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Bynum: Still not ready

Sixers center Andrew Bynum indicated today at practice that he could be on the floor soon, adding that he is getting to the point that he may just have to accept that playing with pain will be something he has to.

Bynum does continue to ramp up his workouts. However, there is still no timeline for his return. Bynum said he will return after the All-Star break (which leaves him 31 games).

"I don't know," Bynum said when asked when he will return. "Could be a week; maybe two. But soon."

Bynum worked out today before the team and said he completed his entire 80-minute workout.

"It was painful but I did push through it.  This is something I think I'll just have to get used to."

Make no mistake; Bynum is going to play when he feels he's ready to play. That decision has been his all along.  He will be a free agent this summer and knows that he needs to show teams that he will be healthy in the future.

Here's what he said when asked whether or not the fans should be disappointed that he has yet to play for the Sixers since they acquired him back in August of last year.

"I don't think anybody is more concerned than myself. I have the most to lose by not playing. I want to get back," Bynum said.  "People are going to support me when I'm doing well and they are going to talk when I'm not playing. You just accept that and keep on moving."

He does, however, understand how badly it hurts the fans to not see the most important offseason acquisition yet to play a game.

"They [Sixers fans] want to win," Bynum said. "I want to win so it's going to be frustrating. But no fan gets more frustrated than me. The question is can my knees hold up."

Bynum said he still wants to be a Sixer:

"Yeah, I want to play. I'm here now and I don't have any problems with the Sixers and the way they have treated me.  They have treated me great the entire time. There are no bad feelings."

He was asked if he thinks he can be an elite player when he's healthy:

"Everybody knows what I can do," Bynum said.  "But I need to get healthy and I'm doing that. I'm working out every day and getting healthy."

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