Andrew Bynum signs with Cavaliers

Considering the short stint, Bynum’s numbers certainly weren’t eye-popping. The 26-year-old scored just three points on 1-of-5 shooting while also grabbing three rebounds and handing out two assists. However, he did make a nice impact on the defensive end, providing some rim protection with two blocked shots.

After the game, Bynum admitted to Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer that while his offense needed quite a bit of work, he was pleased with his defensive effort:

Brown went on to say that once Bynum gets that medical clearance from the doctors, a decision will be made on whether he should play right away. The Cavs have been very cautious in their handling of Bynum, who hasn’t played since the 2011-12 season due to a plethora of knee problems.

Considering the precaution that has been taken already, Bynum likely won’t return to the court until he and the doctors are absolutely sure he’s 100 percent healthy. There’s no reason for him to push things in order to be ready for the start of the year. What matters is that he’s good to go as the season goes on.

Bynum hasn’t played since the 2011-12 season due to recurring knee problems, however, there are positive signs that he’ll be ready to return to game action in the near future. The big man participated in three-on-three half-court scrimmages at Cavs practice on Wednesday, and he should be good to go for full contact five-on-five scrimmages sometime in the next week.

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Cleveland signed Bynum to a two-year, $24.8 million deal in July, but only $6 million of that is guaranteed due to his injury issues. While Bynum has been working hard with the Cavs’ training staff as he continues to rehab from a pair of knee surgeries in March, the team smartly won’t rush him back to the court after everything that he has gone through.

Bynum had a series of setbacks with his knees last year, which forced him to miss the entire 2012-13 season. Whenever the 25-year-old is ready to return to the court, the Cavs want him to be as healthy as he can be to give him the best shot of staying on the court for a possible playoff run. If that means missing camp, the preseason and even some regular season games, then so be it.

Brown says that won’t happen if Bynum comes to training camp healthy and in shape, though.

While Bynum being healthy is obviously a huge question mark, the Cavs have options either way. And if the big man is able to stay on the court, Cleveland has quite the formidable frontcourt rotation.

Bynum cited the support from doctors and the training staff as an important factor in the next phase of his recovery. The buzz phrase for the presser appeared to be “the opportunity to succeed”:

There is still definitely some work to do for the talented young center. After so much time away from the floor and the focus on recovery, Bynum admitted he is roughly 25 pounds over his optimal playing weight heading into the summer. He hasn’t engaged in weight-bearing exercises, but he said he still expects to be ready for training camp. He also declared that his goal is play a full season for the Cavaliers:

The Cleveland Cavaliers emerged as the winners of the Andrew Bynum sweepstakes, securing the oft-injured center with a two-year, $24 million contract that only guarantees $6 million in the first year and includes a team option for the second. For Bynum to get the full $12 million in the first year, he has to meet a number of performance and health benchmarks.

This is obviously one of the more unique contracts you’ll ever see a player sign. It’s also one that says a lot about the state of both the Cavaliers and the other franchises in the league.

For those that don’t remember -- or want to cringe while re-remembering -- here are the major developments over the past year involving the talented center.

May 22, 2012: Bynum is asked about his upcoming free agency and future plans after the Lakers lose 4-1 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs. He doesn’t sound too optimistic about it.

Most free agent moves in the NBA have some obvious downside, a risk of a contract going upside-down or at the very least some opportunity cost. You’d think a deal for a center coming off of a season in which he never suited up due to a knee injury would be one of those contracts. You’re paying someone for which there is no guarantee he will play much and a real chance he won’t play at all.

It’s not okay if Bynum doesn’t play in 2013-14. But it’s okay that risk exists, because the Cavaliers are giving up basically nothing. The deal is worth $24 million over two years, but only $6 million in Year 1 is guaranteed. The other $6 million in 2013-14 is based on performance benchmarks, and the entire second year is a team option. If Bynum struggles to get healthy enough to get on the court, the cost is $6 million. Oh well. If Bynum does play, history tells us he’ll play really well. If healthy, he’s worth the $12 million ... easily. If not healthy, that $6 million lost isn’t going to devastate the Cavaliers’ bottom line.

The contract is reportedly for two years and $24 million, but isn’t without a catch. Only $6 million is guaranteed in the first year and the second season is a team option, according to reports.

While he could play as a small forward, Bennett might be more natural at the power forward position at this point, and his ability to pull defenses out of the paint with his shooting could help Bynum do some damage inside.

Bynum was offered a two-year deal worth $12 million per season, but only half of the first season is guaranteed. The second year is a team option with apparently fewer benchmark constraints.

Bynum played 60 of the 66 games during the 2011-12 lockout season but before that had not played more than 65 games in a regular season since ‘06-‘07. That’s mostly to do with his multiple knee issues. But the risk could be very well worth the reward. Just 25 years old and coming off a full year of rest, Bynum averaged 18.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game with the Lakers two years ago.

But more important than teammates for Bynum is his potential future in the league. After making nearly $17 million this past year, Bynum had been hoping to be a max-level player, or close, this offseason. Knee issues obviously prevent any team from taking a risk that large on him, but his hope is to prove in the next year that he’s worthy of one of those deals. It’s not clear what the Mavs and Hawks are offering, but the Cavs have apparently put a two-year, $24 million contract on the table, with a team option for a second year. That could hamper his ability to get paid next offseason if he’s as good as promised without offering him stability if he can’t play, but it’s expected all three teams are offering heavily incentive-laden deals.

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The Cavs want Bynum to sign a two-year, $24-million offer, with a team option on the second year, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski. That contract would be a win-win for the Cavs: if he’s not ready to go, they pay him $12 million at a time that they already have the free cap space to pay him and then they’re done with him. If he’s as good as he’s been in the past, however, they get the ability to bring back a potential max player at a discount price.

The 25-year-old Bynum made nearly $17 million this past season.

Cleveland owns about $15 million in cap space and could offer Bynum one of the biggest annual contracts, but the Cavs wouldn’t want to give the center more than a one-year deal. That would give them time to evaluate him while keeping their flexibility for the 2014 offseason and its impressive list of free agents.

While the Cavs aren’t completely sold on signing Bynum, Stein reports that the willingness by the center to take a one-year contract would be key in Cleveland moving forward with an offer.

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With Dwight Howard eliminating the Dallas Mavericks relatively early in his topsy-turvy free agency process, Mark Cuban’s squad is still looking to make a splash on the free agency market. That splash could be Andrew Bynum, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein. Bynum was the second-most prominent player in the trade that had previously sent Howard to Los Angeles, although he ended up never playing a game for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Dallas has already used some of the cap room that would have gone to Howard, signing Jose Calderon to a four-year, $28 million deal and giving them a talented veteran point guard for at least a few years. Now, they’re turning to potential pick-and-roll partners, and with Howard off the market, Bynum could very well be the best big available.

Bynum’s agent, David Lee, did not make it clear which other teams expressed interest in his client.

MacMahon reports that the Mavs would likely include contractual language that protects them financially should Bynum struggled with knee issues.