Lakers MUST Survive Until WCF

[Mamba Venom]

The Lakers have the talent to get past round 1 w/o Bynum + Ariza and its looking like (knock on wood) the Lakers are heading for the #1 spot.

This means a probable first round matchup w/ Denver and a 2nd round match up w/ the Jazz / Houston.

This is probably the best case scenario. Its best if San Antonio / Suns / Hornets / Dallas duke it out and we finish of the winner w/ Bynum and Ariza back.

I hope Bynum is tought enough to play througn the injury after round 2. Its unfair to Kobe, Fish, LO etc who have battled on through injurys in the play-offs. Bynum doesnt need surgery. Kobe + Fish do. Bynum I'm hoping you will be back at least half way through round 2. The Lakers need you and there is plenty of time in the off season to heal.

Chances like this year don't come arounf often. Lakers please handle the Spurs and pave the way to a Lakers / Celtics match-up. It can happen. And it can bring back the NBA like it was in the 80's or in MJ's prime.

[EiRON]

Bynum who?

[dingclancy]

Bynum wants to play.... he wants the extension...

[Farsi Man]

I'd love to have Bynum back as a backup C, running the triangle when we can't get scoring, blocking shots back there and getting lobs from Farmar.

[That Nicka]

He's 20 years old and has an injured knee... Of course he wants to be out there... But he's not going to jeopardize the rest of his career... He will be back when he's ready... Just give him the time he needs

[crazyeights]

He's 20 years old and has an injured knee... Of course he wants to be out there... But he's not going to jeopardize the rest of his career... He will be back when he's ready... Just give him the time he needs

It's not only Bynum's career, it's the Laker's future that rides on his knee. Those of you who think this is purely about his toughness is just off-base. Phil and the Lakers have no problem allowing guys to play through pain, or even criticizing them when they could but don't. This isn't one of those situations.

Bynum has injured a knee...his left one, the one that he jumps off of. I'm pretty sure they'd rather have a fully healthy Andrew Bynum for his career than mortgage his bright future for what may be a championship run.

I feel like we're giving this team at least one more year. We're still very young.

[Mamba Venom]

I think until the WCF is plenty of time.

4 More weeks should be good enough to prevent any long term damage.

The lakers will need Bynum to go all the way. I'd say there is only about a 25% chance of this happening this year and I LOVE the Lakers.

PJ says teams have to have some success before winning it all.

[EHL]

Seriously now, there is little to no chance Bynum will jeopardize his career because of a dislocated knee cap that didn't require surgery from the outset. This isn't a torn MCL or ACL, he had some soft tissue damage, sure, but no tendon/cartilage damage. Bynum is being conservative so that he comes back strong, and he isn't (or at least, certainly shouldn't be) worried about a ending his career. The worst he could do is dislocate his knee cap again, which would be bad, but unless he tears up his knee someplace else there's little reason to think he can't have a very long career. He can't be scared to put pressure on his knee even when it hurts a little, so he needs to push himself more to see where the knee can go. It's common to have your confidence deflated after a knee injury, but he should look at all the people who have successfully come back from far more serious knee injuries and be confident that a little pain comes with the territory of being an athlete.

[crazyeights]

In Bynum's interview a few days ago he said the reason he can't play now isn't just pain, but it's he's favoring his other leg. Which can cause injury to his right knee...and that time it might not be just a dislocated knee cap.

Are you guys meaning to tell me you've never injured one leg, played injured and hurt the other? This happens all of the time. Until Bynum can play game speed without favoring his leg, I don't want to see him in uniform.

[That Nicka]

Seriously now, there is little to no chance Bynum will jeopardize his career because of a dislocated knee cap that didn't require surgery from the outset. This isn't a torn MCL or ACL, he had some soft tissue damage, sure, but no tendon/cartilage damage. Bynum is being conservative so that he comes back strong, and he isn't (or at least, certainly shouldn't be) worried about a ending his career. The worst he could do is dislocate his knee cap again, which would be bad, but unless he tears up his knee someplace else there's little reason to think he can't have a very long career. He can't be scared to put pressure on his knee even when it hurts a little, so he needs to push himself more to see where the knee can go. It's common to have your confidence deflated after a knee injury, but he should look at all the people who have successfully come back from far more serious knee injuries and be confident that a little pain comes with the territory of being an athlete.

You must be a knee specialist

[EHL]

^ No, but any knee specialist will tell you the exact same thing. I've been through this same injury myself so I've had personal experience interacting with doctors on this same injury, and have a good deal of friends who are PTs, med students, and my personal doctor who obviously has his MD.

