Sixers’ Bynum out three weeks to rest right knee

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All-Star Andrew Bynum, the centerpiece in the Philadelphia 76ers’ end of the Dwight Howard trade, will not take the court for three weeks as a precaution for his surgically repaired right knee.

Last month, Bynum went to Germany to undergo a non-invasive strengthening procedure on his right knee known as Orthokine/Regenokine. The procedure – not performed in the United States – takes a person’s blood and spins it until it is rich in healing platelets. The blood is then re-injected into the troublesome area.

Bynum is the latest athlete to undergo the procedure. Others include former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant, fellow NBA star Grant Hill and baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez.

The 7-foot Bynum – considered the second-best center in the NBA behind Howard – had surgery on his right knee after the Lakers won the 2010 championship. He also dislocated his left kneecap in the 2007-08 campaign.

According to a release from the 76ers, the three weeks of rest are to maximize effects of the procedure. Bynum will still participate in low-impact conditioning.

Bynum is at the Sixers’ media day and will speak to the media this afternoon. Sheridan Hoops is staffing the media day.

Philadelphia’s final preseason game is Oct. 22, exactly three weeks away. The Sixers play their regular-season opener Oct. 31 vs. Denver.

Bynum, 24, averaged career highs of 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds for the Lakers last season, his seventh in the NBA and first as an All-Star. He has missed at least 17 games in each season except the 2006-07 campaign, when he appeared in all 82 games, and last season, when he missed just two games due to injury.

In the four-team deal this summer that sent Howard from the Orlando Magic to the Lakers, the Sixers dealt All-Star swingman Andre Iguodala to the Denver Nuggets and youngsters Nikola Vucevic and Moe Harkless and a future first-round pick to the Magic, landing Bynum from the Lakers and Jason Richardson from the Magic.

Bynum is entering the final year of his contract and can become a free agent this summer. His agent, David Lee, has indicated that his client will not sign a three-year, $60 million contract extension, preferring to wait for free agency, where he could command a five-year, $100 million deal.

However, Bynum’s introductory news conference in Philadelphia was open to the public, and he was greeted with raucous ovations. He has said that he likes what he has seen of the city, which is close to his childhood home in New Jersey.

The acquisition of Bynum totally changed the look of the Sixers, who reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals last season with a smallish, athletic club missing a dominant low-post player.

Coach Doug Collins plans to play Bynum alongside 7-footer Spencer Hawes, who will slide to power forward. Philadelphia also drafted power forward Arnett Moultrie, re-signed center Lavoy Allen and signed forward-center Kwame Brown as a free agent.

The Sixers also added Richardson and fellow wing players Nick Young and Dorell Wright in hope that the presence of Bynum in the post would create open shots on the perimeter.

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Morning News Roundup

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Here are this morning’s top NBA news stories:

  • “Phoenix Suns to stage battle for final roster spot,” by Paul Coro from the Arizona Republic
  • “Rajon Rondo dismisses his former teammate, Ray Allen,” by Dan Duggan from the Boston Herald
  • “30 days and counting for the Thunder to reach a deal with James Harden,” by Darnell Mayberry from the Oklahoman
  • “Timberwolves’ candid Glen Taylor offers glimpse inside front office,” by Britt Robson from the  Minnesota Post
  • “Felton begins anew with the New York Knicks,” by Marc Berman of the New York Post
  • “Chris Bosh no longer weighed down by bulking up,” by Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald
  • “Elton Brand expects to be Mav’s enforcer,” by Tim MacMahon from ESPN.com
  •  ”Brook Lopez key to team’s hopes for success,” by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post
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SH Blog: How much will ‘Sheed help Knicks? Tyreke for Lowry was “never discussed”

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If you’re someone like me who takes great joy in finding under-the-radar players and watching them rise up the ranks, then you should definitely check out Tommy Dee’s list of eight NBA training camp invitees who could make Opening Night rosters.

Most camps open Tuesday, and Monday is media day. We’ll have you covered from different hotspots around the country.

