Andrew Bynum is one guy on the Lakers without a filter. Yes, that includes Ron Artest -- Ron-Ron can be a little stream of consciousness, but Bynum is the one who just says what he is thinking and does not just use a cliché.
Right now, he is thinking he could be out for a while. Like December.
The man simply does not heal quickly and so he is honest about his timetable for coming back --and it is longer than anyone thought. That is what he told Mike Bresnahan of the LA Times while in London.
Bynum said Sunday he might not be back until December.
“Yeah, it’s a possibility,” he said. “I’ve got a little bit of pain still. It just depends on when I’m cleared.”
Bynum said he would see his doctor in three weeks and hoped to begin weight-bearing exercises after that. He had knee surgery in late July.
Lest you think that isn’t creating some tension around the Lakers, here is what Phil Jackson said (and remember Jackson balked when Bynum said late November for a return last week).
Bynum had knee surgery in July, surgery that ended up being more complex than expected when he went in.
Bynum also heals slowly. If there is one thing evident from his series of injuries, the man just simply does not bounce back. Attribute that to genetics, mental toughness, the water at Staples Center, whatever you want. It doesn’t change the fact.
Intellectually, Lakers management and fans know that when the really need Bynum is May not November, therefore let him take his time is get right. But Bynum can be frustrating and is pushing back time frames, dampening expectations already. It’s not how anyone in Los Angeles wanted to enter the season.