All this Roy Hibbert drama may not ever have seen the light of day had the Indiana Pacers' insurance policy come through.
Indiana Pacers to sign Andrew Bynum?
The insurance policy named Andrew Bynum.
USA TODAY Sports reported Wednesday that the Pacers announced that the 26-year-old center with chronic knee problems not only will miss the remainder of the NBA playoffs but also no longer will be on the team.
"We want to thank Andrew and our medical staff for trying to get the issues with his knee resolved," said Larry Bird, the Pacers President of Basketball Operations. "We wish him the best in the future."
Bynum, who was an All-Star with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011-12, has seen his career deteriorate because of serious injuries to both knees and an attitude problem that seems to have taken on a life of its own.
Cavaliers sending problem child Andrew Bynum to the Bulls
And despite Bird's comments about Bynum's knees being the issue in Indiana, there is the obvious question of whether the injured knees were an excuse for Bynum's attitude wearing out yet another welcome with an NBA franchise.
He signed with the Pacers on Feb. 1 after the Cleveland Cavaliers traded him to the Chicago Bulls for Luol Deng and the Bulls abruptly cut him for cap considerations.
He played 26 games this season with the Cavaliers before being dismissed in December for disciplinary reasons. He told the Indianapolis Star the Cavaliers kicked him off the team because he took a half-court shot during a practice session, he took a shot from half-court. Bynum said he also questioned a call by an assistant coach during a scrimmage and called him a "horrible referee."
"Those are the two things I did," Bynum told The Star in February. "I did them on purpose because it was over there for me."
He played two games with the Pacers before going on the inactive list on March 21 - some seven weeks after the Pacers signed him.
Bynum's agent, David Lee, did not return phone messages from The Star seeking comment on Bynum's release. Bynum's brother, Corey Thomas told The Star he did not have "insight" as to why Bynum wasn't with the Pacers anymore.
All of which adds to the mystery of whether Bynum's knees or head led to his exit from the Pacers.
A healthy Bynum - physically or mentally or both - would have provided a huge lift to the Pacers off the bench, especially in the wake of Hibbert's major struggles since the start of April. Bynum averaged 18.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks for the Lakers in 2011-12, his All-Star season. He played in 60 games, averaging 35.7 minutes.
Bynum left for the Philadelphia 76ers after that season in the trade that brought Dwight Howard to the Lakers. Bynum had microfracture surgery on both knees and never played for the Sixers.
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