Post by C.C. on Sept 9, 2005 17:38:11 GMT -5
Andrew Bynum ready to become starting center for Bulls?
“With the 8th overall pick in the 2007 BBS Draft, the Chicago Bulls selects...
Andrew Bynum out of St. Joseph's High School.”
When General Manager C.C. made his selection in the 2007 BBS Draft, he was very pleased he had selected Andrew Bynum at #8. Even though the Bulls had Eddy Curry on their roster, C.C. made the move to draft Bynum for three reasons: Potential, Future, and Size. The Bulls definitely needed size to fill in their Center holes. But C.C. asked for more than size. Although it was thought that Andrew Bynum was a project in the making, he had all the potential and hype surrounding him.
Andrew Bynum definitely has vast potential. The kid was only 19 years old when he was drafted. During his Rookie Season, like any project coming from High School, Bynum did nothing but sit on the bench and learn from his teammates. Bynum had to learn the new rules of the game because he just came out of High School. It was going to be a tough transition for him, as he had to learn how to adjust to the game. At 20 years old during his Sophmore year last season, Bynum played more minutes behind Eddy Curry as the backup center. Things didn’t go well for him as he struggled and had a hard time adjusting to the game. But yet, as the season continued to roll on, the coach gave Bynum more minutes as the backup center because he wanted his player to develop more. He wanted to find his strengths and weaknesses. Game after game, Bynum finally started to show some promise. During All Star Break, Bynum was selected to the Sophmore team. He did well as he scored in double figures and grabbed a few rebounds in their loss to the Rookie team. During the second half of the season, Bynum started to show some more promise as he played better defense and grabbed a few more rebounds, but his post up game needed more improvement as his offensive game now became a question. When the trade deadline was closing in, General Manager C.C. made a trade that would give their fans an exciting Big Three and a better look at their young stud center.
When General Manager C.C. decided to pull a trade that would send Eddy Curry and Hakim Warrick to the Seattle Supersonics for Jason Richardson, Jonathan Bender, and Marcus Camby, it was believed that Andrew Bynum was next in line to becoming their new starting center. All of a sudden, the next day, Bynum finds himself in the Starting Lineup for the very first time in his BBS Career. This was not a surprise to many people because they were expecting this kid to start immediately with the departure of Curry. With all the hype surrounding him, fans were excited he would finally get the chance to develop as a possible full time starter in the future. Fans were also excited about their new addition, Jason Richardson, who along with LeBron James and Baron Davis, created a powerful Big Three in the league. The Bulls also acquired Marcus Camby, who is a 13-year veteran and a defensive player in his career. Camby gave advice to Bynum, as he shared his experience about being a good quality center in the league. Camby would be a great addition to the team as he taught Bynum more about the game. In the next couple of games, Bynum struggled as the new starting center, as his game showed that it needed more improvement. Game after game, Bynum witness his team lose to a couple of winnable teams at home and on the road. At this point, the coach made a safe choice to start Camby at Center for the last couple of games, including the Playoffs. Things worked out better but Bynum found himself back in the same position he was in earlier in the year. When the Bulls landed the 4th seed in the Playoffs, they eliminated the New York Knicks in seven games in the first round. But unfortunately, Bynum, playing very few minutes as the backup center, saw his team lose in seven games by the #1 Seed Detroit Pistons in the very next round.
Now entering his third year at 21 years old, Bulls Fans continue to be excited about their young center because it looks as if now he will finally get the start at opening night. It is more likely, although it is not guaranteed. But before Bynum steps on the fresh court again, he needed to work on his conditioning, positioning, and his offensive game over the off-season. These were the main things that Bynum needed to work on more, as he gets prepared for the 2009 Season. But there is still one question floating in the air about this kid out of St. Joseph's.
How well is Bynum going to do as such a young player with the pressure that will be on him with teammates LeBron James, Emeka Okafor, and Baron Davis around? Hopefully we will soon find out this season. But it will probably take him years to develop, and when he is finally ready to be a great player. Pressure is on for him.
