab situation last year when in Philadelphia (remember the bowling incident?). For the sake of Cavaliers fans, let’s just hope this is a precaution to making sure Bynum doesn’t rush himself back to the court too soon and the 25-year-old will be ready to return to his dominant level for the regular season.
Otherwise–Cavaliers fans may have a lot in common with 76ers fans for the upcoming season.
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