“Bynum sucks” is what the Philadelphia 76ers fans chanted as Cleveland Cavaliers’ Andrew Bynum entered the game at Wells Fargo Center Friday night.
This was Bynum’s first return to Philadelphia since he missed an entire season with recurring knee injuries last year while on the 76ers roster. He was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“You definitely feel for him. You can’t help it,” said 76ers Evan Turner. “Obviously, he wants to play the game he loves [at his previous All-Star level], but right now it’s not possible. He’s a smart guy and a lot more can come from him, but you just feel bad for his bad luck a little bit, in a certain sense.
“And then how people react to him and stuff. It’s not like this guy wants to get hurt. You know how hard it is to be hurt and then have to come back and do all that crazy [rehab]? That stuff’s not any fun. You’re always rehabbing. It’s hard to even do anything and not play. You know what I’m saying? That sucks.”
The 7-foot Bynum was booed continuously by the crowd of 15,219 after checking into the game in the first quarter. But said the fans didn’t effect him.
“I was kind of smiling the entire time,” Bynum said. “It was funny to me. What more can I say about it? I thought it was a little weak, honestly. I thought it was going to be much worse, and it wasn’t.”
The 76ers won the game 94-79.
