SH Blog: Knicks, Pacers Look To Game 6; Phil Jackson Won’t Return For Sacramento; The Bynum Dilemma

• The Philadelphia 76ers have put themselves in quite the dilemma this offseason, and it all “centers” around Andrew Bynum: “Bynum can become a free agent this summer, and option number one for the Sixers is to re-sign him and make him their franchise cornerstone for years to come. They can, after all, offer him the most money and the longest-term deal, making them the immediate favorites to win any bidding war that might take place with other teams looking to add a player who is, when healthy, one of the best centers in the NBA. The problem with option number one, of course, is that there is a danger inherent in counting on Bynum to get healthy and earn a max contract. He appeared in 60 of 66 games for the Lakers two seasons ago and posted career-best numbers of 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. The Sixers believed that if Bynum could give them anything close to those numbers they would be sitting pretty with a shiny new playoff berth at the end of the season. Instead, what the Sixers got what a full load of the problems the Lakers had with Bynum since drafting him in 2005. As good as he was when he was healthy, improving steadily every year and showing the ability to take anyone in the low post, he simply wasn’t healthy enough to become a reliable force for them.”

• From Derek Page of HOOPSWORLD, likely No. 1 overall pick in this June’s NBA draft, Nerlens Noel, is rehabbing from a torn ACL faster than anticipated: “The freshman out of Kentucky suffered a torn left anterior cruciate ligament this past February, but believes he is ahead of schedule in the recovery process. In the midst of a sea of reporters Thursday, Noel said that he hopes to be ready to go for the upcoming season this November. Realistically Noel said the injury, which generally takes up to a year to cover from, could sideline him until around Christmas or even the beginning of 2014. Despite the possibility of starting the season in street clothes from the bench, Noel has a solid chance of going number one overall in the 2013 NBA Draft.”

• Shabazz Muhammad: “Expected to be one of the top picks of the 2013 NBA Draft, Muhammad’s stock likely rose after his performance Thursday – both on and off the court. Generally players touted around the league as top picks forgo participating in organized workouts at the combine, but not Muhammad. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard out of UCLA turned heads by not only participating in combine athletic drills, but wowing those in attendance. Muhammad shot the ball well and showed off the scoring acumen that has him projected as one of the top picks in the upcoming draft. Not only did Muhammad wow with his skills on the court, but also with his handling of the barrage of media questions off of it. Muhammad answered questions about his age and the issues surrounding his eligibility to start his freshman season. Instead of bobbing and weaving, Muhammad broached these issues head on and in the process put to rest many of those lingering questions.”

• Ben McLemore: “Believed by most to be one of the best pure shooters in the draft this June, McLemore wasn’t fazed by comparisons to arguably the best shooter in NBA history. McLemore told reporters that his game is a “great comparison” to Ray Allen’s but he believes he’s the more athletic player at this point of Allen’s career. Generally, prospects shy away from accepting a lofty comparison like that, but apparently not McLemore. The shooting guard out of Kansas didn’t participate in drills Wednesday, but is projected by many to be a top-three pick this June.”

• Trey Burke: “One of the most debated players in terms of draft stock heading into the summer has been former Michigan point guard Trey Burke. Arguably the best point guard prospect entering the combine, Burke has been projected to go in the top-10 of the 2013 NBA Draft but some teams are wary of the point guard’s miniscule body type. However, according to Burke, the possibility of a team in need of a point guard winning the draft lottery could make him the top pick. Burke told reporters Wednesday that he could see himself being the number one overall pick depending on how the ping pong balls fall. The New Orleans Hornets and Sacramento Kings are two teams that appear to be leaning toward taking a point guard early in the first round.”

• And while Kevin Durant had plenty of positives to take out of this season despite an early exit from the playoffs, the boss, Chris Sheridan, believes Oklahoma City’s decision to trade James Harden will haunt them for years to come: “In training camp this season, the Thunder told Harden they were willing to give him $56 million over four years — and not a penny more. Harden, knowing that No. 3 draft picks who pan out and win major awards should be rewarded with max money, said no. Days later, he was $26 million richer when the Houston Rockets acquired him for free-agent-to-be Kevin Martin, the rights to Toronto’s top-3 protected 2013 pick, plus assorted flotsam.

And now look where the Thunder are — back in Tornado Alley watching the rest of the playoffs on TV after losing four straight to the Memphis Grizzlies.

• More from Sheridan: “Presti made the Harden trade because he wanted to save money under the cap to be able to sign Serge Ibaka to a long-term deal this summer. If the Thunder had maxed out Harden, they’d lose Ibaka. But the flaw in that strategic planning was that Presti didn’t have to make that move prior to the season. Yes, he would have been at risk of losing Harden for nothing in free agency — but he also would have had a season to consider whether keeping Ibaka happy was more important than keeping Harden happy. By making the decision prematurely, he artificially inflated Ibaka’s value (which was quite low on the value scale when the Thunder needed Ibaka to be more of a scorer in the playoffs after Westbrook’s injury) while also removing from the roster the one player who was capable of replacing Westbrook as the primary ballhandler, distributor and secondary offensive weapon.”