The Los Angeles Lakers started their training camp in fine tune with Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant finally playing in full force after being hampered with injuries these past two seasons.

However, the need to have a solid big man in the middle has been evident through the first week of training camp, prompting several hardcore purple-and-gold fans to flirt with the idea of bringing back former Lakers big man Andrew Bynum.

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Bynum, who last saw action in the league as a member of the Indiana Pacers, is still available in the market as an unrestricted free agent. The 7-foot Bynum averaged 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game in his last full season with the Lakers three seasons ago.

Unfortunately for him, his career took a sharp dip since he was shipped to the Philadelphia 76ers in the colossal but now futile four-team trade that also sent stars Dwight Howard to the Lakers and Andre Iguodala to the Denver Nuggets.

Bynum never played a single game with the Sixers because of his bothersome knee injury. There were also reports that the big man never wanted to play for the City of Brotherly Love in the first place, and sitting out the rest of the season while getting paid was the only way for him to make an exit.

In the summer of 2013, the Cleveland Cavaliers made a gamble by signing the center to an incentive-laden two-year deal. The Cavs hoped Bynum would recapture his status as one of the best offensive centers in the NBA, but injuries and bad locker room behavior prompted the management to get rid of him half-way into the season as they traded him to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Luol Deng.

Bynum played two games with the Pacers and still averaged 11.5 points & 9.5 rebounds before he was waived once again. This offseason, Bynum attempted to try out for two teams, the Los Angeles Clippers and the New York Knicks, although his preference remains to play for the Lakers.

Despite his nagging knee injuries and bad behavior, there are many reasons why the Lakers should gamble on Bynum, who will just turn 27 this October.

According to some analysts, acquiring Bynum via a non-guaranteed deal won’t be much of a loss for the Lakers, if their gamble eventually doesn’t pay off. However, there’s also the possibility Bynum would turn into the solid big man the Lakers direly need this season.

TagsAndrew Bynum, Lakers rumors, NBA news, Lakers nation