Andrew Bynum Chat- 1:15 pm PST!!!!
You can talk about other stuff if you'd like, but call it a hunch, we're figuring that Andrew Bynum's knee injury (diagnosed today as an MCL tear with an 8-12 week recovery window) will dominate the conversation.
1:15 PST. No need to log in anywhere else, just show up on the blog and the window will be there. Obviously it's not a happy day for Lakers fans, but unfortunately it does raise a whole host of issues.
In the meantime, learn more about the MCL by clicking here.
BK
At least the injury didn't happen at Staples again. I don't think we would've been able to handle it. Seeing it in person once was enough for me.
Posted by: lakers_sth | February 02, 2009 at 12:51 PM
I'm losing hope.....Pau will get abused in Cleveland and Boston....Lakers are on their way to allowing 100+ points per game now..I vision lay ups and no one guarding 3 point shooters...a NIGHTMARE :-(
Posted by: Drew | February 02, 2009 at 12:52 PM
guys,
I told you to be careful. I was warning everyone that his recent streak of great games was followed by an injury last year. This year was eerily similar.
Posted by: never | February 02, 2009 at 12:55 PM
Bynum wont have surgery. He will rest it for 7-10 days and then start the rehab. I think there's a chance he might be able to get on the floor come playoffs, but how long after that until he starts playing good ball? And is this the same injury farmar just came back from?
Posted by: ajax | February 02, 2009 at 12:55 PM
Who is Mitch on the phone with?
Posted by: lakers_sth | February 02, 2009 at 12:57 PM
Son of a ^*&%$!! On groundhog day no less! The basketball gods are against us. Seriously though, what's the deal with Bynum only wanting to deal with this NY doctor? He's the same one that kept moving the recovery date last year. Do they have something against the laker doctos?
Posted by: Miguel | February 02, 2009 at 01:00 PM
AK/BK,
I know you know this from the press release. My question is if this more like Jordan Farmar's MCL tear (in which he came back quicker than expected and looks great) or another kind of tear? Because if its like Farmar than Bynum can be back at full strength by April.
Posted by: The Lake Show | February 02, 2009 at 01:03 PM
Get Well Bynum!
Be ready to dominate the playoffs.
Yes We Can
Posted by: Laker Fan 24 | February 02, 2009 at 01:04 PM
BK - a whole HOSE of issues???
You're right, man. We're getting hosed....
Posted by: justanothermambafan | February 02, 2009 at 01:07 PM
There is something strangely cosmic about this injury. They're basically mirror images of each other. Jan 31st instead of the 13th. At Memphis instead of hosting Memphis. Drew on the ground clutching his right knee instead of his left knee.
He who wanders with purpose has no purpose to wander.
I think Mitch should fly to Toronto to be with the team and take Colangelo out to dinner.
Posted by: lakers_sth | February 02, 2009 at 01:09 PM
Lake Show,
Farmar didn't tear his MCL. He tore his meniscus (cartiledge). Very big difference, with the latter much less serious. Plus, Jordan is about 100 pounds lighter than Drew, which puts less stress on the the legs and can make the recovery period quicker. You can't really compare the injuries at all.
AK
Posted by: kambrothers | February 02, 2009 at 01:09 PM
Its time for phil.
an the rest of the lakers to step up....an make their money.
Theirs no more kwame for pau trades in the works so dont count on that.
we made it all the way to the finals last year without DREW an ARIZA so whats the difference.....OOH besides luke walton starting...DAMN.
luke-lamar in the starting line-up is not going to work.....two guys with very little offensive skills......I can see it now kobe getting double leaving lo an luke for open shots, im not willing to bet my house that lo an luke can knock down those shots.....im not sold yet.
LIKE I SAID WE MADE IT ALL THE WAY 2 THE FINALS LAST YEAR WITH OUT DREW.....lets see how it plays out.
Posted by: COMPTON'S FINEST | February 02, 2009 at 01:09 PM
Lake Show-
It's not the same injury as Farmar had. JF tore meniscus (cartilage) while Bynum tore his MCL (ligament). You can't compare the two. Some quick research is telling me that recovery from an MCL problem is generally pretty good, and rarely requires surgery. So that's good. But you can't use Farmar's timeline as a guide here. Moreover, I wouldn't use ANYONE's timeline. ALL INJURIES ARE DIFFERENT, because no two injuries are identical, no two people have identical physiologies, etc.
BK
Posted by: kambrothers | February 02, 2009 at 01:10 PM
For everyone who has brought it up... Farmar had a torn lateral meniscus which is a lot different than a torn MCL.
Posted by: lakers_sth | February 02, 2009 at 01:11 PM
So injuries are like snowflakes right? ; ^ )
Posted by: Miguel | February 02, 2009 at 01:15 PM
what are we gonna do with his bowleggedness?
Source of all this angst.
Time to invest in bionic parts. Robocop (Kobe) has the insider knowledge!
Get er done Kobe!
Posted by: Faith | February 02, 2009 at 01:15 PM
re: Kwame - I don't think the Lakers have anyone in the $4-5M range who they'd want to give up or whose contract Detroit would want to take on. The only other package would be LO for Kwame + Prince and Detroit would only do that as a clear sign they just want to blow the whole thing up and start completely over.
