UPDATE: Bynum could be out until early January

[Cris]

Andrew Bynum has an injury history, to put it lightly. He suffered multiple severe knee injuries and multiple surgeries, before having a fully healthy 2011-2012 campaign and establishing himself as the player he was hyped as for years. That injury factor lead in part to the Lakers' decision to upgrade him with Dwight Howard, and it was a precautionary note for the Sixers when they acquired him last week.

Now the Philadelphia Inquirer reports he's having some light surgical work done on the knee. But not until September. From the Inquirer:

OK, it's just non-invasive. And precautionary.

But it's just not how you want the Bynum era to start in Philadelphia.

The good news is about the context of the surgery. You may have noticed that word "German" and the name "Kobe Bryant' may have popped into your head. The Inquirer indeed notes it's the same procedure.

The procedure, known as Orthokine/Regenokine, will be performed by Dr. Peter Wehling. Bryant initially underwent the procedure to prevent the inevitable wearing down of his knee cartilage. The procedure is a derivation of platelet-rich plasma therapy, or PRP. The procedure, which is not yet performed in the United States, is less invasive than many, if not all, other forms of knee surgeries presently used.

According to the source, Bynum is not feeling any pain in his knees. However, the center wants to explore any options that will help to prolong the healthy status of his knees. According to the source, Bynum was so impressed with the results that Bryant experienced last season that he agreed that exploring the procedure was a viable option.

There's also a secondary issue. Why isn't the surgery coming sooner? It's likely simply the soonest it could be scheduled. But having it in September could complicate the start of his season. The process involves platelets and a treatment, then centrifuge, and a re-injection to the knee.
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/ey...y-in-september

I'm glad this ship has sailed...

[Laker Freak]

Waiting to get your surgery until right before the season starts seems very unprofessional. Guess Bynum didn't learn his lesson after the world cup incident a few years ago.

[LA68]

Ah, but after we trade him away ! Great timing .

[ChrisWoj]

Noninvasive. Precautionary. Anyone making a big deal over this is an idiot. Bynum should be commended - thus far this procedure has shown no negative side effects and what little anecdotal evidence we have shows it could be beneficial. He's going out of his way to improve his health by getting this procedure.

[Luke]

Commended? Maybe if he wasn't waiting until September. That's my problem with this.

[e-monk]

throw in that he has a history of late recovery already (and this september stuff already reeks of rehabbing on company time)

[ChrisWoj]

It's a minimally invasive procedure that isn't supposed to in any way slow the start of his season. He's waiting until September - yes... but I guess we won't really see if he's waiting too long until the start of November. At which point one of us or the other will be able to say "toldjaso."

[Dre]

I'll pose this here. I was talking with co-workers and they told me they didn't think he'd be under more pressure here than he was with the Lakers.

I argued that being a franchise player in Philly is more pressure than being (arguable) no. 3 on the Lakers...

[E.H. Munro]

German scientists with a secret treatment that takes years off athlete's bodies, why does that sound so familiar...

[Coatesvillain]

Originally Posted by Dre

I'll pose this here. I was talking with co-workers and they told me they didn't think he'd be under more pressure here than he was with the Lakers.

I argued that being a franchise player in Philly is more pressure than being (arguable) no. 3 on the Lakers...

It's complicated.

Less pressure because a lot less people care about the Sixers and expectations aren't always going to be to win the title. More pressure because he's the franchise guy and people will hate on his mentality on the floor. So it's really hard to say.

[e-monk]

I dont think Bynum feels too much pressure - he never seemed all that effected by it in LA - on the other hand he wanted to be the man...

[Cris]

Bump. He's going to miss three weeeks at a minimum.

[Luke]

Of the regular season?

[Cris]

Before he can even start his Training Camp. Probably will miss a week or two of the season if not more.

[Bogg]

I continue to be wary of building a team around Andrew Bynum and his knees.