Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum hadn't been born the last time the Lakers and Boston Celtics met in the NBA Finals in 1987, but the 20-year-old's hair is already peppered with some gray. He emphasized on Saturday that it was not from the strain of being forced to miss this experience after his promising third season ended in just over three months.
'Nah, strictly genetics,' Bynum said. 'Same reason I'm 7 feet.'
Bynum has been sidelined since Jan. 13 after sustaining a bone bruise and a brief dislocation of his left kneecap. Bynum had surgery last month to remove some cartilage debris on the underside of his left knee after he experienced a setback while attempting to make a return for the postseason.
The Lakers had initially hoped to have Bynum back in time for the playoffs, and they certainly could've used him in Game 1 against the Boston Celtics, as they were outrebounded 46-33 and surrendered 24 points in the paint and 12 second chance points. 'Block shots, changing shots, blocking out and keep teams from getting layups, that's a big part of my job as a center,' Bynum said. 'So it definitely hurts seeing your team struggle like that.'
Bynum had a breakout campaign, averaging 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks, following an offseason in which Kobe Bryant ripped the Lakers for not trading Bynum for Jason Kidd, and he was involved in trade discussions for both Jermaine O'Neal and Kevin Garnett.
Bynum said Bryant sent him a text message apologizing for how he handled the situation, but said those comments and the trade rumors weren't what motivated him this season. 'What motivated me is being the number 10 pick and having people rely on you and you not being ready,' Bynum said. 'You never want to have that happen. I put in a lot more work than I normally do over the summer and I was coming out to hopefully have a successful season. It started out good, but it ended a little too quickly.'
The Lakers were atop the Western Conference at 25-11 when Bynum got hurt, and Bryant had already proclaimed the team a championship contender. Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak traded for Pau Gasol in Bynum's absence, and the team finished the regular season 29-9. Bynum, however, said he thought the Lakers were already on this path before he got hurt and the team acquired the 7-foot Gasol. 'With every game, I saw myself learning and having more fun out there and getting a little bit better,' Bynum said. 'But now having him, it just fortifies it. It makes it that way for the next six, seven years.'
Bynum said he can start running and jogging on his knee in four weeks and will be ready for training camp in October. 'I can't wait until he gets back on the court because watching him play this season was incredible,' teammate Lamar Odom said. 'But we're focused on the task at hand.'
When asked what next season will be like with two 7-footers and a 6-10 power forward in Odom, Bynum said: 'I think it would look great. I mean, pretty intimidating. We'll be able to play a lot better defense. And also on the offensive end, I think it should be hard for teams to guard all three of us at one time. Right now, I'm just really focusing on getting right. I've got to get back better before all that can come true.'
