A lot of people are making Philly out to be more than they are. They are a totally re-vamped team, returning five players from last year’s team that took the Celtics to the limit in the playoffs. The key acquisition walking through this summer’s revolving door, of course, is Andrew Bynum.
He’s the reason some people are picking Philly to finish as high as second in the East. But we all know that while Bynum is a pretty good basketball player, he just can’t be trusted. There are two reasons for that: his head and his knees.
We haven’t gotten a taste yet of whether his head will get him into any trouble, but his knees are already an issue:
New Philadelphia 76ers center Andrew Bynum will be withheld from basketball activities for 21 days to maximize the effect of therapy on his knees, the team said on Monday.
Bynum, who arrived in Philly in the blockbuster trade that landed Dwight Howard with the Lakers, underwent Orkothine therapy on both knees in Germany. A patient’s blood is spun to generate a platelet-rich mixture that is then injected into the injured area. Kobe Bryant is among the athletes to have had the procedure.
Bynum dislocated his left kneecap in 2007-08 and had arthroscopic surgery that May. He has surgery on his right knee after the 2009-10 season.
The Sixers said last week he was cleared to play in camp.
If Bynum can’t handle the burden, then all this “the Sixers are awesome” talk will look pretty ridiculous.
Scratch that, it already does look ridiculous, especially when you consider what the Celtics have done, and the competition that also exists in the Atlantic. Not only do the Celtics, perennially one of the league’s top defensive teams, reside in the same division, but so do the much improved Nets and the Knicks, all of which will be playoff contenders to varying degrees.
I’ve been high on Bynum as a player, but I still don’t trust him to be my franchise player. His attitude is poor, his health is spotty, and he has yet to figure out how to handle a double team… which, by the way, he’ll face a lot of this season.
I don’t trust Bynum to stay healthy for 82 games. I don’t trust Bynum to stay quiet for 82 games. And I don’t trust Bynum to produce consistently as the team’s #1 option for 82 games.
We’ll have to wait and see on my second and third points, but we’re already getting a glimpse of what Bynum’s health is going to be. He’s already going to miss the entire preseason with his new team, which is kind of important when you’re the linchpin to the offense.
Meanwhile, the Celtics are already gushing about team chemistry as they fly off to Istanbul. If Philly really wants to be the best in the division, they’re going to have to beat the best. And they’re already off to the wrong kind of start if they hope to make that happen.
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