Andrew Bynum didn’t play a single game for the Sixers last year, due to knee injuries that kept him from basketball for the entire season.
Bynum is now an unrestricted free agent, but the likelihood of Philadelphia coming through with the dollars it will take to sign him is minimal, at best. The team’s new GM Sam Hinkie said as much during his introductory press conference.
“I think of Andrew like the thousands of other young men walking around the world that are unrestricted free agents that have potential to play NBA basketball,” Hinkie said. “He is one of those. I’m duty bound to consider them and look at them. All of them.”
Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
As Bynum prepares to sell another team on his services, questions about his health and history of injuries are bound to come up. But while Bynum and his agent are happy to divulge any medical information surrounding the big man, the All-Star center won’t be showing off what he can currently do physically for any of the interested teams.
From Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports:
This position is understandable, at least to a certain extent.
Bynum has proven himself at the NBA level, and if doctors have cleared him to play and MRI results show no lingering issues, then teams should be willing to make offers based on the available information.
Something tells me, however, that this is just a way for Bynum’s camp to make it known publicly that he won’t be going on a pre-draft-like tour of teams to try to convince them of his long-term ability to contribute to an NBA franchise.
If a particular team comes calling with a max contract offer that Bynum is interested in accepting, it’s more than likely that a private workout would be granted under the right circumstances.