Already in the bag are Dallas (championship aspirations in a grand experiment), by Jan Hubbard, and LeBron James’ quest to reach the next level among the NBA’s all-time greats, by Chris Perkins.

Two other cool features went up on the site this weekend: Check out the Top 20 NCAA recruits from the Class of ’13, committed and uncommitted, by Adam Zagoria, and the projected top 10 picks in the 2003 draft, by Joe Kotoch.

And with that, we have an absolutely loaded slate of the latest NBA news:

  • Rasheed Wallace is joining the New York Knicks. But how much can he help them? Will he take minutes away from Steve Novak? Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld delves into these issues.
  • One of the most fun parts about the end of the offseason is when teams publicly comment on rumored trades. Here’s one regarding Tyreke Evans, courtesy of Jason Jones at the Sacramento Bee: “Evans is eligible for a contract extension by Oct. 31 or the Kings will have to wait until the end of the season to work on a long-term deal. The plan discussed at the end of last season was for Evans to play out the 2012-13 season and go from there. Since then, Evans has heard his name mentioned in trade rumors. The most prominent rumor, which arose before the NBA draft in June, had the Kings sending Evans to Houston for point guard Kyle Lowry and draft picks. The Kings said that deal never was on the table.”
  • Along similar lines, Courtney Lee says he took less money to play for the Celtics, according to the AP: The guard came to Boston from Houston after a sign-and-trade deal. He said Sunday that “the expectations every year for this team is to win big and that’s one thing I want to do is win big.” Lee says his friendship with Rajon Rondo played a large role in the move to Boston.”
  • Speaking of new Celtics who are excited to be in Boston, here’s Darko Milicic, via Sherrod Blakely of CSN Northeast: ” ‘I’m done trying to prove I’m the No. 2 pick and that [expletive] stuff,’ Milicic told CSNNE.com. ‘This year, it’s all about Celtics, to show that I am a team player. It’s not about me. It’s about us as a team.’ Milicic added: ‘I’ll do whatever it takes, whatever I need to do to help this team. So now, if I have to go kill someone on the court, I’ll kill someone on the court.’ “
  • As excited as Darko seems to be in Boston, it seems that Minnesota is just as excited to be rid of him. Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune writes that the T’Wolves “paid center Darko Milicic — the guy Love referred to when he said the Wolves have rid their locker room of “bad blood” — $7 million to void the final two seasons of his contract and go away to Boston as a free agent.”
  • And here’s yet another new Celtic looking forward to wearing the green. This time, it’s Jason Terry, who, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reports, is looking forward to the sixth man role: ” ‘The stat from last year that was thrown out to me a week ago embarrassed me,’ he said. ‘I was disappointed. It said that in Game 7 (against Miami in the conference finals) the bench scored two points. That won’t happen while I’m a Celtic. It starts with me, and the stars are going to do what they have to do. It’s such a long season, you have to count on your bench,’ Terry added. ‘I want us to pride ourselves in saying that we have the best bench in basketball. If I look at us on paper, we’re right there. You can match us up with whoever, and I think we’re pretty darned good. We’ll set the standard very high, and we’re looking to make some noise early.’ And Terry does indeed expect that noise to resonate. Thus far, he’s heard nothing but confident talk from the leaders of his new team. ‘I won’t let these guys down,’ he said. ‘KG has already talked to me about what it means for him to win another championship. Rondo tells me every day about what it’s going to mean to win another one. Paul Pierce is looking great — in great shape and condition. They’re champions. They’re veteran players who are going to help these young guys coming off the bench, and help them understand what it means to win a championship.’ ”
