Does Andrew Bynum Deserve the Max?
Well “deserve” is a tricky word. It’s a relative word. Nobody can unequivocally prove that Bynum deserves anything - if he gets paid now, it’ll be mostly based on potential - if not skill, then potential to stay healthy. Now how does one put a monetary value on potential?
Not all potential is created equal. For example, if you’re 6′6″ athlete that has basic fundamental basketball skills, you’ll probably have to fight your way to make it on a college team. If you’re 7-foot with fundamental skills, you’d be an NBA all-star.
True, centers are important. Not because they’re more talented than anybody else. Simply because it’s hard to find 7-foot quality athletes who can play the game. We’re talking about .001% of the population. That’s a small pool of candidates. Bynum is part of that small minority of human beings, and he’s a member of the even more exclusive club of being 7 feet and being able to run, jump, pivot, and generally do things that other 7-footers cannot do. Moreover, among the 7-foot athletes, Bynum has shown that he actually has some talent for this game and worked on his skills. In the world of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. In the world of the bumbling, inept giants, a 7-footer who can demonstrate some basic skills is master of his domain. That makes him a rare commodity, no matter his track record.
One can’t compare Bynum to the average basketball player, guards and forwards. There’s plenty of great athletes who had to fight, claw and tooth, their way to success. There’s less separation in talent and skill. Kobe Bryant is the greatest basketball player on the planet, but the difference between him and a second-tier shooting guard like Joe Johnson is not the same difference between Tim Duncan and Andres Biedrins. So, yes, the game, both basketball and financial, is different for big men, such as the Lakers’ signing of Kwame Brown based on almost purely potential, and guys like Jerome James, who only had to play his heart out for a few games to earn a ridiculous contract.
So, does Bynum deserve the max? Relative to the entire league, the way things generally work, no. Considering the special considerations, most importantly his being a center, the money game is a little different. In a hypothetical scenario, if Greg Oden, who has yet to play an official game, were eligible for free agency this past summer, how many teams do you think would have cleared some cap space to offer him a contract, despite his being 20 years old, coming off an season-ending injury, and having no NBA experience? He doesn’t deserve much, but I’m guess several teams would have positioned themselves to offer big contracts.
Likewise, Bynum doesn’t deserve the max, but there’s no question some teams would offer him just that and make him their franchise player and prayer. Luckily, the Lakers can wait this season out before offering Bynum anything, and Bynum can take this year to make a compelling case that he “deserves” the max.