The biggest free agent signing of the Cleveland Cavaliers this offseason, center Andrew Bynum, is still not ready to return to the hardcourt and will miss the entire preseason, according to FOX Sports Ohio.
The Cavs training camp will open on October 1st, and sources within the team say that the injured Bynum is 'nowhere near ready" to play. The same sources indicate the center may try to play for the Cavs for the season opener versus the Brooklyn Nets on October 30.
The Cavs signed the oft-injured Bynum last July to a two-year, $24 million contract. The deal is only guaranteed for $6 million, with the second year a team option. Bynum never played a single minute for the Philadelphia 76ers last year, where he was traded as part of a multi-player deal involving now Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard and now Golden State Warrior Andre Iguoadala. He underwent knee surgery to repair bone bruises and a damage cartilage last year.
The Cavs are hoping that Bynum will become healthy and eventually regain the form that made him the second-best center in basketball. Playing for the Lakers in the 2011-12 season, Bynum averaged 18.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 60 games. The seven-footer, when healthy, can be a potent inside presence for the Cavs that is headlined by All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving.
While Bynum's talents have never been questioned, his health and dedication to the game have long been under fire. In November of last year, he made headlines when he admitted that he hurt his left knee after bowling.
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