Bynum starts treatment for minor knee injury

Mamba · Dec 29, 2009

PHOENIX – If Lakers fans need an immediate way to forget about losing to LeBron and being stunned by the Suns, here are three words to make eyes bulge with brand-new, far deeper panic:

Bynum. Knee. Problem.

In this case, the revelation that Andrew Bynum has been dealing with another problem in his right knee isn't all bad. It offers further explanation for the dramatic decline in his recent play, and the issue toward the top of his kneecap felt better to him Monday night after he did the right thing and sought treatment for the discomfort.

It was no coincidence that he showed some of his early season bounce in an outstanding first quarter in Phoenix – getting five rebounds in the first five minutes and scoring nine points in the first nine minutes. On one play, despite Amar'e Stoudemire having inside position, Bynum simply went up and over him to pull out an offensive rebound before Stoudemire had to foul him.

Bynum also said he is past the two-week-old upper respiratory problem that Phil Jackson has been throwing out publicly as an excuse for Bynum's sluggish efforts. Yet when it comes to Bynum's tenuous health, the reddest flags all fly out of those two knees that cost him so much of the past two seasons.

Bynum's knock-kneed frame is predisposed to certain knee injuries, the Lakers know well by know – and they always worry.

Bynum is optimistic in this case, saying after being slowed by foul trouble more than anything else in the Lakers' loss Monday night: "It felt good, because I got treatment yesterday and today."

Bynum came into this season committing to wearing a protective brace over the right knee that housed last season's MCL tear and being more diligent about treating his aches and pains, learning from veterans Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher.

As disappointed as the Lakers have been to see Bynum's initial fire dwindle into a flicker upon the return of Pau Gasol and the rationalization that the Lakers thus don't need as much from Bynum, they have to be pleased to see him being more professional in treating his knee.

Bynum was sitting in the corner of the Lakers' locker room before the game in Phoenix with an electrical stimulation unit attached to the top of his right knee. Asked if the stim was just maintenance or something more, he explained how the knee hadn't felt quite right recently and used the word "tightness" to describe a sensation that can happen toward where his kneecap nears his quadriceps. He said he had also been getting manual treatment on the area.

To be clear, this isn't a full-fledged injury. Obviously Bynum hasn't missed any games and hasn't been limited. But Bynum having a knee complication that is clearing up stands to be another reason why Jackson remains confident Bynum will recapture what was an All-Star-quality start to the season.

"I'm not worried about that part of it," Jackson said. "I think he will get it back."

Many Lakers fans, perhaps remembering feeling jilted by previous Bynum disappointments, are less confident in him. And – cue the scary music – right around the corner is January, the month in which Bynum has gone down the past two years.

The reality is that he is still largely a basketball novice who even if he makes the All-Star team still has a tremendous amount to learn. When you're still teaching a guy how to track the flight of the ball for rebounds, it's not surprising to have ups and downs where he learns some things and forgets others for a time.

He has looked way off with his post moves and touch shots lately, but his stellar shot-blocking numbers (12 in the past five games) are frankly more important to the coaches. As his pick-and-roll defense has slipped again, his rebounding has ticked up again.

Bynum isn't expected to be a totally consistent force for the Lakers this season. That's the job of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and even Ron Artest, because they're the vets. The Lakers re-signed Lamar Odom to be there when Bynum comes up small (or comes down with another injury), because Bynum's going to.

Other times, there will be exciting growth spurts from the Lakers' 22-year-old baby boy. He's about due for another one now.
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http://www.ocregister.com/common/printer/view.php?db=ocregister&id=226158

Mamba · Dec 29, 2009

That would explain a lot.

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Bynum starts treatment for minor knee injury

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Bynum starts treatment for minor knee injury

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