Will Bynum Thread (07/18/21: Big 3: Nate Robinson vs. Will Bynum:)

[DCAllAfrican]

Thrill shook the hell out of Dooling tonight

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Add VC to that list too

 

[DCAllAfrican]

[h1]Pistons Pick Up Team Option For Bynum[/h1]Afteremerging as a legitimate scoring threat off the bench for the Pistons this season, guard Will Bynum had his team option for next season picked up on Wednesday.
Detroit president of basketball operations Joe Dumars announced the decision, according to the Associated Press.

Bynum averaged 7.2 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 57 games for the Pistons this season.

RealGM Note: Bynum was 258th in the NBA in terms of FIC this season, with an FIC40 of 12.2. His 'Reina Value' was +180%.

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

 

[DCAllAfrican]

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.

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

 

[starburyptgod]

Will and Ben in the backcourt during crunchtime

 

[skip0011]

Originally Posted by StarburyPtGod

Will and Ben in the backcourt during crunchtime

that's a pretty explosive 1-2 punch.

fancy seeing you in this thread starbury...

 

[strictlyhainan]

Will the Thrill. Saw him pin some guy stuff near top of the backboard. He can't be taller than 5'9 .....Dope handle. Luther Head was a sick handle too.Too bad he doesn't get to show that off in games...

 

[DCAllAfrican]

[h1]1-on-1 With Will Bynum[/h1]
Posted Apr 13, 2009 6:00AM By Matt Watson (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Pistons, Interviews, NBA Press Box, FanHouse Exclusive

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It's been a season of surprises for the Pistons -- and most of them haven't been pleasant. The decision to trade Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson blew up in everyone's face, and a team once marked by consistency was thrown into a constant state of flux as players both struggled to stay healthy and adjust to unfamiliar roles.

Things have finally calmed down over the last few weeks, in part because Will Bynum, a forgotten role player for much of the season, burst onto the scene to provide scoring off the bench and a steady presence in the fourth quarter -- ironically, the role the Iverson was too proud to embrace before shutting it down for the year.http://

Bynum gained some national attention when he scored an incredible 26 points in a single quarter last week, breaking a team record first set by Isiah Thomas a couple of decades earlier, but for the most part he's still living in obscurity.

I penned his introduction to the casual fan last week, but here are the Cliffs Notes: Bynum, an undrafted former NBDL Rookie of the Year generously listed at 6-foot-0, has been underestimated his entire career. He got a taste of the NBA life with a 15-game cup of coffee in his first year as a pro in 2005, but from there his career took him halfway around the world, playing two years for Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Bynum earned a roster spot with the Pistons after an impressive summer league showing in July but spent most of this season as a complete afterthought, earning a prominent role in the rotation only after injuries ravaged the rest of the backcourt. In the last 15 games, though, he's averaging nearly 15 points in 24 minutes a night. In fact, the late surge has made him the most efficient player on the roster; his 18.1 PER leads the team.

I spent several minutes chatting with Bynum in Detroit's locker room before the Pistons hosted the Nets this past weekend; the Pistons eventually won that game, clinching a spot in the playoffs. Bynum, naturally, scored a game-high 20 points.

Matt Watson: I know a lot of players say they don't pay attention to the media or read newspapers, but you've had about a dozen articles written about you in the last week. Have you noticed that?

Will Bynum: No, I don't really look at it. Kind of from being over in Israel, I actually just stopped really reading the paper. I hear from my mom and some people in my family, but I just try not to because I just want to stay consistent with what I'm doing.

Matt Watson: It's kind of funny because after games it seems the media congregates around whoever had the hot game - it seems like they're always at your locker these days. Is that a strange feeling to be trying to get dressed and you look around and see everybody?

Will Bynum: I don't think - it's nothing. I just try to stay with my rituals. Stay consistent with that and everything else will fall in place.

Matt Watson: I don't know if you remember, but I talked to you out in Las Vegas during the summer league, and I swear, you had the same - like you're saying, consistent - you had the same calm demeanor the entire time. Back then you were fighting for a contract; now you're setting records. Have you always been like that? Is that something that you developed because of the path that you've taken?

Will Bynum: Yeah, I think it's something that I've developed. I think when I was first coming out of college, I wasn't this calm. [When] I was coming out, I was more emotional. But I think I learned to do that - and that's what they say, experience is supposed to teach you and make you a better person. I think my experiences have done that.

Matt Watson: Last summer you were fighting for a roster spot and a contract; now this summer, is there going to be talk of an extension? Have you thought about that at all? I mean, the team option is a given.

Will Bynum: Nah, I mean, I don't even think about it. It's not something that I control. Right now it's a situation that I can't control, so I just worry about the things that I can control, and that's me out here on the court and my family and things of that nature. But I just try not to think about it and leave it in God's hands.

Matt Watson: This season has been such an up-and-down season all along. What's stood out? It's your first full season - you haven't even played 82 games for your career - in your first full season, what's stuck out as the most surprising moment? What was your "welcome to the NBA" moment?

