NBA: 76ers’ Bynum out ‘indefinitely’ with knee troubles

Andrew Bynum #17 of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks the ball in the second quarter while taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals in the 2012 NBA Playoffs on May 19 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. AFP FILE PHOTO

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania – Andrew Bynum’s troublesome knees will keep the Philadelphia center out of NBA action indefinitely, the 76ers said Saturday in an update on his status.

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.

Almost a fortnight ago, the 76ers said Bynum might return in January, but on Saturday they said there are “no timelines” for his return.

“We’ve said all along that we need some patience, that this is hard to predict this healing process,” 76ers general manager Tony DiLeo said. “Andrew is the indicator how his body reacts.”

DiLeo said Bynum has “bilateral bone bruises and a weakened cartilage state” in his knees.

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.

In September, he was diagnosed with a bone bruise of the right knee, and he hurt his left knee earlier this month bowling, a low-key recreational activity that DiLeo noted isn’t noted for producing injury.

“That’s an unfortunate situation,” DiLeo said. “This is something with this weakened cartilage state that this thing can happen. As he said the other day, he was just taking three steps and rolling the ball.”

DiLeo said the 76ers knew when they signed Bynum it was a “calculated risk” because of his injury history.

“We also knew that we were getting the second-best center in the league, a franchise type player,” he said. “We took that risk. His knees now and the MRIs are not the same as they were at that time.

“We are still looking at the big picture here, long term here,” DiLeo said. “We’re hopeful after this situation heals and when we can get him back on the court, we can plan on him in the future.”