  • Jeff Green isn’t a new Celtic, but he might be the happiest to start camp, considering it’s his first one back after heart surgery. Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes: “The first day of training camp is rarely a joyful event. Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers ran his team hard through a three-hour session that, even for the best conditioned players, surely left their lungs burning and muscles aching. It’s an unceremonious welcome back to the grind of NBA basketball. And yet there was Green, with an unshakable grin, chatting up anyone who would listen and even those that wouldn’t. ‘I was happy to be back on the floor,’ said Green. ‘People don’t make a big deal out of practice, but I was glad to have a practice under my belt and get going. … I was trying not to smile too much during practice. I had to keep a straight face. I mean, it’s hard. I let some emotions go, telling all the players I’m happy to be back, just encouraging them. Just talking a lot for no reason, because I was just glad to be back on the floor.’ “
  • Source close to #Knicks believes Josh Howard will sign elsewhere b/c Utah, Philly, Charlotte, etc. are better fits. All min money like NYK.
    September 30, 2012 12:17 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite
    @JaredZwerling
    Jared Zwerling
  • Here’s George Karl, responding to a question from Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post about who would be his starter at center: “Training camp is going to tell me who plays. My idea right now is Mozgov would start with Faried and JaVale would stay with (reserve point guard) Andre Miller. But again, I don’t (care) about starting lineups, and you guys are already stirring the pot. It’s all about how many minutes you play, who you play with, how well you play and how we play (when you’re on the court). Kosta Koufos is in the mix, too. Let’s make sure you understand that. In the last 15-20 games of the season, when Timo got hurt, Kosta not only played well but good enough to get us to the playoffs.”
  • Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida gives us an update on Rashard Lewis via Sulia: “‘Right now, I’m not looking forward to starting,’ Lewis told FOX Sports Florida. ‘I just want to come in and get healthy and get my legs back under me and get my wind going. I’m looking for coming off the bench.’ But Lewis, who said Erik Spoelstra has said nothing so far about starting or not, said that’s not his preferred role. ‘That’s not my preferred role but that’s how I’m looking at things,’ he said. ‘I’m going to let Coach just make that decision.’ “
  • Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is working on his jump shot, writes Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald-Leader: “Though believing that former Kentucky standout Michael Kidd-Gilchrist needed to improve his perimeter shooting, first-year Charlotte Bobcats Coach Mike Dunlap waited for the right moment to broach the subject. That moment came as Dunlap watched Kidd-Gilchrist’s frustration rise as he missed shots more often than the other players in an informal shootaround. ‘I went to him when no one was around and I said, ‘Can we get this thing to where you want it?’ Kidd-Gilchrist eagerly accepted the offer. ‘God, coach, let’s do it,’ he said.” The rest of the piece has some cool technical info on what MKG is doing with his shot, so definitely click through if that sounds interesting.
  • Eric Patten of NBA.com has a cool piece on DeAndre Jordan: ” ‘Dude [Jordan] is a monster, that’s all I’ve got to say,’ Turiaf added. ‘He’s very athletic, he runs very fast. He’s a great rebounder, a great defender. To me, and I know I’m going out on a limb, but he reminds me a lot of the Bill Russell type of player that blocks shots with his left hand and can impact a game so much on both ends of the court.’ Jordan aspires to be like Russell, even changing his jersey number from 9 to 6 prior to last season in order to pay tribute to the winningest big man in NBA history. Yet despite Jordan’s seemingly unlimited potential, the 24-year-old is still settling into his role as the Clippers’ anchor.”
  • RT.com has this from Alexey Shved on jumping to the NBA alongside Andrei Kirilenko: ” ‘I have already been in training for the last two weeks and I just want to get there [in Minnesota] and start playing,’ he said. ‘They say the first season in the NBA is always the hardest, but I hope one particular friend will help me out when I get there, and I hope everything will be ok. … He’s been playing in the NBA for 10 seasons and he’s vastly experienced. He’s always the kind of guy you can go to for some advice. He’s a great person to have around, and is a good friend of mine, both on and off the court,’ Shved said. ‘I am sure he will help me out when I get there, and I’ll try and take his advice on board.’ “
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SH Blog: Melo wants to score less

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After a quiet month or so, things are starting to heat up again in the NBA. Several teams had their media days yesterday, so there’s some pretty juicy news items below.