Will Bynum: [Pause.] When Chauncey got traded. When Chauncey got traded it was kind of crazy for me. I mean, not really crazy, but for it to be Allen, one of the players that I looked up to my whole life - and to be on the same team with him was just crazy.

And once I got to practicing against him, it was like, "You know? I'm good!" [Laughing] I've been watching this guy, looked up to this guy my whole career, and to be on the same team with him and playing against him - it's not a word that I can tell you that can explain how I felt.

And just to keep doing it, I was more and more confident, I was gaining more and more confidence as we practiced, as we played, just from being around him. It's kind of crazy, but that's how it was, that's exactly how it went. After that, I just never turned back. I tried to learn as much as I could from him, and I never turned back. I felt like playing against anybody else would be - it's still going to be difficult -- but I felt like it was easier because I got over the thing of playing against Allen. It just helped me out.

Matt Watson: It's funny the way it worked out, because last year it was Stuckey playing behind Chauncey and they're kind of similar builds and stuff like that, and you were playing behind Allen, one of the top small men to ever play the game. It couldn't have worked out any better for you.

Will Bynum: Yeah, I mean, it's crazy how things work out. The people who are close to me, people who call me from back home, used to be like, "Can you believe you're playing with Allen?" when he first got here. They'll be calling, "I can't believe you're playing with Allen!" It was crazy, man. Crazy. It's like looking up to Michael Jackson or somebody and next thing you know you're in a group with him. It's crazy. So this has been good for me. I've just been taking it one day at a time, one step at a time.

Matt Watson: As the more you've been playing - I don't know if you've noticed, but you've got a lot more highlights on YouTube.

Will Bynum: [Laughter]

Matt Watson: There's some sick ones of you over in Israel ...

Will Bynum: Yeah.

http://www.youtube.com/v/m_H6l-NrVSk&hl=en&fs=1http://www.youtube.com/v/m_H6l-NrVSk&hl=en&fs=1http://www.youtube.com/v/m_H6l-NrVSk&hl=en&fs=1http://www.youtube.com/v/m_H6l-NrVSk&hl=en&fs=1

Matt Watson: So, you and Nate Robinson, you can take him, right?

Will Bynum: [color= rgb(204, 0, 51)]I've been knowing Nate since high school. We've been knowing each other, we've been best friends since high school, so it's never been a competition thing with us. Everybody else always [thinks that] - I mean always, it's been going on for years, since we were in college. Nate is about three or four inches smaller than me. We're both good, so I don't think it's a comparison.[/color]

Matt Watson: I mean, what about a dunk contest, you and him?

Will Bynum: He, actually, he got some dunks that I can't do and I got some dunks that he can't do. So it just depends on what you like.

Matt Watson: That's your politically correct answer? [Laughing]

Will Bynum: It's the truth. We had a dunk contest at Nike camp going into my senior year of college. Yeah, we had a dunk contest. I don't know, Ronny Turiaf taped it, he recorded it. ... A lot of people said I won, a lot of people said he won. It was pretty good, though. Everybody was watching.

Matt Watson: Someone's got to get that on YouTube.


*****

At this point our conversation essentially comes to an end; Kwame Brown, never one to pass on a chance to give a teammate a hard time (especially when a teammate is trying to give an interview) interrupts as he enters the locker room.

Kwame Brown: I did an interview about you yesterday. It was on the radio. I said, "Man, forget Will. He won't buy me a turkey club in his room, and I take him to ... all kinds of restaurants, him and all his boys, and he can't buy me a turkey club?"

Will Bynum: [Laughing] You said that on the radio?

Kwame Brown: I said I wanted the world to know he changed! He's got a big head since he scored all these points! Yep, that's what I said.

Will Bynum: [Laughing] What's wrong with you, man?

Kwame Brown: I had a smile on my face while I was doing it.

Matt Watson: You can't see a smile on the radio.

Kwame Brown: They were talking, "How did you and Will become such good friends?" I said, "Wait a minute, who started that rumor?" I said, "I want the world to know right now, he is not my friend."

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

My man Will

 

[lesfamilia]

Originally Posted by dreClark

My man Will

 

[DCAllAfrican]

 

[ill since 92]

@ DC being the only one really posting in this thread.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

 

[starburyptgod]

15 pts in 19 min vs. the Heat

 

[Retroballer]

Just got him on my NT Mock Team

 

[DCAllAfrican]

[h3]Will Bynum needs playing time[/h3]
With Rodney Stuckey, Richard Hamilton and Ben Gordon needing minutes in the backcourt, Bynum appeared to be the odd man out.

But he scored (15 points on 5-of-7 shooting) and passed efficiently (just two assists, but he distributed better than that) last night.

