[LINK] Contra Costa Times
Will Bynum, the dynamic guard for the NBA Developmental League's Roanoke (Va.) Dazzle, had gotten a weekly call saying he was about to be called up to the NBA. Needless to say, those false alarms got old, which is why he was skeptical when he got the call Thursday night that the Warriors wanted to sign him.
"It came to the point where I had just stopped listening," Bynum, an undrafted rookie out of Georgia Tech via Arizona, said after Friday's light practice. "I was like, 'All right, yeah, whatever.' They were like, 'Naw, for real. You're leaving at 7:45 p.m.'"
Bynum -- who in 29 games with the Dazzle averaged 24 points, 6.7 assists and 1.66 steals in 37.7 minutes -- was signed to a 10-day contract to give the Warriors depth at point guard.
With starter Baron Davis battling injuries, the Warriors had considered signing an extra point guard to a 10-day contract. But they held off because there was always a chance Davis would play.
"We talked about it two, three times," Warriors coach Mike Montgomery said. "Do we need a guy on a 10-day? Who's it going to be? But with Baron down now for sure and not coming back, we just felt like this was a good time to do that."
After Davis, Derek Fisher is the only point guard on the roster. Next in line is small forward Mike Dunleavy. If they had any second thoughts, the Warriors' ball-handling issues against Minnesota's full-court pressure Thursday night confirmed their belief they needed an extra point guard.
Montgomery said it's possible Bynum could play as early as Sunday's game against Philadelphia, pending how he does in today's practice. A stocky 6-foot, 185 pounds, he's more of a scoring point guard, which assuredly scared some teams off. But Bynum can penetrate, a trait the Warriors lack without Davis, and push the ball up the court fluidly against pressure.
"I know he has the toughness and I'm pretty sure he has the quickness," Montgomery said. "I think you saw us (Thursday) night with pressure a little bit. I think he can just get it up the court because he's low to the ground. But there's a lot of stuff you're throwing at him."
Montgomery said the coaches and front office came up with four candidates, one of which was undrafted rookie point guard Aaron Miles, who started the season with the Warriors but was waived Jan. 5. But Chris Mullin, the team's executive vice president of basketball operations, chose Bynum. He said all it took to convince him was "one good look at Will."
And no one's happier than Bynum, who leads the D-League in scoring and is second in assists and minutes. He watched as player after player was called up, while all he got was false alarms.
"I'm more so like happy for the league," Bynum said. "I knew I would get my opportunity. I just wanted to be ready when my opportunity came.
"I'm of a stay here mind-set," he added. "I don't want to go back. If I have to I will. But I think this is where I belong. I know this is where I belong."
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