 

 

First, though, be sure to check out a loaded lineup of new columns here at SH. Start with Jan Hubbard’s piece on the Mavs, take a look at Chris Perkins’ column on LeBron, and, if you’re a prep fan, Adam Zagoria has a rundown of the top 20 high school prospects in the country.

And now, the latest news from around the NBA:

  • Carmelo Anthony says he wants to score fewer points this season. No, seriously. In an interview with Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal, he said: “I’m tired of scoring 30 or 40 points a game. There’s probably going to be times where I have to do it, or I’m in a groove… But if I’m doing that night-in, night-out, we’re not going to have the balance that we need to win.” Herring’s whole piece is excellent and definitely worth the clickthrough, by the way.
  • Ethan Skolnick of the Palm Beach Post has a response from Ray Allen to Kevin Garnett saying he doesn’t have Allen’s number any more: “Allen said Saturday that he hadn’t heard or read the quote. After a reporter repeated it, Allen started smiling before even speaking. “That’s a shame,” Allen said. “I’m a good person to talk to on the phone, so….” “
  • Meanwhile, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that Allen feels different in Miami from how he did in Boston: “…the 37-year-old veteran said he felt on balance in another respect in the wake of his parting from Boston, where he was linked to several trade rumors. “You always felt you had one foot in, one foot out,” he said. With the Heat, he’s all-in when it comes to the transition. “It’s a new landscape for me,” he said. “Having to move down here, be in a new situation, learn a new staff, all that’s been a great challenge. I’ve been looking forward to it. I’m enjoying it.” “
  • Rockets GM Daryl Morey did an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit yesterday. It’s a super fun read, so definitely click through, even if you’re not a Rockets fan. Here’s a couple highlights: “You definitely need at least 1 elite player in the top 10-20 of all NBA players (all-star level) to win the championship. There are no counter examples of this. We are not championship contenders right now. All our moves since Yao Ming went down have had the specific goal of acquiring a top level player since that moment. Each change on our team has been designed to acquire players who either have a chance to be an all-star or give us the cap room or trade flexibility to acquire an all-star.” … “Royce White has an issue with anxiety that is more common than people talk about and he has done a good job to bring awareness. It did not affect his ability to fly for games last year and we don’t expect it to this year. It certainly did not affect him last year where he was unquestionably one of the top players in the country and the best player on the floor in the Kentucky-Iowa State NCAA tournament game.”
  • Dwight Howard plans to make his Lakers debut on Opening Night, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports: “Howard is determined to play against the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 30 at Staples Center, and his progress in recent weeks has strengthened the possibility, sources said. Howard has privately indicated his back has returned to 85 percent strength, sources said. He had surgery for a herniated disc in April and still needs doctor’s clearance to engage in full training-camp activities with the Lakers. Los Angeles opens its training camp Tuesday.”
  • A couple other LA superstars are in a similar position. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin of the Clippers both underwent surgery this offseason, and plan to be back for Opening Night, reports the LA Times’ Broderick Turner: “Griffin said he’s 100% after surgery in July for torn cartilage in his left knee and that he has no restrictions. Paul, who had surgery in August for a torn ligament in his right thumb, said he “will be ready” for opening night. He has been cleared for non-contact practice starting Saturday and is expected to be begin full-contact practice in about two weeks.” Chauncey Billups, on the other hand, is aiming to be back “sometime in December” according to Turner.
  • Another player who likely won’t be ready for the start of the season is Wizards’ PG John Wall. Michael Lee of the Washington Post writes: “The Wizards were pro-active in shutting down John Wall before his left knee injury got worse and possibly became a stress fracture that required surgery. They are now optimistic that the foundation of their rebuilding efforts will be able to avoid a significant crack and contribute after giving his body about eight weeks to heal. Wall wore himself down by grinding through his offseason workouts, but his body has now forced him to relax. … Wall learned from his experience as a rookie not to rush before too soon. But having to sit out the first month – which could likely hamper his goals of being an all-star and make the Wizards’ long-shot odds of making the playoffs even longer – will be difficult for a 22-year-old addicted to basketball.“You have to look at the big picture and the big picture states that John is going to be with us for the majority of the season and help us get to where we want to go,” Grunfeld said.”
  • One injured player doesn’t have quite as rosy a long-term outlook. Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida has this update on Mike Miller via Sulia: “#Heat Mike Miller needs to see how back responds over the long haul Didn’t rule out chance this his last NBA season. “We got to see if I can make it through one,” Miller said when asked how many more years he hopes to play. “That’s all I can do right now. I got to focus on what I can do this year and make sure I stay healthy and stay on top of things, and see how it goes.” “
  • Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News has this on DeJuan Blair, from Spurs GM R.C. Buford: “Well aware that Blair believed the Spurs would trade him after he fell out of the playing rotation during the playoffs, Buford empathized with the fourth-year forward’s situation. “We understand the way he feels,” he said. “If we were in his shoes we may feel similar. Having said that, DeJuan helped us win a lot of games and we have not had anything presented to us that puts our team in a better position than moving forward with DeJuan.” “
  • Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer has some Bobcats updates: “Ramon Sessions, the new backup point guard, brings the ball up court and a tall guy reaches in, slaps it away and scores. The tall guy hits a jump shot, and another. I’ve seen the tall guy before, but it’s been two seasons since I’ve seen him like this. Welcome back, Tyrus Thomas. Thomas lacked energy last season and his game is fueled by energy. He’ll never be the prototype post-up power forward. He doesn’t have to be. When he’s right, he runs, blocks shots and finds easy baskets. He imposes. He disrupts. If Thomas, who usually plays at 225 pounds, is his old self, the Bobcats have a power forward. Another player who looks good is 7-0 Desagana Diop. When I say he looks good, I mean he’s lost a lot of weight. It’s as if he and Thomas made a trade. Diop no longer is 350 pounds or 330 or whatever he played at last season. He’s less than 300. He can run down court without pausing to rest.”
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John Wall out 8 weeks with stress injury