If he was a first-round pick, and Rodney Stuckey was undrafted, I think Bynum would be starting.

http://www.pistonpowered....istons-preseason-opener/

 

[DCAllAfrican]

[h2]09-10 Predictions: Most Improved[/h2]
Comment Email Print ESPN.com

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty ImagesIs this the year Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum finally lives up to his enormous potential?
[h2]Click below to see our projected 2009-10 NBA award picks[/h2]Rookie of the Year | Most Improved | Sixth Man | Coach of the Year | Defensive POY | MVP
[h4]MOST IMPROVED PLAYER OF THE YEAR[/h4]

Anthony Morrow Marc Stein ESPN.com​	Will Bynum J.A. Adande ESPN.com​	Andrew Bynum John Hollinger ESPN.com​	Roy Hibbert Chris Sheridan ESPN.com​	Greg Oden Chad Ford ESPN.com​
A. Randolph Chris Broussard ESPN.com​	Andrew Bynum Jon Barry ESPN​	Courtney Lee Scoop Jackson ESPN.com Page 2​	Lou Williams Jemele Hill ESPN.com Page 2​	Andrew Bynum Eric Neel ESPN The Mag​
Greg Oden Henry Abbott TrueHoop​	Rudy Fernandez David Thorpe Scouts Inc.​	Andrea Bargnani LZ Granderson ESPN The Mag​	Will Bynum Kevin Arnovitz TrueHoop​	Andrew Bynum Chris Palmer ESPN The Mag​
Brandon Rush Maurice Brooks ESPN.com​	Shawn Marion Dr. Jack Ramsay ESPN Radio​	Ramon Sessions Jalen Rose ESPN​	Thaddeus Young Royce Webb ESPN.com​	Aaron Brooks Andrew Ayres ESPN.com​
Results: Andrew Bynum, Lakers (4 votes); Will Bynum, Pistons (2); Greg Oden, Trail Blazers (2); Andrea Bargnani, Raptors (1); Aaron Brooks, Rockets (1); Rudy Fernandez, Blazers (1); Roy Hibbert, Pacers (1); Courtney Lee, Nets (1); Shawn Marion, Mavs (1); Anthony Morrow, Warriors (1); Anthony Randolph (1); Brandon Rush, Pacers (1); Ramon Sessions, Timberwolves (1); Lou Williams, Sixers (1); Thaddeus Young, Sixers (1).

 

[DCAllAfrican]

 

[roscoe p wallace]

GET READY! 09-10 = Will The Thrill earns his startin spot.

 

[jville819]

Was it just me or was dude getting mad love tonight on SC. I'm supposed to be studying so I wasn't totally paying attention but I felt like SVP wasmentioning him a lot

 

[swendro]

20 points tonight.

 

[kidoopz]

I was looking hard for this thread... Dude was busting orlando..

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Will Bynum and the Pistons Make a Statement

November 4, 2009 10:54 AM

By Henry Abbott

The defending Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic lost last night for the first time since the beginning of preseason, and it's not all that shocking.

Even though they were on the road, they outplayed the Pistons when their superstar, Dwight Howard, was in the game. But he was severely limited by foul trouble and then a shoulder injury.

But it's worth considering the Pistons' role. They have now officially started to make a little noise.

"Will Bynum -- a player no one in the NBA could find work for two years -- now joins Rodney Stuckey in a Pistons' lineup that caused a lot of trouble for the Orlando Magic. (Allen EinsteinNBAE/Getty Images)

A team whose success has long hinged on Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace had none of those players last night. Billups is a Nugget, Wallace a Celtic, and Hamilton and Prince were both out injured. What's more, the replacements Pistons executive Joe Dumars has brought in have been are all players other NBA teams have passed over -- Ben Gordon couldn't get the money he wanted from Chicago, Ben Wallace is three years into being considered washed up, and the Bucks didn't make an offer to Charlie Villanueva when he was a free agent. Even their coach, John Kuester, only got the job after Avery Johnson reportedly turned down an offer.

Lacking household names, last night the Pistons became the first team in NBA history to start a Swede -- giving the starting nod to rookie Jonas Jerebko, who was once best known for getting stat sheets and popcorn for Joe Dumars.

But they didn't beat the Magic just by chance. A lineup of shooters and ball-handlers all over the floor created space in the lane -- and Piston guards got to the rim again and again, putting the pressure on Howard that resulted in fouls and a lot of contact. (After the game, Howard complained about how hard opponents have been colliding with him recently.)

If the Pistons prove to be good, then the NBA teams that passed over all of their personnel will have been proven at least a little bit wrong.

The player who epitomizes the new Pistons -- the one every team could have had and who Pistons fans cheered loudest for last night -- is point guard Will Bynum. Undrafted in 2006, Bynum played for the Roanoke Dazzle before having a cup of coffee with the Warriors. Eventually he found a home playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv.

He joined the Pistons' summer league team slightly more than a year ago, and has been a Piston ever since.

Now Bynum joins Rodney Stuckey and Ben Gordon in the kind of lineup (shooters, passers and drivers all over the place) that a stat expert says can do a lot of damage.

For Detroit's front office, it's a tale of a front office finding merit in players other teams reject. For players like Will Bynum, it's proof that useful NBA players don't just come from the draft and trades.

 

[crazy dav0]

good to c him doing well ... stuckey hasn't impressed me outside of his first year coming off the bench ... hmmm