Uh oh.
This from the AP:
Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum will miss eight to 12 weeks with a tear of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee, the team said Monday.
Bynum was hurt in the first quarter of Saturday night’s win at Memphis. Kobe Bryant drove to the basket, missed the shot and crashed into Bynum’s right leg. Bynum immediately grabbed his knee.
Bynum is the Lakers’ third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder, averaging 14.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.
The 7-0, 285-pound Bynum’s injury brought back bad memories of last season for the Lakers. He went down in mid-January and was expected to be sidelined 8 to 12 weeks after bruising a bone in his knee and briefly dislocating his kneecap.
Instead, he missed the final 46 games of the season, as the Lakers lost in the NBA finals. He underwent arthroscopic surgery May 21 to remove cartilage debris and smooth some rough spots on the underside of his kneecap.
“This is a team that went to the finals last year that we put on the floor, so they’re confident in what they can do,” coach Phil Jackson said at the Lakers’ shootaround Monday afternoon, before they announced the severity of the injury. “We know we’re going to miss his presence, his rebounding ability. But this is a very capable team.
They did make the finals without him last year. So what’s Kobe going to do about it?
I’d refer back to the NBA finals. Specifically his his post-Game 4 press conference.
“A lot of wine, a lot of beer. A couple of shots…Maybe like 20 of ‘em…Digest it.. Get back to work tomorrow. Nothing you can do.”
Looks like Kevin Garnett’s on the shelf until at least Thursday.
If you’re so inclined, check out my story from today’s Tribune. Big Al Jefferson is the focus.
Here it is, in its entirety:
BOSTON — Would you rather have diamonds or dollars? Kendrick Perkins knows it’s not exactly Sophie’s Choice.
“Both,” he said before Boston beat Minnesota, 109-101, at TD Banknorth Garden yesterday. “I’d rather have both.”
But which one is more important? Is it the big, fat ring, or the big, fat contract?
“You really take either one,” he said.
But what if he was in Al Jefferson’s place?
“You don’t want to be on a losing team,” Perkins said.
Friends since they were NBA teenagers, their paths have diverged over the past two seasons. Perkins won a championship with the Celtics last June; Jefferson signed a five-year, $65 million deal with the Timberwolves in the fall of 2007. The 6-foot-10 centers remain close.
“He’s like a brother to me,” Jefferson said.
Jefferson even said that Perkins’ surgically repaired shoulder wasn’t a target yesterday. When he sees Perkins take a hit in that area Jefferson said, “It hurts me more than it hurts him.”
“That’s what he’s supposed to say,” Perkins said. “We’re best friends.”
Aw.
As warm and fuzzy as things are between Perkins and Jefferson, it probably hasn’t been easy for the latter over the past year and a half. Drafted 15th overall by Boston in 2004, Jefferson was supposed to be part of the Celtics’ resurgence.
Then Kevin Garnett became available. Sadly for Jefferson, he was the perfect trade bait.
Jefferson averaged 21.0 points and 11.2 rebounds in his first year in Minnesota. The Timberwolves, however, finished 22-60.
With Celtics legend Kevin McHale at the helm this season — coach Randy Wittman was fired in December after Minnesota began the season 4-15 — the T-Wolves slowly seem to be improving. They finished January 10-4, but after yesterday’s loss, they sit at 16-30 overall.
When asked about his team’s recent stretch of success, Jefferson wasn’t sure if he understood the question.
“We’re talking about the Timberwolves, right?” he said.
Jefferson may still be trying to distance himself from Boston, but he keeps a close eye on his buddy Perk. He has carved out an important niche here. As Friday’s flagrant-2 foul on Jason Maxiell further proved — the NBA fined him $10,000 for it — Perkins is a force. His offense, while unrefined compared to Big Al’s, has improved. Bum shoulder and all, Perkins is averaging 8.3 points and 8.0 rebounds this season.
“The biggest thing, when I was here, he was the type of guy who wanted to rush his offense,” Jefferson said of Perkins, whom Memphis drafted 27th overall in 2003 then traded along with Marcus Banks to the Celts for Dahntay Jones and Troy Bell. “He wanted to take shots, you know, be a scorer. Doc (Rivers) used to tell him, ‘You’re not a scorer, you’re the type of guy who sets pick and rolls. That’s how you get your points.’”
Perkins was his steady self yesterday (8 points, 11 rebounds), but Jefferson was spectacular.
Without flu-bitten Kevin Garnett to stop him, Jefferson scored 34 points and grabbed 11 boards.
“It was to our advantage,” Jefferson said. “One less long guy playing in the paint and blocking shots.”
Jefferson also showed off a killer mid-range jumper to go along with his smooth post moves.
“Offense is one of my strong points,” he said. “It’s all about teams every game trying to find a way to stop me.”
“Al’s just such a distinctive scorer,” said McHale, who was reluctant to compare himself to Jefferson during his pregame interview session. “He’s able to score on double teams. He’s able to go through people. He’s just very unique.”
Despite averaging 23.2 points and 10.6 boards per game, Jefferson was left off the Western Conference All-Star squad. That, Perkins said, is wrong. Jefferson, Tim Duncan and Dwight Howard are the only players in the NBA averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds.
“He for sure is playing better than a lot of guys in the league,” said Perkins, who’s making about $4.1 million this season and is signed through 2011. “He’s one of the few who’s averaging 20 and 10. If that’s not All-Star numbers, I don’t know what is.”
Jefferson didn’t deem Perkins an All-Star, but he still complimented his friend. Having Garnett around, Jefferson said, has clearly helped his defense. Not that he was too shabby before.
“Perk was always one of the guys who was hard for me to score on,” Jefferson said, “even in practice.”
Yesterday, nobody stood in his way. Still, Jefferson didn’t whine about the All-Star snub.
After all, at 24, the former Celtic has already seen his career turned upside down.
“It’s one of those things,” Jefferson said, “you’ve got to get over.”
