Bynum Inj. Update: espn - bynum WILL play thursday p.15

[butter17]

I hope they let bynum comeback against the clippers. He needs 2 get his timing back and his wind. Phil can give him 10 to 15 minutes a game until he gets back into game shape, and I think six games is perfect. If you try 2 bring him back with only 2 games left, that means he would have 2 get in game shape during the first round of the playoffs when it's going 2 be real physical.

[Sedale Threatt]

looks like its truly day to day now. i hope he plays tomorrow at home.

Yeah, it's pretty exciting. I tried not to even think about when he was coming back after last year, so it's something of a shock to read he's playing 5 on 5. Sounds like he just has to get a bit more stamina and confidence and he'll be back shortly. Outstanding news.

[hermes]

he looks pretty smooth. his arms look like they have way more definition

lifting playmates will do that


anyway he looks good

[Boognish]

While it's exciting to get him back, I'm terrified of Drew coming back too early

[kobesmyhomie]

While it's exciting to get him back, I'm terrified of Drew coming back too early

+1. He shouldn't rush back.

[rand0m]

Not too early, on schedule

[iamworthy]

If he was rushing back he would have been on the court 2 or 3 weeks ago. As it stands he's going to come back within the doctors timeline window.

[Slava]

He sounds confident. After a knee surgery thats half the victory.

[dockingsched]

denver at the earliest, utah the latest. per pregame show.

[laka4life]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lak ... 7464.story

Bynum likely to play Thursday. per LA Times

[A-Train]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers-fyi6-2009apr06,0,2107464.story

Bynum likely to play Thursday. per LA Times

By Broderick Turner
April 6, 2009
Each day, Lakers center Andrew Bynum has inched closer to playing in a regular-season game.

Bynum, recovering from a torn medical collateral ligament in his right knee, missed his 31st game Sunday night, but he could come back as soon as Thursday night when the Lakers play the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center, and if he does, he probably will start.

While Bynum worked out again with assistant coaches before the game, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said, "There's an outside chance that we may activate him before the week is out."

Jackson said Bynum will participate in more five-on-five competition today at practice, but will not travel with the team for Tuesday night's game in Sacramento.

Though Bynum hasn't played since he was injured Jan. 31, Jackson said he wouldn't bring his young 21-year-old center off the bench when he's ready to play.

"I kind of envision him going back as a starter again, just because he's got an injury that takes some activation still," Jackson said, emphasizing the need to keep Bynum warm after pregame warmups. "[To have] him active at the beginning . . . [for] a six- or seven-minute run in the early part. But we'll decide that when we get close to that."

Assuming Bynum does return this week, one of the games he apparently will play in would be against Memphis this Sunday. It was against the Grizzlies that Bynum injured his right knee nine weeks ago. He also injured his left knee against the Grizzlies last season and wound up having season-ending surgery.

He's a little wary about playing against the Grizzlies.

"The first injury was the 13th of January, the second was the 31st. Pau Gasol on that [Grizzlies] team [last year], the second happened in Memphis with Marc Gasol," Bynum said. ". . . So both times the Gasol brothers were present. Both times the night before I had 20-something points. . . . That's crazy. Both times I got hurt by a teammate hitting me -- by Lamar [Odom] the first time, by Kobe [Bryant] the next time. That's just crazy."

Jackson said he's heard Bynum make cracks about facing Memphis.

When asked if Bynum was letting that affect him mentally, Jackson said, "Yeah, I think so. He's got to deal with that. I told him that it's not about Memphis. It's about a situation that happened. It's not about the type of team or the color of the uniform. One was here [in Los Angeles], one was there. You can also go to that realm."

[miggs]

So Lamar IS going to be back with the Bench Mob, and finally get that second unit on beat. Nice to know Lamar may be back by Thursday. I'm hoping he has a sweet game against memphis on sunday, maybe that way he can regain some confidence in playing that team.

[Jajwanda]

I don't know though if Ariza will be with the second unit though. If he were it would certainly restore the bench mob entirely but I doubt it's the best for playoff rotations. I think he should continue to start and work heavy minutes around 36 or so per game.

[crazyeights]

So I like what I hear from PJ (via the AP)....

"There's an outside chance he'll be activated by week's end," Jackson said before the Lakers played the Clippers on Sunday night. "He looks good; physically, he's strong."

Bynum had contact in a 5-on-5 practice Saturday without starters Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher.

"He stood out and was aggressive," Jackson said. "He was kind of a dominant force in there."

Aggressive. Dominant. That's what we need. Looks like the Bynum's being outplayed by DJ comment lit a fire.

[Erik Eleven]

Typical example of Phil being Phil. How to better light a fire under Andrew's arse than to openly tell the media that he was outplayed by DJ?

[Verbal]

I hear there are ppl wearing "banging w/ Banga" shirts already.

OH MY!

[Iamabeasttt]

“(My stamina) is pretty good right now,” Bynum said Monday. “Obviously it’s still not a real game, but you get timeouts to rest. I’m not all the way back to where I was, but I’m getting pretty close.” Bynum peformed well enough in practice to impress his teammates, especially Kobe Bryant, who described Bynum’s play as “Good. Real good.”

“He’ll blend right in,” Bryant said. “It’s similar to when we added Pau to the mix. He fits so well with what we do, so I don’t think it will be a problem at all.”

-Press Enterprise

[Dr Aki]

I hear there are ppl wearing "banging w/ Banga" shirts already.

OH MY!

sure theyre not Banging with Mbenga?

http://blogs.pe.com/prosports/2009/04/b ... e-suc.html

[EHL]

Title is in the bag.

[RJM]

Not yet.