Andrew Bynum

[Altered_Beast]

Pacers currently sporting the best overall defense in the league:

1st in Defensive Rating
1st in Opponent FG%
1st in Opponent 3P%
1st in eFG% Against
1st in Points Allowed
12th in Rebounding

...all with a lumbering, paint protector who moves about the court like he's wearing flip-flops.

Our Miami Heat:

11th in Defensive Rating
20th in Opponent FG%
26th in Opponent 3P%
25th in eFG% Against
9th in Points Allowed
30th in Rebounding

...let that marinate.

and they say if we get bynum the defense will get worse... welp how much worse can it get ?

people that say our defense will get worse do not understand basketball. to be truly successful for a long time you need a big man down low. even if its a scrub that only manages to get 7 points and 5 boards you need a body down there that doesnt force our perimeter defenders to help and leave open shooters. the heat are one of the few teams EVER that have been successful playing small. why? lebron james and dwyane wade with a dash of bosh of course.

look at all the championship teams that have won chips the past decade and a half. sure they have had mega stars like duncan/kobe/garnett but what they had above all was size in the paint. a reason the lakers won in 2010 was because perkins (perkins of all people!) was injured and that allowed gasol to pick apart the defense seeing as no one could cover him 1-1. even the great bulls teams with the goat jordan had scrubs like luc longley and bill wenington playing significant minutes.

why do you think this team took a chance on oden? because he was the only affordable big we can afford (a guy that hasnt played in 4 years). big men come at a premium in the nba for a reason, it allows you to play a optimal style of basketball that is proven throughout history. small ball for us has netted us 2 chips yeah i get that but you gotta see how we won those 2 trophies as well. its not sustainable.

[Altered_Beast]

that is the most painful stat. its all about effort too. we werent that bad a rebounding team last year and we have roughly the same players.

They were so bad you simply erased it from your memory bank...

Last season: 30th in rebounding
Season before last: 21st in rebounding

21st is a whole lot better than last ill tell you that much

[Mars]

that is the most painful stat. its all about effort too. we werent that bad a rebounding team last year...

They were so bad you simply erased it from your memory bank...

Last season: 30th in rebounding
Season before last: 21st in rebounding

21st is a whole lot better than last ill tell you that much

It seems something got lost in translation...

This season: 30th in rebounding
Last season: 30th in rebounding
Season before last: 21st in rebounding

[Altered_Beast]

They were so bad you simply erased it from your memory bank...

Last season: 30th in rebounding
Season before last: 21st in rebounding

21st is a whole lot better than last ill tell you that much

It seems something got lost in translation...

This season: 30th in rebounding
Last season: 30th in rebounding
Season before last: 21st in rebounding

21st. the year we beat OKC. your right i didnt know we were last in rebounds last year as well. oversight on my part

[AlexCRO]

Pacers currently sporting the best overall defense in the league:

1st in Defensive Rating
1st in Opponent FG%
1st in Opponent 3P%
1st in eFG% Against
1st in Points Allowed
12th in Rebounding

...all with a lumbering, paint protector who moves about the court like he's wearing flip-flops.

Our Miami Heat:

11th in Defensive Rating
20th in Opponent FG%
26th in Opponent 3P%
25th in eFG% Against
9th in Points Allowed
30th in Rebounding

...let that marinate.

and they say if we get bynum the defense will get worse... welp how much worse can it get ?

people that say our defense will get worse do not understand basketball. to be truly successful for a long time you need a big man down low. even if its a scrub that only manages to get 7 points and 5 boards you need a body down there that doesnt force our perimeter defenders to help and leave open shooters. the heat are one of the few teams EVER that have been successful playing small. why? lebron james and dwyane wade with a dash of bosh of course.

look at all the championship teams that have won chips the past decade and a half. sure they have had mega stars like duncan/kobe/garnett but what they had above all was size in the paint. a reason the lakers won in 2010 was because perkins (perkins of all people!) was injured and that allowed gasol to pick apart the defense seeing as no one could cover him 1-1. even the great bulls teams with the goat jordan had scrubs like luc longley and bill wenington playing significant minutes.

why do you think this team took a chance on oden? because he was the only affordable big we can afford (a guy that hasnt played in 4 years). big men come at a premium in the nba for a reason, it allows you to play a optimal style of basketball that is proven throughout history. small ball for us has netted us 2 chips yeah i get that but you gotta see how we won those 2 trophies as well. its not sustainable.

