TV20 Sports Report
By: Andre’ Price, intern
Andrew Bynum is gone! Late Monday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls agreed on a deal that sent Bynum packing for two-time All-Star Luol Deng. The Bulls will receive Bynum along with three future draft picks and major savings in their salary cap.
As a die-hard Cleveland sports fan, I can honestly say that our future is looking bright. The green fog that has suffocated our beloved city this fall has been lifted. With another disappointing Browns’ season and what looked to be an unsuccessful Cavs season on the brink, Cavaliers’ General Manager, Chris Grant saved the day.
“We have worked to acquire and maintain flexibility in order to capitalize on opportunities such as this,” Grant says, “Luol reflects all that we are striving for in building our team. He’s a tremendous defensive player that can impact the game on both ends of the court with a team-first mentality and is a high character leader.” (Per Brian Windhorst, ESPN.com)
With Deng in the lineup, the Cavs are looking to make a late run at the 2013-14 playoffs. Statistics show that Deng can have an immediate impact on the team’s production night in and night out. The 9 year veteran is averaging 19 points, 3.7 assists, and 6.9 rebounds in his 23 games played this season. Not only can he bring scoring and defense to the organization, he can bring leadership, experience, and most importantly, a breath of fresh air. I like this move by the Cavs. Our small forward position was arguably the worst in the NBA. Deng averages almost more in every category alone than Alonzo Gee, Earl Clark, and Anthony Bennett combined!
In all, this deal seemed like a win-win for everybody involved. The Cavs fill the void at the 3 position. Bynum, who was waived by the Bulls the same day, now reportedly has eight teams interested in snatching up the big man for the latter half of the season. The future of the Chicago Bulls is looking probable. After losing their franchise player Derrick Rose to another season-ending knee injury, the Bulls needed something to look forward too. Via the Bynum-Deng trade, Chicago receives a future first round draft pick (only if it fails outside the top 12 in 2014 or the top 10 in the next three drafts), a second round pick in 2015 and 2016, and the ability to switch draft positions with Cleveland if their pick is after the 14th selection. Not to mention, this move saves the Bulls organization more than $20 million and place them under the luxury tax threshold.
