EL SEGUNDO , Calif. -- Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson indicated Monday the team doesn't expect injured center Andrew Bynum to make a serious contribution any time soon. Andrew Bynum Bynum When asked after practice if there was a risk of messing up team chemistry by playing 7-footers Bynum and Pau Gasol at the same time, Jackson replied: "I think without a doubt that Andrew would come off the bench and we would play him a little bit off the bench if there was any chance that he could come back and play again, but it's such a remote thing. We're not seriously thinking about it." Gasol had 36 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists in the Lakers' 128-114 victory over Denver on Sunday in Game 1 of their first round playoff series. The 20-year-old Bynum averaged 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots before injuring his left knee Jan. 13. He hasn't been cleared for practice, nor has forward Trevor Ariza, who hasn't played since breaking his right foot Jan. 20. Ariza averaged 6.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 24 games after being acquired from Orlando on Nov. 20. Jackson said Ronny Turiaf was sent home Monday because of a sore throat, but he hoped the backup forward/center would be available Wednesday night in Game 2 of the Lakers' first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets. And reserve center DJ Mbenga was hospitalized after a collision in a 2-on-2 game following practice. Team spokesman John Black said a CT scan showed Mbenga had bruised ribs on his right side and was listed as day-to-day. In Denver, Nuggets coach George Karl said Monday there was a "good chance" he would make a lineup change in Game 2. "We talked about some lineup changes before yesterday," Karl said. "We decided to go with the guys that got us to the dance. There is a good chance there will be a change." Reserve Linas Kleiza scored a career playoff high 23 points in nearly 38 minutes, and fellow backup J.R. Smith added 15 points in almost 23 minutes in Game 1. Karl also said he was "really disappointed" with his team's defensive effort in the opener. "I don't think we matched their playoff intensity and defensively, we got shocked by the high-low game of Gasol and [Lamar] Odom," Karl said. "We generally froze up in a big game, the first game of a series. I don't think we performed at a level we are capable of performing." Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin said he believes his team can make the necessary adjustments. "We didn't do a real good job helping one another," Martin said. "It wasn't just a particular matchup. Most teams that win championships play defense. We want to be one of those teams." Teammate Marcus Camby agreed, saying: "Defense is a whole lot more important now. Defense is something we talked about all season long. We're not that bad a defensive team as it is being made out to be." Camby, the NBA's defensive player of the year last season, had only four points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots along with a team-high four turnovers in Game 1. He sat out the entire fourth quarter. "I'm not frustrated with it," Camby said. "The guys that were in there were playing hard. I have to be ready to go on Wednesday.
Like I've been saying since the injury fuckin' happened, his season is over. They're not going to rush him back, we don't need him right now. / For once though, I agree with Brian, this fuckin' medical staff fucked this one up. Remember when they mis-diagnosed Karl Malone's knee injury? This is starting to look very familiar..
Malone also openly bashed the Laker's medical staff and said he never trusted them to begin with. I'm not saying it's completely our staff's fault that we continue to get injured, but when it seems like every single one of our injuries takes longer to heal than at first expected, it really starts to raise some eyebrows. Anyways, Bynum update. It says he's feeling less pain <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>After Lakers practice Monday, he said he was "feeling less pain." Afterward he got his knee wrapped by his personal trainer, Sean Zarzana, not one of the many members of the Lakers' deep training staff. Then, as reporters were cleared out of the practice gym, Bynum and Zarzana went to work out in what Bynum called the "first test" of his knee.</div> http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008...ge=Bynum-080422 So it seems like Bynum went out and got his own trainer to work with instead of relying on the Laker's training staff. I have no idea what the "first test" means, or what this update means at all, but it seems like this is positive news, right? Anyone find it strange how we never seem to get the whole gist of what's going on here? One day, we hear a negative report, then the very next day, we get a positive report, then the next day negative, then positive and so on...
Maybe if we reach the West finals... he could play... thats almost a month from now... he'll have healed by then! 10ppg 5rpg 2bpg from andrew would be extraordinary!
I don't foresee him touching the court again in a live game until October when the preseason starts. I don't think we need him to win it all this year and it'd be stupid to put his future on the line when he might not even be necessary.
The more I think of it, the more I share the same sentiments as Brian...get a new staff. How do you mis-diagnose a crucial knee injury like this? I undestand freak injuries happen, and I don't blame them for that, but you've got to know what the injury is and rehab it correctly.
It'd be great if we could somehow pry Phoenix's medical staff away. They've managed to get Grant Hill healthier than he's ever been, Shaq is still on the floor, and Amare came back from TWO knee surgeries without missing a beat.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Ludichris @ Apr 23 2008, 02:57 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>It'd be great if we could somehow pry Phoenix's medical staff away. They've managed to get Grant Hill healthier than he's ever been, Shaq is still on the floor, and Amare came back from TWO knee surgeries without missing a beat.</div> Thats true I would love to see Lakers jack their medical staff away from Suns haha.
