Season-ending surgery a possibilty for Bynum
The 76ers and center Andrew Bynum are considering arthroscopic surgery on the player's right knee in order to clean out loose cartilage, a procedure that would likely end the season for the center for whom they traded so many young assets, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
Season-ending surgery a possibilty for Bynum
John Mitchell, Inquirer Staff Writer
The 76ers and center Andrew Bynum are considering arthroscopic surgery on the player’s right knee in order to clean out loose cartilage, a procedure that would likely end the season for the center for whom they traded so many young assets, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
Bynum suffered a setback in the form of swelling in his right knee following his participation in a five-on-five scrimmage, first reported in the Inquirer, last Friday. While the Sixers have been unable to practice recently due to the schedule, Bynum would not have been able to participate due to the swelling in his knee, which was also first reported by the Inquirer on Friday.
Bynum said his left knee “feels good.”
Following practice at Philadelphia College of Medicine on Friday, Bynum acknowledged that his season might in fact be over.
“Now it’s getting a little late, so I really don’t know,” Bynum said when asked if he were considering sitting out the final two months of the 76ers season. “I played in one scrimmage and [I have] a four- to five-day setback,” Bynum said of his latest setback. Bynum added that he is “just getting treatment and trying to push the fluid out” of his knee.
I still think I can play,” Bynum said, “but like I said, the season is short.”
Before the Sixers (22-34) dropped their seventh game in a row the night before at Chicago, Sixers coach Doug Collins said that he had not seen Bynum do anything since last Friday’s scrimmage.
On Friday, Collins elaborated.
“During this period of time, he’s not made any progress, and that’s obviously very concerning,” Collins said. “His concern that he was moving forward and he got to a point with the swelling where he’s making no progress.”
Bynum has said that he is not aware of a surgical procedure to remedy his condition,
Bynum, whom the Sixers acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers in a 12-player deal, had serious knee issues with the Lakers, requiring surgery on his left one in 2008 for a dislocated kneecap and on his right one in 2010 because of torn cartilage. He played every regular-season game only once in his seven seasons with them.
Bynum, who is earning more than $16 million this season, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Sixers hold his “Larry Bird” rights and therefore can pay him more than any other team. However, the Sixers must seriously consider the ramifications of re-signing a player with a history of knee problems.
In order to acquire Bynum last summer, the Sixers, who also acquired injured shooting guard Jason Richardson in the trade, dealt Andre Iguodala to Denver, and Maurice Harkless, Nik Vucevic and a conditional first-round draft pick to Orlando.
This is a riot!! The whole nba is a farce and the sicksers are right in the middle of it. The few fans that are left in the stands must be real suckers to buy into this wet dream of a team.....— bigdaddyG- How can you end a season that never started?— Cardinal Fang
- Bynum played the Sixers that's all, dude played 60 of 66 games last year and only missed one do to injury, the others were from a previous suspension. Most guys in the NBA ice their knees after every game, he scammed the Sixers for 16 million just because he didn't want to play here.
Bynum doesn't care about basketball, if he did he could of played this year.— James40 - Yes, in the case the fool and the deceiver have a unifying goal: hiding the truth makes them both look better. P.T. Bynum doesn't look like the lazy dog thief that he is and the Sixers can continue to string along the lie that his knees are suddenly degenerating in order to hide their own incompetence. Too bad there are no media members with integrity to outline all the lying and confront all parties with it.
Comfort the comfortable (the diva athletes, the rich organizations) and afflict the afflicted (the non-lemming fanbase).
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- Have we finally hit the bottom... seriously...— charlievhenry
- Hey John, What's the status of the Sixers future draft picks? From what I recall, we owe a first rounder to Miami (for Moultrie) and Orlando (for Bynum). I am sure there is some lottery protection, what does it look like for next few years?— drunkindewey
- He doesn't want to play in pain, but he sports those stupid hairstyles?— WantToKnow
- I don't know if the Inquirer/Daily News is willing to do an investigation into this, but at this point, the ticket-buying fans of this franchise deserve a lot better than this. To me, this is not simply a case of the unpredictability of Bynum's knees; from the beginning of the season on, the 76ers' brass was cryptic and not often available for comment when reporters would ask them for feedback on Bynum's condition. I think in 1986, Harold Katz, who often seemed to have misplaced anger, wanted to get rid of Moses Malone so badly and was willing to take Ruland in spite of a questionable health of Ruland's knee. The 76ers, at that point, were a team in transition, and Doc was likely going to retire the next year. The trade, coupled with the Daugherty/Hinson debacle, is a move that this franchise hasn't really recovered from. Other than the Larry Brown years, this franchise has been an also-ran, and in my mind, there has been a leadership void the size of the Grand Canyon in place. The new owners need to get their head out of the sand and treat this fanbase with respect, and hire a true GM/head of basketball operations. If they do that, the people will come, and this Bynum episode, along with the numerous Iverson/Dalembert/Iguodala issues of the post-Brown era, the Shawn Bradley nonsense, the Charles Barkley trade, and the ugly unis that Barkley said could have been designed by his(at that time)baby daughter, will all be put to rest.— 76erfn
- Fan friendly Adam Aron has sure become a cowardly, hiding behind his Mom's apron, whiny little punk; hasn't he?
The season is lost. That means there are at least 26 times after 26 games that this organization MUST face the public. When will the media grow the stones and FORCE these cowards to answer questions? Ask the same questions about this trade over and over and over again until EVERY SINGLE THING is answered.
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- I would say nice try but obviously someone didn't do their homework on this stiff. I wouldn't have even considered this trade based on the bums career.— MWW-54
- What a LOSER!!— snowman100
- This guy has gone to the Obama School of Take, Rob and Give me !— blombard
- The only tickets the Sixers will sell next year are "Wolf Tickets". Maybe they can bring back HipHop.
— Drew777 - The only tickets the Sixers will sell next year are "Wolf Tickets". Maybe they can bring back HipHop. (HTML deleted)— Drew777
- There have got to be major repercussions from this...gm, coach, and medical staff have to pay the price. It will be years before the 76ers recover from this. There won't be anybody in the arena. Major money will be lost. The franchise might actually lose value. And when Vukovic blooms into an all-star it will become even worse.— joberzut
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
