The Cavs have signed freak-athlete center Andrew Bynum to a 2-year, $24 million contract, with only $6 million guaranteed. One word, Cavs' fans: PLAYOFFS.
This is such a low-stakes gamble and savvy move by Chris Grant and the Cavs' front office. If you're worried about Bynum's knee injuries, know that everyone else is too. That's why so few teams were willing to take a chance on Bynum or offer him boatloads of cash upfront. Bynum met with both Atlanta and Dallas before agreeing to Cleveland's offer.
Recall that Bynum didn't play a single game last year in Philadelphia because of his chronic injuries and their sundry aggravations.
Still, this is an excellent move. In the post-lockout NBA, $6 million doesn't really buy you much. The Cavs could've offered Wayne Ellington a lackluster two-year contract or signed a veteran role player on the order of Mike Dunleavy. Ho hum. The Cavs' core of rookies and young talent allows us to take calculated risks.
Grant assembled a contract for Bynum laden with incentives which will encourage him to focus, stay healthy and produce at a high-level — his career is sort of on the line — but will also ensure that the Cavs don't overpay him if he does nothing but ride the bench.
Look at how insane these potential starting lineups are:
G: Kyrie Irving
G: Dion Waiters
F: Anthony Bennett
F: Tristan Thompson
C: Andrew Bynum
G: Kyrie Irving
G: Dion Waiters
F: Sergey Karasev / Alonzo Gee
F: Anderson Varejao
C: Andrew Bynum
AHHH!!! We have so many amazing players! Having an all-star-caliber point guard and center with a rotation of cutthroat role players is so ideal. If Bynum stays healthy and plays hard, the Cavs won't just make the playoffs, we'll do some serious damage there.
