In the game against the hapless Chicago Bulls, Andrew Bynum finally had his first good game in two years.

The Chicago Bulls were missing their superstar Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler, but their frontcourt was intact, anchored on Joakim Noah. Noah is one of the best defensive centers in the NBA, but you couldn’t tell from this game.

In 28 minutes, Andrew Bynum recorded a statline of 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks, 4 of them on Noah.

From the video, it can be noted that Bynum is still not quick on his feet and can hardly elevate. But that was enough for him to do his damage. If he gets position and space, he can make his own shots from half-spins and hooks.

While Noah is one of the more mobile centers in the game, he wasn’t able to do damage on Bynum. Perhaps part of this is being overconfident. Knowing that Bynum is injured and hasn’t played competently for almost two years, Noah took him lightly, and Bynum made him pay.

Cleveland took a big risk with Bynum. The last team to do that was the Philadelphia 76ers, who traded draft picks and their best player, Andre Igoudala to acquire Bynum. Bynum never played a game for the Sixers, and when he reached free agent status, no one would pick him up. The Sixers didn’t even negotiate, and it’s probably a big factor for the franchise’s decision to tank this year.

The the Cleveland Cavaliers saw the opportunity to sign up the second best center in the NBA (in his prime with the Lakers). However, they needed to have some precautionary conditions:

Andrew Bynum contract: $12.25M this year; $6M guaranteed. Becomes full if not waived by Jan. 7. $12.54M in 14-15 if not waived by July 10

— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) July 22, 2013

A smart move by the Cavs, since it’s risky to invest so much money on Bynum if he ends up on the sideline.
It’s too soon for the Cavs to think they won this gamble, but this is a sign of hope.
The Cavaliers are placing themselves in contention, and they can actually achieve that. If Bynum plays consistently (or simply ‘plays’) with Kyrie Irving and a young core, they could achieve the “insert Lebron James= NBA champion status” that was their goal.