Plus, Kwame sucks.
Posted by: lakers_sth | February 02, 2009 at 01:16 PM
I feel sick.
I am angry and somehow this injury has radically increased my hatred for the Celtics.
Why should WE have this bad luck? It's not fair.
I'm going to get my Kevin Garnett voodoo doll out. This totally sucks.
I feel like my friend has just got cancer. That's how much this is bothering me.
Here's the thing...
There's two possibilities here:
1. Bynum is really going to be out for 12 weeks because this is a very significant issue. If that's the case, we should expect the same production from here that we expected from Chris Mihm and Trevor Ariza in the playoffs. He just won't be in sync.
2. Because of last year's overly optimistic assessment and the rage towards the Lakers training staff as a result of this, the Lakers have given the public a very conservative healing time in the hopes that he will return "earlier than expected" and boost confidence in out team.
I don't know.
I feel sick and upset.
Who knows? Farmar came back from his injury quickly and wonderfully.
It could happen.
What do we play for? RINGS!!!!
Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.
GO LAKERS!
Posted by: Jon K. | February 02, 2009 at 01:17 PM
Some good info here...
http://tinyurl.com/alrq79
Posted by: bronxlakerfan | February 02, 2009 at 01:17 PM
The Lake Show
This injury is much different than what happened to Farmar because if the doctors are giving him 8-12 weeks that probably means it was a COMPLETE tear of the MCL.........I knew when I saw the injury that it was definitely the MCL.......the only question was......how severe? I thought with a partial tear it would put him back on the court (running and cutting drills) in 4-6 weeks with another 2-3 weeks to regain strength and join the club but the fact they are extending it to 12 weeks probably means that it was a complete tear.
It varies because everyone heals differently and also some have setbacks in their recovery. I wouldn't plan on seeing Bynum before the playoffs or I hate to say it.........the rest of the season including the playoffs.
Posted by: pfunk36 | February 02, 2009 at 01:19 PM
Found this at one site:
A minor, or grade 1, MCL tear can take from a few days to a week and a half to heal sufficiently for you to return to normal activities, including sports.
A grade 2 tear can take from two to four weeks to heal.
A grade 3 tear usually takes from four to eight weeks to heal, unless it is associated with damage to the ACL, in which case the recovery time may be longe
Posted by: Bonez | February 02, 2009 at 01:19 PM
Faith...
Is Baby bow-legged? I really think that he's knock-kneed.
Posted by: bronxlakerfan | February 02, 2009 at 01:20 PM
Whats the deal with all these comments about how we all need to pray for Baby's recovery, and that God can make his kneee miraculously better?
I think that if there is God, he would have better things to do than answer prayers about a knee injury to a rich basketball player. Like maybe he would spend some time answering all those unanswered prayers by little kids whose parents just got blown away in Gaza, or are starving to death in India.
If youre going to waste your time praying, pray for something worthwhile like peace in the middle east or the end to the genocide in Darfur, and get some perspective. Geez.
Posted by: Putrid | February 02, 2009 at 01:39 PM
This is bad news for the lakers. Andrew is unfortunately going to miss the rest of the regular season. That's big news for Lamar Odom, especially since his scoring and rebounding are down from last season.
Posted by: Ryan | February 02, 2009 at 01:48 PM
I wonder if Andrew can get the same treatment that Hines Ward got for his sprained MCL.
Hines Ward got this procedure called Platelet Rich Plasma which enabled him to play in the Superbowl. Hines Ward had his blood drawn and later had the concentrated platelets injected back into his knee to accelerate healing
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) has been used in numerous professional collegiate, & recreational athletes to accelerate recovery from injury. I have seen firsthand that PRP enables athletes to shorten their recovery time without ill effects. While athletes have the luxury of round the clock trainers, this therapy is useful in the weekend warrior as well.
Posted by: Ant | February 02, 2009 at 01:52 PM
Lakers have enough to beat Celts, Crabs, Magic or Spurs with a <100% Drew or no Drew.
It will be more difficult but totally doable. We might see 7 games instead of 5 or 6 but have da best 7th game player in NBA - KB.
This year we have 100% Ariza, Mihm and Powell while losing only Turiaf. With Mihm and Mbenga we have 2 backup 7 foot centers. We are as deep as the Marianas Trench.
Mentally, the whole team has overcome the intimidation of Celtic bully. Celts have no bench. Drews' clobbering of James in the lane was also helpful. Mbenga can clobber Bronze just as hard as Drew. We beat Spurs last year w/out Drew and Spurs are worse this year. Biggest problem will be Magic as Howard will dominate w/out a 100% Drew.
Posted by: LakerinBC | February 02, 2009 at 02:23 PM
Ugh..
I just got off work and this is the news I come home to.
Posted by: Xodus | February 02, 2009 at 02:52 PM
Hi there,
I have already seen it somethere...
Thanks
Rufor
Posted by: Rufor | April 11, 2009 at 02:24 AM