Andrew Bynum: Star Center's Arrival Makes 76ers Scary Team in East

The Philadelphia 76ers were fortunate to sneak into the four-team deal that sent Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers, Andre Iguodala to the Denver Nuggets and Andrew Bynum to the Sixers.

Bynum's arrival ensures that the Sixers will be in the upper echelon of Eastern Conference teams next season. Of course, they still aren't going to be able to compete with the Miami Heat, but every other team in the conference should be on the lookout for the boys from Philly.

Philadelphia was devoid of a formidable offensive big man last season. Elton Brand was solid, but his 11 points and 7.1 rebounds per night were not enough to take the team to the next level.

Even in the absence of an offensive presence in the paint, the Sixers were able to obtain the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, beat the top-seeded Chicago Bulls and push the Boston Celtics to the brink in the Conference semifinals.

Kevin Garnett manhandled Sixers big men in that series. Brand looked terrible against KG, Spencer Hawes looked straight-up frightened and Lavoy Allen didn't do much better.

Now that Bynum has come to down, the team's interior issues won't be a problem.

Bynum is more of an offensive big man than anything else. Although he has proved that he can step up on the defensive end and protect the hoop, the Sixers traded Iguodala for Bynum's offense, not his shot-blocking ability.

Philadelphia averaged 93.6 points per game last season, which amounted to just 22nd in the league. For all the offensive options that were at Doug Collins' disposal, the team did a poor job of scoring in most instances.

Bynum, obviously, will change that drastically.

With the exception of the Bulls' Joakim Noah, the New York Knicks' Tyson Chandler and the Indiana Pacers' Roy Hibbert, there isn't a seven-footer in the Eastern Conference that is capable of neutralizing Bynum to some extent.

Even if Bynum is neutralized by opposing big men in key games, the attention paid to him will open up so much room on the perimeter for his teammates.

Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Nick Young and even Jason Richardson are going to have a field day from the three-point line while opposing defenses key in on Bynum down low.

The only concern is Bynum's predisposition to injury. Last season was just the second time in his career that he played nearly the full schedule.

It is unknown whether his knees will hold up for the duration of his time in Philadelphia, but the Sixers are going to give the entire Eastern Conference problems if they do.