The Los Angeles Lakers were bolted by an injury-hurt player. Recently, the team lost center Andrew Bynum to a tendon injury when he strained his Achilles tendon at a game on Friday 19th March, 2010 against the Minnesota.
Phil Jackson, the Lakers coach is still hopeful about Bynum’s return but said that he could not predict his return. “We really have nothing definitive about it,” said Jackson. “We really don’t know how this therapy is going to come out. The best thing I heard today is that he felt better from Day One to Day Two.” An MRI scan confirmed the sad-news and Bynum was sidelined for about a week. “It’s not a torn Achilles,” Jackson further said on the team’s official website - www.nba.com/lakers. “We just hope that the time is not extended. “He’s a very optimistic young man, so (his reaction) wasn’t that bad. I was pleased with that.
The 7-foot tall centre is expected to be out of court till mid-April to nurture his wounds back to full recovery. The team is planning to leave for a five game road trip for eight days starting on Wednesday, 24th March, 2010. The team is also planning to re-evaluate Bynum and said that the player would surely be missed while he is away. He is currently averaging 15 points and 8.3 rebounds per game from a total of 65 games. During his absence, Lamar Odom is included in the team as his replacement and Pau Gasol, the team’s forward, would act as a centre.
In the 2007-08 season also Bynum was sidelined because of a dislocated left knee and in the last season, he lost 32 games to a injured right knee as he torn a medial collateral ligament. The Lakers have won five consecutive games and have also qualified for the playoffs. The franchise is leading the Western Conference with the record of 51-18. Bynum is part of the most contributing trio along with Kobe Bryant and Gasol.
Until the time his injury heals completely, Bynum will be walking around in a plastic boot. He says that the pain and the suffering were unmatched to any pain he has ever felt. “There’s a lot of pain with it,” said Bynum and further added, “It just kind of takes a lot of pressure off.”