The news continues to get worse for the struggling Indiana Pacers with center Andrew Bynum officially done for the season and likely done in Indiana altogether.
According to Candace Buckner of USA Today, Bynum will miss the remainder of the playoffs and will no longer travel with the team moving forward:
Andrew Bynum will miss the remainder of the season and no longer be with the Indiana Pacers, the team announced Wednesday morning before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals matchup against the Washington Wizards.
Along with Evan Turner, Bynum was considered a key acquisition for the Pacers in their attempt to contend for a title this season. Although it didn’t work out with the Cleveland Cavaliers after 24 games with the team, Bynum was thought to be a solid pickup at $1 million to help backup center Roy Hibbert.
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After the Chicago Bulls waived Bynum following the Luol Deng trade, the Pacers were one of the few teams willing to roll the dice on an often injured veteran. Since being traded by the Los Angeles Lakers for Dwight Howard back in the summer of 2012, the two-time NBA champion has jumped from team to team while unable to get on the floor the majority of the time.
Bynum has been plagued by injuries throughout his NBA career with his knees simply unable to withstand the rigors of an 82-game season and the postseason that follows. After earning his first All-Star selection in 2011 with the Lakers, the consensus was that Bynum’s injury problems were finally behind him with a bright future ahead for the young center.
Unfortunately, once dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers in the four-team deal, Bynum missed the entire 2012-13 NBA season and ultimately signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Bynum played in only 24 games with the Cavaliers before being traded to Chicago.
After being signed by the Pacers, Bynum played in only two games before his knee problems flared up once again. Bynum earned a total of $500,000 for each game played in Indiana.
With Bynum’s best days likely behind him, it remains to be seen if another team will take a chance on the 26-year-old moving forward. Bynum will turn 27 before the start of next season and it might be safe to say that his once-promising NBA career has come to an end.
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