NBA Report

STORY OF THE WEEK

LAKERS PREPARED FOR LIFE WITHOUT BYNUM

The Los Angeles Lakers were rolling right along on their quest to return to the NBA Finals and possibly get a shot at avenging their loss to the Boston Celtics last summer.

Then on Saturday night, center Andrew Bynum suffered a torn MCL when Kobe Bryant rolled into the fourth-year player’s right knee in a win over Memphis. At first, it appeared the worst had happened. Bynum’s leg went in two different directions, and blown-out knee and blown title hopes popped into everyone’s minds.

Bynum, after missing the last 46 regular-season games and all of the postseason a year ago, was having a career season. The 7-foot, 285-pounder was averaging 14.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks, and it seemed as if he could be the difference maker for the Lakers, who last season suffered against Kevin Garnett and the Celtics in the finals without a physical presence in the middle.

Fortunately for Bynum and the Lakers, it was learned Monday the center only had torn his MCL - an injury that is more like a strain and requires no surgery to recover - and will miss eight to 12 weeks while recovering.

Eight to 12 weeks would put Bynum back in action in late May or early June, which means his chances of playing in the postseason aren’t totally shot - if the Lakers are still playing at that point.

And in reality, even without Bynum, the Lakers remain a force in the West. They’re already used to playing without him, having overcome his absence last season. A move to acquire Pau Gasol helped make that possible, and he is now more comfortable in the Lakers’ system than he was last year. And the rest of the role players from last season - all of which have been on the team for a decent amount of time now - have had more time to grow.

Couple those factors with the fact that the Western Conference is actually weaker this year, and the Lakers still lead the pack. Three of Los Angeles’ top conference counterparts last season - the New Orleans Hornets, Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets - all have been slowed by injuries this season and aren’t as daunting as they were a year ago.

The exception is San Antonio, which was five games back of the Lakers entering Tuesday but could take advantage of Bynum’s absence to make up some ground.

And the Lakers, of course, still have Kobe Bryant, who Tuesday night almost seemed to make a statement that his team was not going to crumble. He torched the New York Knicks for 61 points, setting a Madison Square Garden record in the process.

The injury to Bynum will make the going a little tougher during the post-All-Star break stretch, but the Lakers likely will remain the leaders of the pack.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

SAN ANTONIO SPURS

After a 99-85 loss to the Lakers on Jan. 25, the Spurs bounced right back with four straight wins entering Tuesday night’s matchup at Denver.

Story Continues →