i couldnt agree more... but many dont understand that because "we beat them 2 straight years" what a stupid reason and homerism its sad really

[Altered_Beast]

i know alex i feel you. on the contrary i try to look at those posts/views in a objective way. yes we won 2 titles in a row. yes weve been to the finals 3 years straight. yes its only halfway through the season and we have a better record at this point than we did last season. i get all of that.

when i say that small ball is not sustainable i mean that eventually we will face a team that can match up with us on the perimeter (defensively) and outplay us significantly on the interior. only blind homers will tell you OKC, Spurs and Indiana havent improved. Those are teams that i think pose the biggest threats to the heat. If we hadnt signed birdman last season i think we wouldve lost to the pacers.

[Lord Hades]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/422450146060677120[/tweet]

Pacers trollin.

Wait. That ain't ****ing funny at all.

[GetMoney]

If they sign him it's over for us. In January yes

[DWadeno3]

What's with all the Bynum hype? The guy hasn't played well in Cleveland, has shown attitude problems and I hardly believe he'll just want to be a cushion in case we need a big body to throw in there. Look how quickly he lost his motivation after things didn't go right from the get-go. I'd put just as much money on Oden being a consistent productive force as I'd put on Bynum. I was a fan of the kid's game, but his soft attitude makes me think he won't be the All-Star center he was for one season.

I guess you're happy with this team being soft and clumsy when it comes to getting rebounds. Even if he doesn't play well, it's still a good gamble that the Heat should take because it's not like they're doing any better right now when it comes to securing rebounds and protecting the paint. Would you rather see Mason continues to brick open shots all day or would you take a gamble on a guy who was once considered as a top five center in the league a couple years ago?

And where did I say I don't wanna get him? I just don't think he's a big problem solver, so I don't hype him and desperately want us to bring him in. If he comes, cool, but I'm not gonna lose sleep over it because he was hardly a helpful player on a bad Cleveland team and that'll tell you something.

[King_John]

Pacers currently sporting the best overall defense in the league:

1st in Defensive Rating
1st in Opponent FG%
1st in Opponent 3P%
1st in eFG% Against
1st in Points Allowed
12th in Rebounding

...all with a lumbering, paint protector who moves about the court like he's wearing flip-flops.

Our Miami Heat:

11th in Defensive Rating
20th in Opponent FG%
26th in Opponent 3P%
25th in eFG% Against
9th in Points Allowed
30th in Rebounding

...let that marinate.

those are awful stats. Still they have 27-10 record. Shows you talented the Heat are. They can basically win games while not giving a **** for 3 quarters of a game.

[King_John]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/422450146060677120[/tweet]

Pacers trollin.

Wait. That ain't ****ing funny at all.

Oh hell no

[Js2k0516]

Pacers ain't stupid, they know if we land Bynum, it's game over.

They have no use for him, but they will pay him to keep him off the Heat.

[BoshtimusPrime]

If they sign him it's over for us. In January yes

Really? You're scared of a broken Andrew Bynum. The same one who, in two games, scored a grand total of 8 points against us?

[hedo15]

c'mon drew, we need you

[arifgokcen]

Hi guys.I am not a heat fan but i have wondered whats your opinion on topic so here i am.

I dont think many of you understand but bynum wants starter minutes and big salary neither of which pacers can provide and they have another good 7ft in mahinmi.

On the other hand team like miami could pay him more(though riley will not pay him more than vet.min) and he could easily start on a team like miami.

Sorry but miami is the worst rebounding best team i have ever seen.You guys need some help.However would you really want a guy like him considering you have another project and he is complete joke as a player

[XTC]

If they sign him it's over for us. In January yes

Really? You're scared of a broken Andrew Bynum. The same one who, in two games, scored a grand total of 8 points against us?

It's not just about the stats. Bynum is a huge center, and he loves playing down low. Hibbert killed you guys last post season, and that was because Bosh or anybody on your team can't guard him. Bynum while no stalwart defensively is a big guy who can alter shots, and his size matches up much better against Hibbert.

There's a reason why Indy is going after him...
To keep him off the heat. To ensure they maintain their biggest strength against the heat. Their size down low.

