The Dallas Mavericks could be in position to land Los Angeles Laker center Andrew Bynum.
That's because, according to Yahoo! Sports, Bynum wants to play for either the Mavs, Houston Rockets or Cleveland Cavaliers if he becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer. The Western Confrence starting center in last Februrary's All-Star game, Bynum said if he doesn't sign an extention with the Lakers, the aforementioned three teams will be the ones vying for his services.
Bynum is entering the final year of a contract that will pay him $16.47 million during the 2012-'13 campaign. Now entering his eighth season, Bynum averaged 18.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.93 blocks in 35.2 minutes while shooting 55.8 percent from the field this past year.
Bynum is currently rumored to be going to the Orlando Magic in a blockbuster trade for Dwight Howard, who was the starting center for the Eastern Conference All-Stars this past February. But according to Yahoo! Sports, if Bynum is traded to the Magic, he "has shown no inclination to agree to an immediate extension if sent to Orlando as part of a Dwight Howard package.''
The Mavs lost out on Brooklyn Nets free agent point guard Deron Williams this past week and will likely save their salary cap space for players of Bynum's caliber. The addition of Bynum would be a major windfall for the Mavs, who haven't had a particularly great offseason thus far.
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Bynum would be a major coup for the Mavs considering their current FA faux pas. Why are the Knicks, Heat, Nets, Lakers, and Clippers getting all the top tier talent? Why aren't the Mavs in that mix? Landing Bynum would put us in that select group for sure, but, I'm not holding my breath anymore when a top talent like Bynum says he wants to play for the Mavs. Too many of his top-shelf-talent peers have faked us out already and I, for one, am sick of it. I'm sick of these games within the game. Know-whut-I'm-sayin'?
This reminds me when I was in high school and I asked the hottest chick in school to go to the homecoming dance with me. She said, "Yes, I want to go with you baby!". Then when I go to pick her up for the dance she struts out of her house arm-in-arm with the Barney Fife of our school. Now the dude was rich via daddy's pockets. The dude had a new corvette (I had a beater Nova) daddy bought him. Dude had a swimming pool at home that daddy installed (I had a lawn sprinkler and a muddy duck pond). Dude had a Ladies Gold Rolex he gave her as a homecoming present (I had a plastic clown-head pez dispenser I was going to give her). The only things I had on this dude was that I was way better looking than him and more physically gifted if you know whut I mean (yeah, 17 year olds compare themselves to others in many ways--drinking ability, strength, fighting, darts, golfing, running, girl-chasing, and...oh forget it!).
Anyway, point is maybe the Mavs don't have a large body of water nearby for limitless recreation. Maybe the Mavs don't have corvette limousines. Maybe the Mavs won't (or can't?) match other teams payroll size. Maybe Cubes has become a grumpy old man. I don't know. But whatever it is that is stopping top FA players from signing with the Mavs must be found out and cured or corrected. Maybe Dirk listens to German Death Metal bands too loudly in the locker room and it annoys players more accustomed to the sensibilities of American Fight Rap or American Killer Tornadoe Heavy Metal RAP....Someone please shed light on whatever it is. Please?!
Posted by: JohnArlington | July 09, 2012 at 01:18 AM
Next season Mavs have 3 guys under contract: Dirk, Vince and Haywood. If they amnesty Haywood before next summer they could be sitting on top of 30 million in cap space and a lottery pick (assuming they tank). They could spend 46 million or so without going over the luxury threashold. There's your Plan B.
Posted by: JJ | July 11, 2012 at 01:13 PM
I likes "Plan B"! Especially if it leads to the Mavs nabbing Howard or Bynum, and, CP3!! Howard/Bynum, CP3, and Swish41 on the same Mavs team would be unstoppable. The Matrix would put the brakes on King James while Howard (or Bynum), CP3, and Swish41 would take out the rest of the Heat team. Result: 2013 NBA title to the Mavs (where it belongs!)!!!
Posted by: JohnArlington | July 12, 2012 at 10:22 AM
I don't understand why teams give players huge contracts after one good year, example Jeremy Lin gets 4 yr 28.8 million dollar contract. What has he done to deserve that? One good year in my opinion doesn't rate that. Lin will NEVER do what he did last year again. He was a no one who slipped in under the radar, now everyone knows him and he'll not get those easy baskets again. A one and done.
Posted by: Coachkencampbell | July 13, 2012 at 09:41 AM
Well Mark Cuban rolled the dice after last season hoping to get Dwight Howard in a trade with Orlando, that backfired. Then he tried to get Derron Williams and he stayed with Brooklyn. So much for the old home town boy coming home! Now I hear Andrew Bynum wants to play for Mav's. Ok let's have some kind of three way trade, send Howard to Lakers, Bynum to Dallas and 3 players and draft picks to Magic (both Mav's and Lakers 1st round pic's. Let the dealing begin Mark!
Posted by: Coachkencampbell | July 13, 2012 at 09:50 AM
Its ridiculous that the last post on this blog is from over a week ago. You guys don't seriously question why everyone goes to ESPN and doesn't bother with their local papers, do you? DMN is the same, and this past week, there was actually a lot of stuff going on. But not here on your blog, that much is obvious.
Posted by: Mondo | July 16, 2012 at 06:58 AM