Will Bynum

[Kruza]

Re: Will Bynum

I have to say that I like how Will Bynum has been progressing this season when it comes to running high pick & roll plays. He's been making good decisions on whether to shoot or to pass the basketball. He's even showcased a decent Tony Parker-esque floater over the last few games.

If only this Pistons team had more big men who can catch drop-off passes in traffic and finish, Bynum would be even more deadly in high P&Rs. McDyess, Amir and Kwame all have a bad habit of fumbling/mishandling the ball on the catch, and Sheed just prefers to stay out and drift near the arc instead of cutting to the basket. Ony Maxiell has been able to consistently do this for our slashing point guards.

Kruza

[DC]

Re: Will Bynum

Yea Will always hits Maxiell for the oops.

[AlexBrady]

Re: Will Bynum

Kamla has no clue. He knows numbers but he doesnt know basketball.

[youvalss]

Re: Will Bynum

Especially for you, DC!

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[DC]

Re: Will Bynum

The Other Better Bynum
April 9, 2009 · 3 Comments

Back in December of 2007 I observed that Andrew Bynum - who was much maligned by Kobe Byrant and others during the summer of 2007 - had improved tremendously in 2007-08 (relative to what we saw from Bynum’s first two seasons). In fact, per-minute Andrew Bynum was offering - in a sample of just 17 games — more than Kobe (an observation that led to much anger from Kobe’s fans).

After this post Bynum only appeared in 18 more games in 2007-08. And this year an injury has again caused him to miss a significant number of games. So although Bynum has been above average on a per-minute basis, his inability to stay on the court obviously diminishes his value. Tonight, though, he’s supposed to return to action. And so a post on the wonder that is Andrew Bynum seems appropriate.

But while Bynum has been sitting another Bynum - Will Bynum of the Detroit Pistons - has emerged. And like Andrew in 2007-08, Will Bynum in 2008-09 is offering a level of production that surpasses (if only slightly) a future Hall-of-Fame player. Consequently I want to devote this post to the Other Bynum.

Before we get to the Will Bynum story, let me briefly note the end of the Iverson era in Detroit. Last November the Pistons sent Chauncey Billups to the Denver Nuggets for Allen Iverson. At the time of this trade I noted that this trade would probably make the Nuggets better and the Pistons worse.

With Iverson now injured for the remainder of the season, Iverson’s career in Detroit is now over (assuming the Pistons will not re-sign Iverson). And now that we have reached the end I think it’s clear the outcome - as the following posts indicated - conformed to expectations.

Aging Billups and Telling Stories

The Billups Trade As It Was, As It Is Imagined, and As It Can Be

What Might Have Been in Denver

Really the Answer is Iverson

Iverson played his last game with the Pistons on April 1st. Four days later Will Bynum offered a performance that might remind people of Iverson at his best. Against the Charlotte Bobcats - with a playoff position on the line - Bynum came off the bench and posted the following numbers: 32 points, 60% field goal percentage, 88% free throw percentage (and 16 free throw attempts), 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and only 1 turnover.

After such a performance I wondered how Bynum (who stands 6ft. tall) compares to Iverson (who also stands 6ft tall). Let’s start with the Iverson story, as told by Wins Produced and WP48 [Wins Produced per 48 minutes].

* Iverson’s Career prior to 2008-09: 59.7 Wins Produced, 0.083 WP48
* Iverson in Detroit: 2.3 Wins Produced, 0.056 WP48

And here is what Bynum has done this season: 1.3 Wins Produced, 0.085 WP48.

As one can see, Bynum - in 715 minutes - is offering more than Iverson (on a per-minute basis) this season. And Bynum’s per-minute numbers this season are similar to what Iverson did per-minute for his career (prior to arriving in Detroit).

If we look at the individual stats - reported in Table One — we can see the similarities between Bynum and The Answer.

Table One: The Guards of the Detroit Pistons in 2008-09

Like Iverson, Bynum is below average with respect to shooting efficiency (although not as far below as Iverson), rebounds, and turnovers. And like Iverson, he’s above average with respect to steals, as well as shot attempts and points (although not as far above as Iverson). Differences can be seen with respect to free throw attempts (Iverson is better), personal fouls (Iverson is better), and assists (Bynum is better). Overall, though, both players are quite similar and if there is an edge, it goes to Bynum. The edge, though, is not that great. So essentially, all of this tells us that the Pistons with Bynum coming off the bench are probably about as good as they would be with Iverson coming off the bench. And Bynum is very unlikely to complain.

