Philadelphia 76ers star Andrew Bynum unsure about his return – NBA Update
When Philadelphia 76ers acquired Andrew Bynum for the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster four team trade, it was billed as the start of a new era for the Phillies. However, nearly quarter of the season has gone and Bynum is nowhere
close to make his Philadelphia debut.
The seven foot centre was ruled out initially because of a bone bruise in his right knee, but then did damage to the left one as well while bowling. He still feels continuous pain on the left side and the only exercise he can perform
at the moment is swimming. The centre will have both his knees re-examined on Dec.20, and is not sure about the outcome;
"Worst case scenario, it's another month," he said Monday night. "Best case scenario, I can ramp it up."
The player has left the Sixers in a bit of fix. When the franchise acquired him, Bynum was supposed to be their franchise player in the years to come and they had openly stated the desire to sign him for a multiyear-multimillion
dollar deal. However, with Bynum’s knees giving way so drastically, they might not want to offer him a lucrative contract, or none altogether.
Bynum announced last September that he will have the Orthokine blood-spinning treatment done on his knee from Germany, but apparently its effects have not come and as such the player’s future hangs in balance. The centre realises
the situation, but is intent to work through the situation till some concrete treatment is there;
"There's nothing I can do about it," he said. "It's arthritis in the knees. Cartilage is missing. That's not going to regrow itself. Maybe in the future, next three to five years, there may be something out there that really does
help. Right now, it's kind of a waiting game."
He also revealed that the Sixers never urged him for a hurried return;
"I think initially," he said, "but then I realized more of the pressure was coming from myself. I just had to kind of relax a little bit and let this time pass."
The Sixers are doing alright without Bynum this season. They are currently 12-9, at the sixth place in the Eastern Conference, and have won half of their last 10 games. On the face of it, there is no reason why they should not
qualify for the playoffs, but once there, they definitely don’t have the pedigree to make a deep run.
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