As I write this, Kobe Bryant has 34 points in the half, leading to me to ask the question, "Andrew Who?" but after the day Lakers fans have had, they've earned as much good news as we can give them. Andrew Bynum as you should know, unless you spent the day spelunking, engaged in total emersion, or recovering from a horrific ice storm (hang in there, Boone County!), tore his MCL on Sunday and will miss eight to twelve weeks. But according to Rob Peterson of NBA.com, Bynum has elected to not have surgery on the tear, and will enter rehab in two weeks.
This is a pretty mature move by Bynum, recognizing the urgency of this season for the Lakers and not making his decision solely for his own career. It'll be interesting to track if Bynum is able to maintain his timeline. Last year, that didn't work out the way the Lakers wanted it to.
Last year, just like this year, Bynum turned to his own personal doctor over the notoriously questionable Lakers medical staff. He ended up missing every significant recovery deadline set before scrapping the season. The current estimate puts his return sometime between two weeks prior to the playoffs and two weeks into them. But unless Bynum improves his work ethic in regards to rehab, he's likely to miss them this year as well.
Our own Nate Jones remarked the same thing I thought after really looking at this injury though. How much does this change things? Is this not the same team that made the Finals last year before being largely embarrassed by a Celtics team that looks tremendously more vulnerable this season? And that team was without Trevor Ariza, who's a serious contributor for this squad. Even without Bynum, the Lakers are just fine.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-02-2009 @ 10:49PM
Martin said...
Kobe just broke the Madison Square Garden record with 61 points and Gasol had 31 points. Two players scoring a combined total of 92 points in a game is undoubtedly a Madison Square Garden record as well.
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2-02-2009 @ 11:07PM
Michael gifford said...
bynum has no fire for the game...Farmar pushed himself and came back from his injury early, because he wants to play and has fire in the belly for the game. He didn't reinjure himself and didn't come back tentative like bynum did when he returned...Bynum's commitment to both the game and the championship level of this team is lame...he needs to grow up, grow a pair, and decide if he wants to work like Kobe to be a champion or just cash a paycheck and count his blessings to have been drafted to the Lakers.
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2-03-2009 @ 12:23AM
se134 said...
You wrote:
This is a pretty mature move by Bynum, recognizing the urgency of this season for the Lakers and not making his decision solely for his own career.
I ask
Why would you write something so silly? It is in neither's interest that he jeopardize his career for a few months!
If a career goes for years, WHY?
HUH?
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2-03-2009 @ 11:25AM
Robert said...
How can he elect to not have a surgery on an injury that doesn't require surgery in the first place?
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2-03-2009 @ 12:12PM
golakes! said...
Thank god for the positive news, watch out Boston Senior Celtics or cLEVeland Lebrons.
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2-03-2009 @ 12:39PM
richcantwell109 said...
Isn't this the guy King Kobe didn't want? So go ahead,Lakers,trade him for Jason Kidd. Kobe better score 60 every freaking night, cause the paint will be wide open again. Ironic justice for Kobe and the Fakers.
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2-03-2009 @ 12:40PM
lagt2914 said...
what goes around comes around....you take a cheap shot at wallace and it comes back at you
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2-03-2009 @ 1:54PM
jmandsonspaint said...
He should be fine within 6 weeks. That will give him a month to get in game experience. If he does not make it back this year Mitch Kupcheck will be looking real bad. The gave Bynum a nice contract and he is out again. Is Andrew Bynum a Woosy? I like to think that the biggest woosy is Gred Oden but maybe not.
Andrew, prove me wrong and be back on the court by April 1st
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