Unfortunately, eliminating the complaining is not really the issue. As Table One indicates, neither Bynum nor Iverson are as productive as Billups. And the same story is told when we look at the other guards for the Pistons. Richard Hamilton, Rodney Stuckey, and Arron Afflalo - like Bynum and Iverson - are below average. As a consequence, the Pistons in 2008-09 - whether Iverson complains or Bynum is happy — are simply not as good as they were in 2007-08.

The good news - as I have noted before (and I think many others have observed) - is that Iverson’s contract is coming off the books. This means the Pistons have some serious salary cap space this summer and a very productive player - at least theoretically - could be added to this roster. Consequently - and again, this is just the plan - the Pistons could once again be contenders in 2009-10.

When that happens, will Bynum be part of the rotation? The Pistons have the option of bringing back Bynum next season. And one might think — since Bynum is only in his second season — that there is substantial room for improvement. Bynum, though, is already 26 years of age, so substantial improvement may not be possible. Still - like Iverson - he is close to average as a guard. And I think he has demonstrated he can score off the bench. So if the Pistons do not keep Bynum, some other NBA team should be willing to employ his services.

In fact, if Iverson refuses to come off the bench for another NBA team, Bynum might be the perfect alternative to the Answer. Plus, Bynum is both younger and cheaper. Hence, it seems very likely that the Other Bynum may very well be the Answer for someone in 2009-10.

http://dberri.wordpress.com/2009/04/09/the-other-better-bynum/

[Muzyk23]

Re: Will Bynum

Tony Delk once scored 51 points

[DC]

Re: Will Bynum

[DC]

Re: Will Bynum

I found PIECE of the article

http://www.k1x.com/basketball/in-the-press-cover-love-for-will-bynum/

Hold CTRL on your keyboard and roll your mouse ball UP so you can see the words

[DC]

Re: Will Bynum

PDF of artcile - http://bouncemagazine.epubxpress.com...B1250779200169

[DC]

Re: Will Bynum

http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/pointguard_090918.html

Bynum's late-season explosion gives Pistons depth behind Stuckey
1-2 Punch
by Keith Langlois

Editor's note: Pistons.com today continues a six-part series that will examine the Pistons by position, including the bench. Today's Part IV: point guard.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - The Pistons entered last season with the most enviable point guard situation in the NBA. In fact, it was a luxury that Joe Dumars decided represented the best means within his reach to transform the Pistons from one era to the next.

Chauncey Billups facilitated that transformation by being the bait Dumars used to reel in Allen Iverson and his expiring contract, the vehicle that enabled the Pistons to ultimately sign free agents Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. Gordon, at 26, and Villanueva, at 25, are on career paths that figure to remain in ascendancy for the life of the five-year contracts they agreed to when free agency opened on July 1.

What Dumars wanted with the cap space was to add at least two young pieces to the foundation, to go along with Rodney Stuckey, 23, as players with room to grow together in much the way team that posted seven straight 50-win seasons and went to six straight conference finals - streaks that were snapped last season - came together.

Stuckey enters training camp as the incumbent point guard, but Will Bynum was pushing him for minutes down the stretch of last season. So convinced are the Pistons of Bynum's legitimacy, they'll go into training camp with only two point guards on the roster even though they remain one below the NBA roster limit of 15.

Stuckey, the No. 15 pick in the 2007 draft, missed the first third of his rookie season with a hand injury and benefited from sitting behind Billups and Hamilton on a title-contending team. He sneaked up on the NBA and exploded during the playoffs, filling in for an injured Billups to lead a second-round series win over Orlando and performing at a high level against eventual NBA champion Boston in the conference finals.

The security blanket was ripped away two games into his second season when Billups was dealt to Denver. They continued to bring him off the bench for another month, then thrust him into the starting lineup while the Pistons were still sorting out how best to use Iverson and Hamilton. Michael Curry was in his ear constantly to be more assertive, but it was a tough balancing act for a young player surrounded by veterans on either side accustomed to being Option A.

After going off for 40 and 38 points twice in a six-game span, Stuckey went into a mid-season tailspin when he often appeared paralyzed by indecision and confusion. When the Pistons reached their nadir during an eight-game February losing streak, Stuckey averaged less than eight points, shooting .388 for the month. When Iverson got sidelined with a back injury, Stuckey's performance picked up immediately, though he didn't quite come back to the level he'd played at earlier in the season. He finished with averages of 13.4 points and 4.9 assists a game, shooting .439 with an assists-to-turnover ratio of almost exactly 2:1. Those aren't bad numbers, but they're numbers the Pistons know Stuckey can better given more stability around him.

