Empty the Bench

I’ve been waiting to wake up to the following headline for over a month now: “Detroit Pistons Ink Will Bynum to Two-Year Extension.” Blessed with a fortuitious team option on Bynum of just over $825K for next season (one which they’ll surely exercise), perhaps that’s why the team has been loathe to move hastily, but it’s a move they absolutely should make before Bynum’s pricetag gets any higher.

A month or so stretch doth not make a career, but the 6-foot guard who entered the season as little more than an afterthought at the end of Detroit’s bench not only made the season-ending shutdown of Allen Iverson entirely palatable, but has by many accounts upstaged Rodney Stuckey, the team’s self-appointed point guard of the future.

That’s not to say Bynum is a better player than either of them–he’s not–but he’s been more effective than Iverson was at any point this season and the team’s most electric offensive presence over the past 13 games.

During this stretch, the second-year pro has averaged 14.1 points and 4.8 assists, which was capped off by a brilliant, game-saving effort on Sunday against the Charlotte Bobcats when he set a new franchise high for most points scored in a quarter (26) in finishing with 32 points, 7 assists, 4 boards, 1 steal, and a staggering 14-16 mark from the free-throw line. With Raja Bell out of the lineup, there was simply little to nothing the Bobcats’ weak perimeter defenders could do to stay in front of Bynum and keep him out of the lane.

Bynum’s low center of gravity and quickness off the high pick-and-roll has given many teams a fit, though. We saw it a few weeks ago when the Miami Heat’s usually defensively sound Mario Chalmers was repeatedly broken down by Bynum’s dribble… and we’ve seen it basically anytime this Chicago native has had extended action. His lack of size will always be somewhat of a liability in a league that’s gotten bigger at his position, but his elite speed helps make up for it.

At 26 years old, Bynum’s route to NBA relevancy has been a long one. He came into the league as an undrafted free agent back in ‘05, getting waived during the preseason by the Boston Celtics before latching on with the Golden State Warriors towards the end of the season after being named the D-League’s Rookie of the Year. He spent the next two years in Israel playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv, and finally made his way back to a NBA roster with Detroit–and he’s certainly made the most of the opportunity.

I don’t know that Bynum is or ever will be NBA-starter material, but unless the Pistons decide to pull the plug on The Stuckey Experiment, they don’t need him to be. With Iverson donezo and no other PG currently on the roster, though, they do need a backup and Bynum has proven, at least to me, that he’s the right man for the job next season and, perhaps, beyond.

Look around the rest of the league and you’ll see a majority of teams–even ones considered contenders–with a glaring hole at the backup PG position. When there’s an opportunity to square that role away, wise teams jump on it. That’s why Bynum’s stock continues to rise with each passing impact performance, and why the Joe Dumars would be wise to extend him to a modest number while he still has the chance to.

Will Bynum Photo Credit: Icon SMI