VITALS: 7-0, 285, St. Joseph's HS (Metuchen, New Jersey) OVERVIEW: Bynum averaged 22 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks as a senior. In the McDonald's High School All-American Game, the 17-year-old tallied nine points and five rebounds in 11 minutes. Bynum originally committed to Connecticut before entering the NBA draft. LIKELY DRAFT POSITION: Bynum says he is confident about being a lottery pick, and it's hard to imagine he would stay in the draft if he didn't have an idea he would go at least in the top 20. New York, picking eighth, is a team that obviously needs a center, but Isiah Thomas might not be able to wait for Bynum to develop into an NBA player. COMPARATIVE UPSIDE: Brendan Haywood COMPARATIVE DOWNSIDE: Michael Olowokandi ROLE PROJECTION: Backup center. POSITIVES: Bynum has a soft touch around the basket and can even step out to about 14 feet and hit jump shots. He has lost a lot of weight over the past year and is getting closer to the type of condition he needs to be in. He is one of the very few players to come into the draft in recent years with legitimate center height and weight. He has some agility for a man his size, but this too must improve. SHORTCOMINGS: Although Bynum blocked some shots in high school, he doesn't appear to have the quickness to drop off his man and challenge drivers to the basket. Conditioning work at the NBA level takes a serious, long-lasting commitment, and he will have to prove that he will do what it takes to remain in condition to play.
Word that he was 7-1+with shoes,7-6 wingspan sent him up,perhaps to #10. Teams that may have considered Petro or Martynas as a C project should see Bynam as a bit closer and with a little better probable talent. Just finding a guy his size who plays hard is not easy.
