Injured Philadelphia 76ers center Andrew Bynum laughs with teammates while sitting the bench in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Friday, Nov. 16, 2012, in Philadelphia. Philadelphia won 99-93. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania – Philadelphia 76ers big man Andrew Bynum said Friday he’s had a setback in his effort to return to NBA action from a knee injury.
Bynum, a former All-Star with the Los Angeles Lakers who was traded to the 76ers last August in the four-team deal that sent Dwight Howard from Orlando to Los Angeles, has yet to take the court for his new team.
He said an MRI exam on Tuesday showed swelling of the cartilage in both knees and a bone bruise in his left knee.
He had already been diagnosed with a bone bruise in his right knee and the team said this week he might not play until January.
“I had a little bit of a setback, and we’re just working through some issues with the right knee,” said Bynum, who has yet to practice with the Sixers since being acquired in August. “I kind of have a mirror thing going on with my left knee. I don’t know what’s going on, but the doctors are saying pretty much that it’s a weakened cartilage state.”
In the off-season, Bynum went to Germany to have non-surgical Orthokine treatment, which uses proteins derived from the patient’s own blood, on his oft-injured knees.
Bynum, who sought the MRI independently from the 76ers, spoke shortly before the team’s 99-93 victory over Utah, which saw Philadelphia improve to 5-4.
Philadelphia general manager Tony DiLeo said the team would reevaluate Bynum in mid-December, and that the 25-year-old center would play “when he’s ready”.
“Our main concern is Andrew’s health. We want to have a long relationship with him,” DiLeo said. “But I think it’s the same timetable because both knees have to heal. So that’s what we’re going with. When the pain subsides, when he can do more strenuous activities on the court, that’s when we’ll know a lot more.”