ESPN's Bayless: Sixers suckers in Bynum trade
According to Skip Bayless of ESPN, there's really no reason for the 76ers to await anxiously the results of Andrew Bynum's Dec. 20 checkup.
ESPN's Bayless: Sixers suckers in Bynum trade
John Mitchell, Inquirer Staff Writer
According to Skip Bayless of ESPN, there’s really no reason for the 76ers to await anxiously the results of Andrew Bynum’s Dec. 20 checkup.
Bayless, one of the hosts on ESPN’s “First Take,” said on Tuesday’s show that the Sixers were the suckers in the four-team trade that landed Dwight Howard with the foundering Los Angeles Lakers.
“I spoke the other day to a very reliable Sixers source - I spoke to somebody I trust - who told me and confirmed to me Andrew Bynum’s knees are shot,” Bayless said. “We’re talking about beyond repair, progressive arthritis, deep degeneration, unfixable.
“The source said that he will try to play,” Bayless continued. “He might even occasionally over the next year or two have a decent game here and there. But long-term this will get only worse – only worse. So bottom line, the Sixers got taken in this trade that ultimately landed Dwight Howard in Los Angeles.”
Bynum on Monday said that his right knee, site of the first bone bruise, feels fine, adding that it is the left knee, the one he hurt while bowling, that is causing him pain.
“There is nothing I can really do about it; it’s arthritis in the knees,” Bynum said. “The cartilage is missing so that’s not something that’s going to re-grow itself. Maybe in the future, next three to five years there may be something out there that really does help. For right now it’s kind of just a waiting game.”
Comments (90)
Why am I not surprised that a Sixers source is speaking to a national media figure, even a colossal jerk like Bayless and not the local beatwriters about the fact that the Sixers were taken in the Bynum trade? Hello, Dei Lynam? Hello, Bob Cooney? Hello, John Mitchell? Hello, Bueller, Bueller?— chuckw- I hated this trade from day 1. It had Jeff Ruland redux written all over it. Except this time we gave up and All-Star AND 3 first round picks. Oh and by the way Vucevic is posting nearly a double double for the season as the starting center in Orlando. I can't believe a billionaire like Josh Harris who made his money on Wall Street got swindled like an unwitting dupe by Mitch Kupchak. A fool and his money.... — F. Harry Stowe
- What a waste. Who gave him a physical?— Ssteve115
- I don't mind that we dumped Iggy for Bynum. Iggy's salary was handcuffing the organization. Fhe fact they we threw in Vucevic, Harkless and a first round pick are the real stingers here.— bdd5014
- Chuck W, have you not figured out how this works? These teams always tell the national media everything. I'm sure that the locals ask all the time. Who knows. Bayless could be wrong. Wont' be the first time he's made something up. The Sixers look like stupid fools right now.— Rawkus
- We dont need him, we have Kwam and Spence— tchamp3
- Yeah, we have Kwam & Spence, but at their combined best, they aren't close to a healthy Bynum.
That was the star-dust the Sixers saw as they looked past the reality of his knees.
Let's hope everybody is wrong, and Bynum has a few good years (?).
— wordsword - Bayless might be obnoxious but in this case he is probably right. On paper it never made sense to me how the Sixers could get Bynum for next to nothing. This was a guy the Lakers never wanted to trade. You have the second best center in the NBA and no other team jumped in the mix of the multi team deal.— Drew777
- Next to nothing? You call a gold medal winning Olympian who is also one of the best perimter defenders in the league PLUS a couple first round picks next to nothing??? Do you watch basketball?
- Why is everyone whining so bad now about Bynum being out? The team, media and fans already knew he had knee issues. The trade had to happen and the risk taken was better than staying mediocre. As DC would put it, the team was maxed out last year. The trade allowed Jrue and ET to have consistent minutes and grow together. Jrue, ET and even Thad would have never thrived this way if Iguodala was still here. Plus this allowed both of them not to defer to Iguodala. If the trade never happened, negadelphia would be harking about Iggy isn't clutch/bad jumpshooting/bad FTs and why did we pick Harkless because of the redundancy at SF. Iguodala had to be traded while his value was still high and because Holiday is untouchable and ET's trade value at the time was low.— Manok
- I have been completely bummed about the whole way the Bynum deal played out and worried he would never play for the Sixers.
Until now.
If that boneheaded moron of a dope Skip Bayless says Bynum is shot, then just the opposite will likely be the case - Bynum will play for another 15 years. - Manok: there are many unanswered questions here, not so easily glossed over as you have done. 1. Who did the physical for the Sixers? 2. How much did the Front Office know and when, as they were perfectly happy to string fans along in order to sell season tickets. 3. How much better will they be this season than last, Iguodala, Hawkless, Vucevic, and first-round draft pick notwithstanding? 4. Did they have no other options for trading Iguodala and Harkless? Risk is fine, but this seems to have been more than a risk, more like they were completely snookered, which also raises questions about the front office and de facto general manager Doug Collins going forward. And please, leave the negadelphia comments for the Eagles and Phillies boards. Posters on the Sixers site are pretty sharp.— chuckw
- Chuckw: I just tired of posters mentioning Ruland and all. You do bring up some valid points. I would of like to see Harkless and Vuc stay. Vuc at this point looks better than Hawes and at times LaVoy. Vuc's play and confidence went downhill after his injury. Harkless also looks to be a future defensive stopper who can block and get at SF at play PF at times like he did at college. Still curious though who made the trade Collins or Thorn? — Manok
- Worst trade in the history of Sports... The Lakers made out like bandits and should be put away for life.— AlonzoMoselyFBI
Torn on this one.....Stern likes to uphold the integrity of the game and the league (exhibit 1: Fining Greg Popovich for holding out his Spurs veterans in their away game at Miami). I'd like to see a little truth come out in this Bynum deal. There's a smell to the NBA where a star player (Howard) can dog it on his team (Orlando), thereby forcing a trade to....... the premier team in the league which conveniently resides in the Western Division (thus increasing the odds of an LA/Miami match up for the finals and great TV ratings. Did LA withhold inside info on this guys physical condition or were the Sixers that stupid, that desperate? Okay, please don't answer that one! DiLeo said what he said for public consumption 2 weeks ago regarding this guys knees, but I believe the truth lies elsewhere. Stern should fine LA for not being truthful about the physical condition of one of it's players under contract or he should fine the Sixers for being brain dead, naive(sic) rubes in knowingly accepting a deal for a known injured player.....
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About this blog
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
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