The Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers have been preparing to go head-to-head in the Eastern Conference playoffs later this season. The Pacers gave the Heat a real run for their money as Miami struggled against the size of Indiana's roster. The result was offseason signing of Michael Beasley and Greg Oden. Now Indiana has one-upped the defending champs by signing Andrew Bynum. LeBron James did not blink twice.
Despite the recent struggles of the Heat, it is still assumed the race for the East will be between the Heat and Pacers making every personnel move important. The Pacers signed Bynum over the weekend with the goal of giving Miami even more problems with size. The center sat on the free agent market for a month after being traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers as Miami made no attempts to pursue him. James is not concerned he never joined the roster.
"We didn't have much of a reaction at all," James said, via ProBasketballTalk.com. "We talked about it [Saturday] morning - guys said they'd seen it and that's it. We didn't have a conversation about it."
Many wondered if the Pacers signed Bynum simply to keep him off the Heat's roster. Bynum certainly fits the style of the Pacers. He has size that can defend the perimeter while ending pick and rolls and being a solid rotational player. Larry Bird denied the notion that the Pacers have no intentions of actually using Bynum. He called the Miami Heat rumors "the dumbest thing I've ever heard. We don't have money like that."
Bynum was considered the best available player currently sitting on the market. However, perceived locker room issues and lack of effort caused him to go unsigned following his departure from Cleveland. Paul George is not buying into the idea that signing Bynum guarantees a championship, but he is curious as to what the center will bring to the team.
"You can't pass up on a huge talent like that and I expect him to be able to help us if he comes in with an attitude to buy into our program," George said, via The Indianapolis Star. "But with him, it's 'ifs' because he's been through so many programs in the early stage (of his career). Whether he wants to stay committed to us is ... a big gamble on our behalf."
No one on the Miami Heat appears to be concerned with having to go up against another big man with the Pacers. Head coach Erik Spoelstra notes the team is satisfied with developing players like Beasley and Oden and will remained focused on that rather than other team's roster moves.
"I don't know what their perspective is," Spoelstra said, when I asked him for his thoughts on the signing. "We're just focused on us right now. I'm sure out there it makes for compelling storylines. He fits their style in terms of being big and physical in the paint, but from our standpoint that doesn't affect us."