With star point guard Kyrie Irving in place, the Cleveland Cavaliers had the opportunity to use the top pick in the recent NBA Draft to nail down the center position with Nerlens Noel, or at least Cody Zeller or Alex Len to build a line-up around a possible return of LeBron James at the end of his Miami contract. Not only did they pass on a center then, but they passed on Kansas Center Jeff Withey with the 31st and 33rd pick. Now it appears they had a plan.
Yahoo Sports! reported on Tuesday the Cavs have offered him a 2-year deal worth $24 million. According to ESPN’s Value Added, Bynum was the second best center in basketball in 2012 before missing the entire 2013 season with an injury. Despite playing a shortened NBA season in 2012, Bynum’s 390.9 would have ranked third this year, behind Brook Lopez of the now powerhouse Brooklyn Nets and Al Jefferson, who was already signed by Charlotte after playing for Utah.
If they sign Bynum and he performs anywhere near that level, he will likely have much more value than any rookie they could have taken in the draft. The top rookie taken in the 2012 draft was Anthony Davis who was the 12th best center this year (if we consider him a center rather than a forward). The second player taken in the 2012 draft was Andre Drummond, who ranks No. 25 among centers when including Bynum’s 2012 season.
Waiting until now to get their center is risky. If Bynum leaves town and does not sign with Cleveland, or does not fully recover from his knee injury that prevented him from paying a single minute for the Philadelphia 76ers, the Cavaliers may regret not grabbing one of the very solid centers in this year’s draft.
The following table shows the top 25 centers based on Value Added (VA), and also shows their adjusted shooting percentage, and where they rank in assists and rebounds.
| RK | Top Centers | TS% | AST | REBR | VA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brook Lopez, BKN | 57% | 4.8 | 13.4 | 477.8 |
| 2 | Al Jefferson, UTAH | 52% | 10.2 | 16.3 | 399.8 |
| 3 | Andrew Bynum, LAL (2012) | 59% | 7.2 | 18.7 | 390.9 |
| 4 | Al Horford, ATL | 56% | 15.6 | 15.7 | 379.9 |
| 5 | Marc Gasol, MEM | 56% | 21.4 | 13.1 | 374.5 |
| 6 | LaMarcus Aldridge, POR | 53% | 10.6 | 14 | 372.6 |
| 7 | Dwight Howard, LAL | 57% | 7.4 | 19.1 | 360.7 |
| 8 | Greg Monroe, DET | 53% | 16.1 | 16.6 | 357.7 |
| 9 | Chris Bosh, MIA | 59% | 9.5 | 12.6 | 347.3 |
| 10 | David Lee, GS | 56% | 15.6 | 16.8 | 335.4 |
| 11 | DeMarcus Cousins, SAC (3rd year) | 52% | 12.1 | 18.7 | 328.3 |
| 12 | J.J. Hickson, POR | 59% | 8 | 20.7 | 315.8 |
| 13 | Anthony Davis, NO (PF, rookie) | 56% | 6.8 | 16.8 | 283.8 |
| 14 | Nikola Pekovic, MIN | 57% | 5.1 | 15.9 | 282.3 |
| 15 | Nikola Vucevic, ORL | 53% | 11.6 | 20.2 | 277 |
| 16 | Joakim Noah, CHI | 53% | 22.4 | 17.3 | 273.7 |
| 17 | Tyson Chandler, NY | 67% | 9.4 | 19 | 267.4 |
| 18 | Robin Lopez, NO | 57% | 6.5 | 12.9 | 267.2 |
| 19 | Andray Blatche, BKN | 55% | 8.7 | 15.8 | 264 |
| 20 | Kevin Garnett, BOS | 54% | 13.2 | 15.5 | 261 |
| 21 | Tiago Splitter, SA | 61% | 14.2 | 14.9 | 242 |
| 22 | Larry Sanders, MIL | 52% | 9.9 | 18.6 | 236.1 |
| 23 | Roy Hibbert, IND | 49% | 9.2 | 16.1 | 227.7 |
| 24 | JaVale McGee, DEN | 59% | 3.3 | 14.9 | 217.7 |
| 25 | Andre Drummond, DET (rookie) | 58% | 6 | 21.2 | 205.7 |
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