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wizards small logoThis was definitely not the start to the season the Washington Wizards were looking for.

The Wizards were counting on growth and maturation from John Wall, their blindingly quick point guard whom they believe is destined for NBA stardom. But the team announced Friday that Wall has a stress injury in his left knee and will be out eight weeks.

Wall felt pain in the knee and had an MRI on Thursday in New York that revealed the early stages of a non-traumatic stress injury. He does not need surgery and will begin rehabilitation immediately, the team said.

“We’re all disappointed for John after how hard he worked this summer and how excited he was to begin training camp, but we feel fortunate that we caught the injury early and that he will be able to return with the vast majority of the season still in front of us,” Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said in a statement.  ”In the meantime, we’re confident that the versatility and depth of our team will help us move forward and continue the positive momentum that we’ve seen over the past several months.”

At last season’s trading deadline, the Wizards acquired Nene from Denver and went 7-4 with him in the lineup. They traded the cumbersome contract of Rashard Lewis to New Orleans for veterans Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza and drafted shooting guard Bradley Beal from Florida.

The Wizards are counting on Wall – a tremendous talent who often plays out of control – to direct what should be an improved offense. The top overall pick in the 2010 draft has averaged 16.3 points and 8.2 assists in his first two seasons. But he also has committed 516 turnovers, a total surpassed only by Russell Westbrook.

“My teammates and I are all excited to build on the improvement we made at the end of last season, and I know they will continue to make great progress while I get through this setback,” Wall said in a statement. “I will work extremely hard to make sure I get back as soon as possible so I can rejoin them and help our team continue to improve.”

Training camp starts Tuesday for the Wizards, who open the regular season Oct. 30 at Cleveland. Under the timetable given by the team, Wall should return by late November, missing about a month of the season.

With Wall sidelined, point guard moves from an exclamation point to a question mark for the Wizards. The other point guards on the roster are career backup A.J. Price, who played behind George Hill and Darren Collison in Indiana last season, and Shelvin Mack, who showed very little as a rookie last season.

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