Small Guards Will Bynum & Earl Boykins to Square Off

Small guards Will Bynum and Earl Boykins could square off when Pistons face Wizards
By Chris Iott
November 13, 2009, 8:30PM


Washington is the ninth NBA team for the 5-foot-5, 133-pound Earl Boykins, foreground, who's in his 11th year in the league.

AUBURN HILLS -- Detroit Pistons guard Will Bynum is small by NBA standards, but he is a physically gifted athlete who plays with a lot of heart.

Sounds a bit like Earl Boykins.

Bynum and Boykins likely will find themselves face to face on Saturday night when the Pistons play a road game against the Washington Wizards.

The Wizards signed Boykins, a former Eastern Michigan University star, this week after guards Javaris Crittenton, Mike James and Randy Foye sustained injuries. The Wizards will be the ninth NBA team for Boykins in his 11-year career.

Not bad for a guy who stands 5-foot-5 and weighs 133 pounds.

"It's a great tribute to what he's all about and what his heart is in regards to his love for the game," Pistons coach John Kuester said. "Earl has had a great career in the NBA."

Bynum is the smallest player in the Pistons rotation, but he is 7 inches taller than Boykins and outweighs him by 50 pounds. Still, there are some similarities.

Kuester called them "high-energy players," and both can be surprisingly elusive and explosive.

Both are capable of putting up big offensive numbers. Bynum scored 32 points -- including 26 in the fourth quarter -- in a win against Charlotte last season, and Boykins has scored 36 points in a game twice in his career.

"Earl is very strong, probably one of the strongest players in the league pound-for-pound," Kuester said. "They got somebody to come into the game that can change the complexion of it very quickly, because that's what Earl's all about offensively and defensively."

Boykins spent last season playing in Europe after seeing action in 36 games with Charlotte during the 2007-08 season. He has averaged 9.4 points and 3.4 assists per game and needs 96 points to reach 5,000 for his career.

Boykins said the Wizards offered him the right situation to make his return to the NBA.

"I wanted to be in a situation where I could help," he said. "I just didn't want to play anywhere. I've always been a player throughout my career where I want to play. I don't just want to be in the NBA.

"I had offers from teams, but I didn't feel they fit me. And when I got the offer here, I felt like it was a good situation."

Boykins expects his experience to pay dividends with his new team.

"The biggest thing I can bring is knowledge," he said. "It doesn't matter how much talent you have. Until you've been in this league, you don't understand how to win basketball games.

"With a lot of young guys, they definitely have talent. And hopefully, I can provide some leadership and give them some direction out there on the court and help them finish basketball games."

Wizards forward Caron Butler was impressed with Boykins after working with him in practice.

"It's funny seeing him out there, how small he is and all," Butler said, smiling. "But he's got a lot of heart."