"What was tough on him last year was having Rip and Allen and how to get those guys shots," assistant coach Pat Sullivan said. "Those are two totally different kinds of players. He had a hard time with that last year. This year, it's going to be totally different, especially with (new coach John Kuester) being a former point guard and being here. That's going to be huge for Stuck in terms of having somebody night in and night out to help him.

"Rodney showed last year he's got a tremendous ability to score. He's got strength, quickness, he can post up - you're just looking for the consistency. He's got the potential to be a big-time scorer, he can see the floor and he's a solid defender with strength and quickness."

Stuckey is probably the Pistons' fastest player and, at 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, he's got a size edge on most point guards. While he's not yet an effective 3-point shooter (.295 on 78 attempts last season), the Pistons believe that's something that will come sooner rather than later.

Becoming a more consistent jump shooter, inside the arc or beyond, is a critical next step in Stuckey's development. If he can start knocking down the open 18-footers his strength and quickness are sure to create for him, he can become a dynamic point guard. If he struggles to hit that shot consistently, the door opens a little wider for Bynum to make point guard a job-sharing position.

The Pistons are banking on the fact that Stuckey will be more comfortable in a leadership role without the Iverson-Hamilton drama and with a team that suddenly sports an average age of 25, and that comfort level will lead to a more self-assured player.

"It was difficult for a second-year guy with an older, veteran team," Pistons vice president Scott Perry said. "I'm sure he would tell you he learned a lot of valuable lessons last year. He had some tough stretches, but he grew a lot and if you go back in the history of this game and talk about rookie, second-year point guards, they all had their tough nights to get where they were consistent players at that position."

Bynum, listed at 6-foot-0 but probably a good 2 inches shorter, was signed after an impressive 2008 Summer League showing, following two seasons in Israel, to be the No. 3 point guard with an emphasis on providing tempo-changing, harassing defense. But Bynum had always been an explosive scorer, dating to his days as a Chicago schoolboy phenom, and it was his basket that propelled Georgia Tech to a 2004 Final Four semifinal win over Oklahoma State.

The Pistons love Bynum's fearlessness, his passion for playing and his uncanny knack for not just getting to the rim but finishing against much bigger defenders.

"He's heard all of his career, 'You're too small, you can't do it,' " Sullivan said. "He's got such a mental toughness and professionalism about him that I admire. There was game after game where he wouldn't get in last year, then we'd put him in and he's an instant creator. He puts so much pressure on the defense. He's always in attack mode. His teammates love that about him."

Bynum probably won't ever be a deep shooting threat, but he showed last year he can stick the mid-range jumper often enough to enhance his ability to blow by defenders on the drive. Is there a next step to Bynum's development?

"Just having an overall consistency to his game," Perry said. "Continue to improve on his ability to knock the open jump shot down. People know it's hard to keep him in front. He's strong enough, quick enough, athletic enough to get around you and get to the rim. The more people scout him, the more they're going to try to take that away and force him to shoot the jump shot. But he's a guy I know is spending hours in the gym and working on that, because he wants to take away anything that somebody's going to perceive as a weakness in his game."

Bynum didn't leave the bench for 25 of the Pistons' first 55 games, averaging 3.5 points and 8.6 minutes when he did play. Over the final 25 games, he averaged 12 points in 21 minutes a game. His signature moment came in the fourth quarter of a game with heavy playoff implications on April 5, when Bynum all but eliminated Charlotte from the race with a franchise-record 26-point quarter in a 32-point performance.

If injury were to sideline either Stuckey or Bynum for any length of time, the Pistons would likely reconsider their decision to not add another point guard to the roster. Ben Gordon, who has played the position frequently over his first five seasons in Chicago, gives them cover at the position and could get spot minutes there on a consistent basis if Kuester decides to go with a Gordon-Rip Hamilton backcourt to exploit certain matchups.

[youvalss]

Re: Will Bynum

I hope for a better Bynum. Hopefully, he made all of his mistakes in Europe, so now, after one NBA season, he's more responsible and experienced. He had lots of nice plays in Europe, but he also ruined games by himself.

[DC]

Re: Will Bynum

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[Tre74]

Re: Will Bynum

CHI TOWNS FINEST!!!

[DC]

Re: Will Bynum

3 ESPN folks have him down for MIP - http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/s...ctions0910-MIP

[stewaat]

Re: Will Bynum

That was the most unimpressive highlight reel I think I've ever seen.