[EHL]

In Bynum's interview a few days ago he said the reason he can't play now isn't just pain, but it's he's favoring his other leg. Which can cause injury to his right knee...and that time it might not be just a dislocated knee cap.

Are you guys meaning to tell me you've never injured one leg, played injured and hurt the other? This happens all of the time. Until Bynum can play game speed without favoring his leg, I don't want to see him in uniform.

That's just a confidence issue, nothing more. Ask any PT and they'll tell you the same thing; if your knee is medically cleared by a doctor and you're favoring your non-injured knee, it's merely a mental barrier to overcome. As much as Bynum may hate to do it, he has to put as much pressure as he possibly can on his knee, within reason, to see how far he can push it. If he babies it, then he's going to continue to favor his other knee as he is now. If his left knee is just plain weak and swollen like a balloon, then that's a different story entirely and he's likely out another 3-4 weeks. He didn't indicate it was that bad, and the video I've seen of him practicing didn't look that bad either. Of course, these things are near impossible to tell sometimes.

[That Nicka]

^ No, but any knee specialist will tell you the exact same thing. I've been through this same injury myself so I've had personal experience interacting with doctors on this same injury, and have a good deal of friends who are PTs, med students, and my personal doctor who obviously has his MD.

Well uhh... The best knee doctor in the country just told Bynum less than a week ago that he wasnt ready yet... I'll take his word

[EHL]

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Well uhh... The best knee doctor in the country just told Bynum less than a week ago that he wasnt ready yet... I'll take his word

I wasn't arguing Bynum was ready, nor did I say that. Just saying that he won't know until he pushes himself. Btw, we don't know the exact reason the doctor didn't clear him. If he didn't clear him because Bynum said he was feeling pain, then it's without a doubt possible that if Bynum pushes himself over the next week he'll know for sure whether he's ready to go practice or needs to back off for another few weeks.

[That Nicka]

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I wasn't arguing Bynum was ready, nor did I say that. Just saying that he won't know until he pushes himself. Btw, we don't know the exact reason the doctor didn't clear him. If he didn't clear him because Bynum said he was feeling pain, then it's without a doubt possible that if Bynum pushes himself over the next week he'll know for sure whether he's ready to go practice or needs to back off for another few weeks.

Uhh... Bynum was pushing himself... IIRC, he even said he may have pushed himself too much... He had been doing physical workouts with Rambis and Shaw for about a week, then had a few days of doing drills with Chris Mihm... He said there was still some pain and some swelling... thats why he went to New York where the doctor told him to lay off the drills for a few days

[Tommy Trojan]

I just want the best for Bynum, at the same time the best interest for the team.

[EHL]

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Uhh... Bynum was pushing himself... IIRC, he even said he may have pushed himself too much... He had been doing physical workouts with Rambis and Shaw for about a week, then had a few days of doing drills with Chris Mihm... He said there was still some pain and some swelling... thats why he went to New York where the doctor told him to lay off the drills for a few days

We don't know how far he has pushed himself nor did he mention anything of the sort.

[That Nicka]

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We don't know how far he has pushed himself nor did he mention anything of the sort.

Really?

"whenever I do something off the left side, I'm overcompensating, causing pain, so..."

"I failed that test so we gotta slow it back down so I can get my knee all the way better"

"after working out with full body weights, things I do on the court it kinda had a tendency to get a little bit bigger than it normally is so.."

http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/080411bynum.html

[Erik Eleven]

Penny wise and dollar foolish is a fitting analogy. Bringing him back needs to be done wisely and patiently.

We can only guess. His doctor is saying he should wait a little longer. In my best guess, this has only to do with the doctor's expert recommendations and nothing to do with Drew not wanting to come back, nor him not being able to withstand the pain or anything like that. He's just being patient and wise about it, as he should. He should come back when he's 100%, not a day before, regardless of the team's situation.

We're talking about a powerhouse center that could be one of the primary faces of this franchise for another 15 years, one of the best centers in the league. His current situation should be handled with golden gloves.

I'm not a knee expert, but I will say this, even if he doesn't come back until next season, I'd rather take that than him coming back too early and having recurring problems with his knee, throughout his career.

This guy is here for the long haul, so let's look at his injury from a long term point of view. Bringing him back too early is about as stupid as only putting 10 cents on the meter, risking to get a $1000 fine and hoping it won't happen, while 50 cents would guarantee no ticket.

Patience.

P.S. I have a feeling he'll be back sometime during the second round.

[Dexmor]

Honestly all of the big players are still in there 20's. Kobe Gasol Odom. Worst case scenerio they losee this year and next year in 65 games and a ring. I can live with it.