Pacers sign Andrew Bynum for the rest of the season

Andrew Bynum, who had his best years with the Los Angeles Lakers, vows to do everything he can to help his new team. AP

INDIANAPOLIS — The Eastern Conference’s top team just got more imposing.

On Saturday, the Pacers added size and scoring punch to their roster by signing mercurial free agent center Andrew Bynum for the rest of the season. Team officials did not release additional details about the contract and said Bynum was expected to join the team sometime next week.

”We are obviously happy to have him join our team,” Larry Bird said in a statement issued by the team less than 12 hours before Indiana hosted Brooklyn on Saturday night.

”He gives us added size, he is a skilled big man and he has championship experience. With the minutes he gets, he should be a valuable addition.”

Adding a guy with Bynum’s mercurial reputation to a locker room as selfless as the Pacers is definitely a gamble, though likely a low-risk one since Bird, the Pacers president of basketball operations, has made it clear the Pacers would not pay the NBA’s luxury tax and Indiana had an open spot on its roster.