5 Current NBA Players Who Need to Rehabilitate Their Images

Going into last season, there were some NBA players who hadn't exactly been kind to their images in the past.  Last year, these men had an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and emerge from the close of the season as new men. 

One of these players was Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum (pictured), who had developed a reputation as an injury-prone big man who sometimes made selfish decisions.

Instead of working to improve, Bynum's image was possibly even more tarnished by season's end, as will be explained later.  To put it bluntly, the man needs to come back next season with a new lease on his career and for once, play each game as if it were his last.

That being said, let's dive right in.  Here are the five current NBA players who need to rehabilitate their image the most.

No. 5: Rashard Lewis

Back in 2007, Rashard Lewis was one of the biggest targets on the free agent market.  In nine years with the Seattle SuperSonics, he had developed a reputation as one of the league's top shooting threats. 

His skills with the ball behind the arc were enough for the Orlando Magic to offer him a six-year deal worth $118 million.

Yet, while seemingly productive, Lewis's tenure in Orlando was overall disappointing.  His pairing with Dwight Howard was still not enough to bring the Magic a championship despite one trip to the NBA Finals.  In each of his three-plus seasons with the team, his scoring numbers got progressively worse.

Last season, Magic GM Otis Smith chose to deal Lewis and the remainder of his contract to the Washington Wizards for Gilbert Arenas and his worse contract.  Wizards management hoped that Lewis would provide a solid veteran presence for young players like Andray Blatche and John Wall. 

Instead, injuries got the better of Lewis and he played in just 32 games, averaging a well-below average 11.4 points.

He has two years remaining on his contract and no team seems to want him.  Thus, it appears as though Lewis is stuck in DC for now.  If he really wants to silence his critics, he needs to be back from his injury 100 percent and come back ready to be a leader who can bring the Wizards out of the cellar.

No. 4: Andrew Bynum

As I mentioned in the introduction, Andrew Bynum is someone whose image needs a lot of attention.  Ever since being drafted in 2005, the seven-foot center has only played the full 82 games once and since the end of the 2007 season has never played in more than 65 games.

Some players just get hurt easily, so we can't really fault Bynum for that, but what can be blamed is how he has handled his injury history.  Two seasons ago, when the Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, Bynum had basically played the entire postseason with a torn meniscus. 

Instead of having surgery right after the Finals were over, he opted to go on a long vacation instead, saying that the surgery wasn't that serious and that "all was cool."  He eventually went under the knife at the end of July.

The bad part is that before he even had the surgery, doctors had told Bynum waiting to have the procedure done would cost him playing time at the start of the season.  While most players would have decided to have the surgery sooner rather than later, Bynum still decided to go on vacation.

As a result of his selfishness, Bynum did not make his season debut until December and the Lakers struggled at times throughout the year.  His image problems reached their boiling point in the Western Conference Semifinals against the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks.

With the Lakers trailing by 30 points in Game 4 and about to be swept, Bynum pulled off the ultimate bush league move and clotheslined Dallas guard J.J. Barea as he drove to the basket. 

He was immediately ejected and garnered attention for taking his jersey off before he even left the court.  As a result of these actions, Bynum was suspended for the first five games of next season and fined $25,000.

With Dwight Howard trade speculation brewing, Bynum really needs to step it up next year and prove that he can indeed be a valuable asset to the team.

No. 3: Gilbert Arenas

The past two years have been hard on Gilbert Arenas.  In December 2009, while playing for the Washington Wizards, he infamously got into a heated argument with then-teammate Javaris Crittenton over gambling debts owed. 

Instead of settling it rationally, the argument became so heated that both men drew guns on each other in the team locker room at the Verizon Center.

Sure enough, both men were suspended for the remainder of the season.  At the time, Arenas was averaging 22.6 points and 7.2 assists on the season.

He was reinstated prior to last season and appeared to be back on track, playing in 21 games (14 starts) for the Wizards and averaging 17.3 points to go with 5.6 assists.  Then, the man known as Agent Zero was traded to the Orlando Magic for Rashard Lewis and the house fell down.

In primarily a bench role in Orlando, Arenas looked like a shell of the player fans fell in love with back in 2002.  One of the league's best scorers and passers, Arenas averaged just eight points and 3.2 assists for the Magic.

Besides needing to rehab his image on the court, Arenas also needs to distance himself from the gun incident once and for all.  In the coming season, he needs to arrive at training camp ready to play and be a force in the Orlando lineup. 

The man is capable of doing so much, and to see all of his talent snuffed out after just one trade would be a crying shame.

No. 2: Greg Oden

In the 2007 NBA draft, the Portland Trail Blazers had the first overall pick.  Speculation brewed over who they would take first: Ohio State center Greg Oden, or Texas guard/forward Kevin Durant.  Team management opted to go with Oden and to date, it is slowly starting to look like one of the worst decisions in draft history.

While Durant has gone on to become one of the best players in the NBA, a multitude of injuries have limited Oden to appearing in just two actual NBA seasons.  Allow me to give a history of the Oden injury problems.

He missed the entire 2007-2008 season due to microfracture surgery on his right knee.

The following season, Oden played in just 61 games due to foot and knee injuries sustained during the season.  He wasn't any healthier the next year, playing in just 21 games before breaking his kneecap and missing the remainder of the season.

Last year, Oden did not play at all due to microfracture surgery on his left knee.

Simply put, to prove that he isn't just another Ralph Sampson, Oden needs to arrive at training camp in shape and healthy this year. 

Despite his shortcomings, he has shown flashes of talent as both a rebounder and a shot blocker.  He is still young at 23 years old, so there could still be time.

Otherwise, he is just another draft bust.

No. 1: LeBron James

Going into last season, LeBron James was easily the most hated man in the NBA.  After an epic free agency summer that saw him get offers from teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks, James held a nationally televised event to announce his "Decision."

Rather than go to teams that really needed him, he opted to sign a lucrative contract with the Miami Heat, who had already signed both Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

To make sense out of the deal, James went to a team where all of the pressure wouldn't immediately be on him if the squad underachieved.  As expected, the Heat made the NBA Finals and faced the Dallas Mavericks.  It was here that what James hoped to avoid ended up happening.

Over the final three games of the series, James was noticed not to be demanding the ball in clutch situations.  At a time where he should have been stepping up as a leader who could put the team on his back and carry them to victory, he simply stood in the corner and did nothing. 

Once Miami was defeated on its home court in the deciding game, people were left wondering why LeBron didn't get more involved.

In the post-game press conference, the arrogant James had some choice words for his critics.  Thus, not only was he someone who failed to come through for his team, but he was also pompous.

Simply put, as I mentioned in a previous article, next season is make or break for James.  He needs to become the leader he was in Cleveland and not bask in the shadow of his teammates Wade and Bosh. 

Even if Miami loses the NBA Finals again next season, it should at least be losing with James demanding the ball regularly.

Other than that, the only option is to win a title.  If that doesn't happen, then this could prove to be a free-agency blunder.