My thoughts on the am azing Bynum deal...
First of all: I thought this deal was pure FICTION when I first read it. I mean, swapping Iguodala and some other stuff the Sixers didn't need/want for Andrew Bynum?! It reeked of the GM just floating something out to get in the press. When it happened, my head was spinning.
I've read a lot since on the trade. The overall opinion of the trade seems to be that the Sixers did very well (while the Lakers and Nuggets did even better). ESPN.com has been perhaps most negative on the deal (though Bill Simmons thought it was a great move). Those that are lukewarm feel that the Sixers took two steps back and two steps forward this summer and may be at a similar place. They focus on the Brand, Lou and Iguodala losses.
To be honest, the summer acquisitions had me confused--particularly after signing Kwame Brown to a 2 year 6 million dollar deal. I liked that Elton Brand was gone and I think that those who poo-poo that move are dense. Brand was not playing well in his last year as a Sixer. Let me rephrase that: he was nowhere near at the level of his contract. Last year he averaged 11 points and 7 boards (plus 1.6 blocks). 11 points! So I don't know where this "irreplaceable" nonsense is coming from. To be frank, an optimistic projection on Lavoy Allen might have him averaging similar numbers.
Signing Kwame Brown and Nick Young (whose a chucker on a one year contract) with the money was crap. But, I do like Dorrell Wright.
Now, losing Lou Williams looks worse than it did earlier in the summer. The team has no back-up PG (well, Maalik Wayns). It also could use a slasher-scorer type like Lou. But Lou went to Atlanta and, according to Doug Collins, the Sixers offered him some deals he didn't end up liking.
Iguodala is certainly a big loss. He was the defensive identity of the team. But his attitude is kind of sucky and whiney--and, again, he was no scorer. In '07-'08 he put up 19.9 points, but that average was down to 12.4 last year. So, with Brand and Iguodala, you were shipping out an underwhelming 23.4 points per game, which I think Bynum by himself could average.
Losing Harkless--who the hype said could eventually be special-- and Vucevic--who almost certainly won't be-- is just the cost of doing business. The first round pick is too.
So, yes, the roster is now misshapen. Yes, I don't think the Sixers were brilliant earlier in the off-season. BUT... the Bynum deal was the best trade I've ever seen the Sixers get.
Review the last time the Sixers traded for a true, capable big man: The Mutombo trade. They gave Theo Ratliff (who was blocking everything... but hurt), Toni Kukoc (who was playing well), and Nazr Mohammed (a decent center). That's two very good players and one decent one. Here the Sixers gave a very good player in Iguodala, two decent prospects (who knows what they'll become?), and a pick for A MUCH BETTER CENTER who is 25 years old!!!!
Bynum instantly makes the Sixers a team with purpose. He is a cornerstone. You can get some shooters and defenders to put around him. Getting that big center piece is so critical to NBA success because so few players fit that bill. Last year Bynum averaged 19, 12, and almost 2 blocks. That's 4 points, 2 rebounds, and a fraction of a block less than Brand and Iguodala COMBINED. Think about that: he's one guy whose averaging what your two main guys got together. And he was on a team with two other All-Stars. On the Sixers? Going for 23 and 12 is doable. Could happen.
As for the rest of the roster and how he fits: I think this year could be a transition year but I think this does a few things for the Sixers:
1. They now look like a definite playoff team, before the deal they didn't.
2. Now they can swap out some of their center depth for something else they need (maybe a PF or PG) during the year.
3. The Sixers will be able to compete every night.
4. They no longer look like a worse version of the Pacers. They look like a team with more potential and a more balanced and exciting roster than Brooklyn or New York.
5. The Sixers will be WATCHABLE. I was worried that they were going south after such a great season last year, but this team will be exciting.
6. For the first time I can remember, the Sixers will play NBA inside-out basketball with 3-point shooters and a center. You know, the type of basketball you see in June not in November.
As for the trade, great kudos to the Sixers on making a move that this cynical fan never saw coming. Getting Andrew Bynum for Iguodala is a crazy get. Remember that when Allen Iverson went out what came back was Joe Smith, Andre Miller (who stayed for a while) and 2 first rounders that amounted to not-much. Here, Iguodala goes to the same team (Denver) and you get back one of the best centers in the game. The only way this was even remotely possible was because Dwight Howard wanted to move. Otherwise the Lakers hang up if anyone wants their dominant, young center.
Amazing, amazing trade.
