Skip to content
Sixers
Link copied to clipboard

Bynum? Again? Seriously?

Are the Sixers really considering bringing back the biggest disappointment of their 2012-13 season?

When owner Josh Harris was talking about the future of his team, one that won't include Doug Collins as its coach, the subject of Andrew Bynum was naturally brought up. Harris used the term "needle-mover" when speaking of Bynum, and he wasn't referring to medical procedures on the big center's knees.

In an offseason that is going to include a coaching search and probably dabbles in trades and free agency, Harris was asked Thursday at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine what the team may do with the player they acquired last summer but who never slipped on a Sixers uniform.

"The Bynum thing obviously has been very disappointing," said Harris. "Of course we're going to look at bringing Bynum back. Certainly a healthy Bynum that's playing is a needle-mover. He's a top 15 player, but the reality is that he didn't play a game this season, so there's risk. We're going to weigh the positives and the negatives and try to make a reasonable assessment of what's appropriate for Andrew. Certainly we're open to the prospect of bringing him back. I will tell you that as of July 1 he is an unrestricted free agent. So there are 29 other teams that also have the ability to pursue Andrew Bynum. I think we are focusing on scenarios with and without Andrew Bynum and we're going to try to make the best decisions that we can based on the other offers that are made to Andrew.

"I'm not saying we're going to bring him back, I'm saying we haven't ruled it out. I happen to know an awful lot about Andrew's knees, more than I wanted to ever know, more than you know. The risk of bringing Andrew back is an important risk that we're not ignoring. A lot of what we'll do will depend on what 29 other teams do and so we're focusing on scenarios without Andrew as well as with Andrew. I'm not saying we are going to bring him back. We'll look at what the offers are for Andrew and we'll make a decision."

Much of that decision will also have to do with the health of Bynum's knees, which were both operated on March 19th to remove debris in the joints. The plan from there was that the 7-foot, 300-pounder would not bear weight for 3 weeks then be on crutches for three more.

As with everything else Bynum, stay tuned.