NBA, Fantasy, Team News / Analysis, Player News / Analysis, Rumors, Philadelphia 76ers, Andrew Bynum, NBA Injuries
The Orlando Magic, who sent Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers, did not want Bynum in the deal due to his knee issues and impending free agent status. It turns out the Magic were wiser than the Sixers.
Just before training camp, Bynum had treatment done to his knees, and he was held out for a few weeks as a precautionary measure. After a series of setbacks and developments, Bynum was ruled out indefinitely, but hope remained that he would play at some point this season.
After a Monday report from Howard Eskin of FOX, that hope is gone. "Andrew Bynum will have surgery tomorrow in NY," Eskin said via Twitter. "Will have both knees cleaned out. Done for season."
It's terrible news for the 76ers, who now find themselves in last place in the Atlantic division, and 7.5 games behind the eighth seeded Milwaukee Bucks.
The Sixers hoped that they could build their franchise around Bynum, but it now appears as if he may never even play a game for Philadelphia. Bynum is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and it will be hard for the Sixers to gauge his value without seeing him hit the open market. The Sixers will obviously be wary of committing serious money to Bynum, while Bynum will be in search of the best offer he can get.
The scariest thing for Bynum is the fact that knee issues can put a halt to careers, especially for massive seven-footers like himself. In addition, his work ethic has always been a huge concern, and he'll undoubtedly need to work his tail off if he ever wants to be effective on the hardwood again.
With Bynum's knees not appearing to get any better, and the 76ers' management appearing to get frustrated with his inability to get healthy, we could very well be seeing Bynum in a new uniform next season - assuming he's even physically able to play. It's looking less and less like Bynum will ever be the perennial All-Star that so many expected him to become, and it's hard to say if he'll ever be a reliable player again.
