By Candace Buckner

candace.buckner@indystar.com

ATLANTA – Before the Philadelphia and Cleveland washouts, new Indiana Pacers center Andrew Bynum was an All-Star with the Los Angeles Lakers. Working with him during the 2011-12 season was Darvin Ham, now an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks.

"He has talent through the roof," Ham said Tuesday. "It's unfortunate that he's gone through the issues that he's gone through with his body, but I'm happy. I was happy to see someone went in and went ahead put themselves out there for his services. In the right environment, not saying anywhere else was a wrong environment, but when he's locked in, he's locked in.

During the pregame moments inside Philips Arena, Ham recalled his short time with the center, dispelling some of the baggage that Bynum has carried.

"I really spent a lot of one-on-one time with him, been in group settings with him," Ham said. "He's really not a disruptive guy. He just wants to be left alone and left alone to play the game, plain and simple."

Ham also described Bynum as "an intelligent guy," who's into Formula One racing and creating radical workout regiments.

"He has these ideas about some new ways of training. Some stuff he threw at me," Ham said. "We had an opportunity to talk this summer and he just blew me away, man, just the level on which he thinks."

And what were these new training techniques? Ham has been sworn to secrecy.

"It is a ninja workout that few have seen," Ham said with a smile, "and no one has conquered. I'll put it like that. And he was one of the best pupils at it, and he totally embraced it."

Pritchard on Bynum, other matters

After a three-hour dinner, the Pacers brass felt assured in adding Bynumto the roster.

Pacers General Manager Kevin Pritchard revealed this detail during a Tuesday morning interview with ESPN radio host Colin Cowherd.

Pritchard said that during the Friday night dinner – which included team president Larry Bird and coach Frank Vogel — Bynum made quite the pitch to join the Eastern Conference-leading Pacers.

"He made it perfectly clear," Pritchard said during the radio interview. "He was like, 'Look, I want to win a championship, I think I can really help you, and I want to fit in. I'm not coming here to let everybody fit in with me. I got to fit in with everybody else.'

"When he said that I think the thing changed."

Other highlights of the interview included …

>> Pritchard on how Bynum fits with the Pacers: "I think all the cards sort of stacked up in our favor and we're going to take the chance."

>> On possibly upgrading the point guard spot before trade deadline: "We feel great about George Hill. … For us George Hill fits us perfectly because he's a great catch-and-shoot player and he gets us in our offense, and Lance (Stephenson) and Paul (George) are such good playmakers."

>> On ever winning an argument with Larry Bird: "Never. Are you kidding? … It's not like I don't try."

>> More on Bird: "You put him and Pop (San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich) in the same room, it would be hilarious. If we could get that MMA action, it would be terrific."

"I think he likes the fact as an organization you could go in and tell him exactly how you feel (and) he's not going to judge that. He may say 'you're wrong,' but he wants to hear what you actually feel and that's what's pretty important here."

All Bynum, all the time

Bynum was listed on the inactive list Tuesday night, and he was not in Atlanta. However, Vogel said that Bynum will return to Indianapolis Thursday or Friday. Bynum should will likely be on the sideline — in street clothes — on Friday night when the Pacers play the Portland Trail Blazers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Call Star reporter Candace Buckner at (317) 444-6121.