Ps: for all the crap he's getting he's still averaging 9.5 rebounds, and 2.1
blocks per 36

[Lord Hades]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/422466909108330496[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/422467280597815296[/tweet]
Can't hurt. The locker room is too strong to let any silliness disrupt it. If he's capable of playing and interested, I'm for it.

Spo used to say we had a different package on D if Eddy Curry ever miraculously worked himself into the rotation. There's no reason Bynum couldn't be incorporated into we what do, even at some lesser chaotic level.

[Mars]

I'm not understanding the absolutes and extremes on Bynum's potential impact if signed. The consensus seems to be either savior or cancer.

Why such resistance that it could be somewhere in between? A situational, no-risk, bargain addition that would fortify the playoff center rotation with much needed size, depth, and versatility; if Oden is able to stay healthy.

[RexBoyWonder]

Honestly im ready to ditch smallball, it was always a necessity and never a pure preference for me.

Part of the reson smallball worked was Battier playing well allowed us to substitute size with talent with fit.

Problem is :

1)the fit factor isn't as strong since our main rivals now have a strong scoring big man that hurts Battier inside, we're not "getting away with it" like we used to, the matchup isn't working in our favor any more.
2)Battier slowing down and sucking means we're not really getting more talent on the floor, we're just getting smaller with him playing.

Basically playing a slightly below average Center isn't really a step down in talent compard to playing Battier, because one can argue Battier is a below average player himself these days (same goes to Lewis).

So it would makes sense to switch to Bigball/Normallball/real Center at this point in time.

The issue with Bynum is Simple - He's just not the type of Center that would make the switch natural for us. Not in skillset (he's offensive minded, we need a defensive Center, He's slow and lazy, we need a quick and active Center, He's not even rebounding well for a Center this year, we need a great rebounder, He's a low character player, We're a serious high character club). I guarantee that If it was any other decent Center, even a less talented ones but ones that were a better fit (Guys like Kosta Koufos, Anderson Varejao for example) Pat would have been all over them already. The bad fit on paper is what makes Bynum a question mark in some people eyes.

Still, taking everything into consideration and seeing how tired and old some of our players are looking, Bynum is gamble worth taking at this point IMO. Playing him small minutes could help him play harder and with more energy, a talk with Riley could make him act like less of douche. Playing him with Birdman and Oden as a 3 headed Center rotation could bring the best of the 3 of them, keep them fresh and motivated. The only "risk" is a small financial one, and that's not enough IMO for us to pass on him.

Let's see if Pat Riley agrees.

[AlexCRO]

Honestly im ready to ditch smallball, it was always a necessity and never a pure preference for me.

Part of the reson smallball worked was Battier playing well allowed us to substitute size with talent with fit.

Problem is :

1)the fit factor isn't as strong since our main rivals now have a strong scoring big man that hurts Battier inside, we're not "getting away with it" like we used to, the matchup isn't working in our favor any more.
2)Battier slowing down and sucking means we're not really getting more talent on the floor, we're just getting smaller with him playing.

Basically playing a slightly below average Center isn't really a step down in talent compard to playing Battier, because one can argue Battier is a below average player himself these days (same goes to Lewis).

So it would makes sense to switch to Bigball/Normallball/real Center at this point in time.

The issue with Bynum is Simple - He's just not the type of Center that would make the switch natural for us. Not in skillset (he's offensive minded, we need a defensive Center, He's slow and lazy, we need a quick and active Center, He's not even rebounding well for a Center this year, we need a great rebounder, He's a low character player, We're a serious high character club). I guarantee that If it was any other decent Center, even a less talented ones but ones that were a better fit (Guys like Kosta Koufos, Anderson Varejao for example) Pat would have been all over them already. The bad fit on paper is what makes Bynum a question mark in some people eyes.

Still, taking everything into consideration and seeing how tired and old some of our players are looking, Bynum is gamble worth taking at this point IMO. Playing him small minutes could help him play harder and with more energy, a talk with Riley could make him act like less of douche. Playing him with Birdman and Oden as a 3 headed Center rotation could bring the best of the 3 of them, keep them fresh and motivated. The only "risk" is a small financial one, and that's not enough IMO for us to pass on him.

Let's see if Pat Riley agrees.

good and valid points... if only battier way younger, people in general dont really know how much of a factor he was in this back to back quest. he was HUGE... i meen where do you find a replacement for him....