Janis Carr of the Orange County Register says that the young big man on whom the Lakers are pinning much of their hopes has been working out with a personal trainer in Atlanta.
And if you believe the trainer, Andrew Bynum looks great, has an unquenchable appetite for work, and can't wait for the season to start.
But if you're a GM talking about a massive extension, you can't just believe the trainer, so Mitch Kupchak got on a plane to see for himself. Carr writes:
"I could see improvement in his body, his conditioning and mobility,"
Kupchak said. "I didn't see any signs of effects from the surgery."
Kupchak said he expects Bynum to report to training camp at full strength, considering camp doesn't start for another month.
"He told me that he is ready to comeback (to L.A.) to start playing full-court drills,"
he said. "He sounded eager to play."
...
The Lakers had hoped Bynum would return in time for the first round of the NBA playoffs, but eventually announced he needed arthroscopic surgery to smooth over rough spots and fraying on the underside of his kneecap. ...
The Lakers recently exercised a fourth-year contract option on Bynum, but his agent, David Lee, is seeking a maximum five-year, $80 million extension. Kupchak had said that he wanted to wait and see how well Bynum was well he would rebound from his surgery before offering an extension.
