The Pacers turned more than a few heads over the weekend when they agreed to sign Andrew Bynum for the rest of the season.
Why, many asked, would a team with championship aspirations bother to sign a potential problem child in Bynum when it’s already humming along and leading the Eastern Conference?
The Pacers are a grind-it-out, slow-paced team, which is the only way Bynum can play after all of his knee issues. And with Roy Hibbert already in place, the Pacers just need Bynum to provide 10-15 minutes of production a night and give them a little more offensively than Ian Mahinmi does.
Even with his troubles in Cleveland, Bynum was still averaging eight points and five rebounds in 20 minutes per game. Indiana will gladly take that kind of production from him.
And then there’s the Pacers locker room, which is the perfect kind of place for a mercurial personality like Bynum’s to be monitored. Given how things have gone in Cleveland this season, is it a surprise that things fell apart with Bynum there? Not exactly.
But by having him in Indiana, where from Larry Bird on down the Pacers are unified in their vision of how they want to play and how they are supposed to act, Bynum will have a structure around him that won’t allow him to go off the rails. And, if he does, they’ll simply let him walk.
It could prove to be a win-win, the final piece that lifts Indiana to a championship. But whether it does or not, it was a smart move for the Pacers to make.
(Last week’s rank in parentheses)
1. Thunder (1): They may have finally lost, but Kevin Durant and the Thunder are still cruising along without Russell Westbrook.
2. Grizzlies (7): There isn’t a hotter team in the league than Memphis, which has won six games in a row and looks like it’s going to be a nuisance in the playoffs.
3. Pacers (2): Another week has passed, and the Pacers remain three games ahead of the Heat for first place in the East – the only race in the entire conference that matters.
4. Clippers (5): It’s been very impressive to see the Clippers motor along without Chris Paul, whom they should get back sometime within the next week.
5. Heat (3): The most telling thing about the Thunder’s destruction of the Heat in Miami last Wednesday? The Heat had their whole assortment of talent on the floor, and still couldn’t slow Oklahoma City minus Westbrook.
6. Trail Blazers (4): The team hurt the most by Oklahoma City’s blistering run without Westbrook in January was Portland, which missed an opportunity to get a leg up in the Northwest Division. Now the Blazers are three games back.
7. Rockets (14): Another up in the up-and-down season in Houston — the Rockets had a 3-0 week and gained ground on the injury-riddled Spurs.
8. Suns (12): With the Suns reportedly chasing Pau Gasol – and looking at other impact players to acquire in a trade for the expiring contract of Emeka Okafor – it’s clear Phoenix isn’t satisfied with being the surprise of the league for half a season.
9. Warriors (9): Even after their hot streak in early January, the Warriors still are just two games ahead of the ninth-place Mavericks, despite being 10 games over .500.
10. Raptors (11): Beating the Nets twice in January – including last Monday’s miraculous last-second win – has given the Raptors a four-game cushion in the East.
11. Spurs (8): With Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard and Manu Ginobili each sidelined for a few weeks with various injuries, it’s going to be hard for the Spurs to keep up their usual standard of excellence.
12. Mavericks (10): Dirk Nowitzki was a deserving All-Star, managing to keep a Mavericks team that doesn’t have a ton around him – especially with a slumping Monta Ellis – in the Western Conference playoff chase.
13. Nets (6): Tough 0-3 week for the Nets, who gave away a game to Toronto, didn’t show up against Oklahoma City and then lost another close one Saturday at Indiana.
14. Hawks (16): Even without Al Horford, the Hawks have managed to maintain the third spot in the East. It will be very impressive if they can manage to stay there the rest of the season.
15. Wizards (17): A huge win for the Wizards Saturday night over Oklahoma City gives them a chance to get over .500 for the first time in John Wall’s career – a staggering stat – Monday night against Portland.
16. Bulls (15): It appears the combination of Tom Thibodeau and Joakim Noah may be enough to keep Chicago in the playoffs in the miserable East even after Luol Deng was sent to Cleveland – which may be their most impressive accomplishment to date.
17. Knicks (20): The Knicks had a good week, beating the teams they were supposed to before losing to the Heat on Saturday night. Can they beat any of the tough teams (Portland, Denver, Oklahoma City) on the schedule this week?
18. Timberwolves (18): Minnesota finally got over .500 after failing to do so many times this season … only to immediately lose its next two games to fall back under the .500 mark.
19. Nuggets (13): The tough season in Denver continues with the news Nate Robinson will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, and the Nuggets are 5.5 games out of the last playoff spot.
20. Bobcats (23): Charlotte is still hanging onto the final playoff spot in the East, thanks in large part to the excellent play of Al Jefferson, who is averaging a double-double.
21. Pistons (25): It’s been a miserable stretch for the Pistons, but going 2-0 last week allowed Detroit to move within a half-game of Charlotte for the final playoff spot in the East.
22. Pelicans (24): It’s still hard to believe Anthony Davis wasn’t selected to the All-Star Game as a reserve, but the Pelicans star likely will be the injury replacement for Kobe Bryant.
23. Jazz (19): It’s pretty remarkable how much of an impact the two top rookie point guards – Utah’s Trey Burke and Philadelphia’s Michael Carter-Williams – have had on their respective teams.
24. Celtics (30): That Boston is losing – and losing a lot – while getting Rajon Rondo back on the floor is the perfect scenario for Celtics general manager Danny Ainge.
25. 76ers (22): Philadelphia is a respectable 14-22 when Carter-Williams plays, and 1-11 when he doesn’t.
26. Magic (29): In the remaining couple of weeks before the trade deadline, we’ll see if Orlando hangs onto its veteran players or if ships some out for additional assets.
27. Kings (26):Â The Kings have cooled considerably after a hot streak following the Rudy Gay trade, losing seven in a row to move into the bottom five in the league and position themselves well for a high draft pick.
28. Cavaliers (21): It’s an unholy mess in Cleveland, where things haven’t gotten any better since acquiring Deng. Perhaps the Cavs still can make the playoffs, but the future of everyone involved is up in the air right now.
29. Lakers (27): Finally looking to move Pau Gasol, according to reports, it seems the Lakers are embracing bottoming out and getting the best player they can in the loaded 2014 draft.
30. Bucks (29): After a brief respite, the Bucks are back in their rightful place at the bottom of these rankings. It’s all about Giannis Antetokounmpo and lottery ping-pong balls in Milwaukee.