Ailing Bynum Can't Keep Up With Suns

PHOENIX -- Andrew Bynum's great size mostly has been looked at as an asset. Now, some are seeing it as an anchor dragging down the Lakers.

While the Lakers' 7-foot, 285-pound starting center won't admit the small cartilage tear in his right knee is the primary reason for his recent poor play, coach Phil Jackson is being a lot more candid. Or at least as candid as Jackson can be without having some side motive.

After the Lakers fell 118-109 to Phoenix on Sunday night at US Airways to have their Western Conference finals lead cut to 2-1, Jackson went so far as to say Bynum could miss an upcoming game to provide some rest for his ailing knee.



Share "I don't know,'' Jackson said of the chances of that happening for Tuesday's Game 4 after Bynum had just two points and two rebounds Sunday in eight foul-plagued minutes. "I'll talk to him and see what his suggestion is about it and how he feels about it. I thought he was ineffective, I thought, out there.''

Bynum agreed he was ineffective. But he doesn't believe he will sit out any upcoming games and believes Jackson is just trying to motivate him.

LAKERS 2, SUNS 1

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Game 3: Suns 118, Lakers 109 | Box Score
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Bynum aggravated his injury in Game 4 of the first-round series against Oklahoma City, and has had some strong playoff games since then. But in the past five games, he's averaged just 5.0 points and 4.8 rebounds, well below his regular-season averages of 15.0 and 8.3.

"I'm not making excuses,'' Bynum said. "It hurts but that's not going to stop me from playing. I've been able to play well with the same level of pain. It's not getting worse. That's why I don't feel like it's (the knee injury affecting his play).''

Bynum isn't expected to feel better until he has offseason surgery. As for why he was so ineffective, he blamed it on foul trouble, which made him come in and out of the game. He said he was "real late getting into the rotations,'' but didn't shed much light on why.

While Jackson might not be mincing words, Bynum's teammates are coming to his defense.

"It's tough on Andrew because he's limited in practice,'' said guard Derek Fisher. "For anybody, it's going to be tough to then come out in the game, especially for a big guy, and your base and your legs and the timing and rhythm that it takes. ... He'll come back on Tuesday night and get it for us.''

Lakers star guard Kobe Bryant, though, did speak about the possibility of not having Bynum on Tuesday.

"This is a tough series for [Bynum] to play in because of how much they run. He's capable of running and keeping up with these guys when he's healthy.''
- Kobe Bryant "If it happens, we have to adjust to it. ... This series is probably showing a little bit more than the previous series,'' Bryant said of the limited Bynum having more trouble with the up-tempo Suns than he did in a West semifinal against more halfcourt-oriented Utah. "Andrew will be fine. This is a tough series for him to play in because of how much they run. He's capable of running and keeping up with these guys when he's healthy.''

But Bynum isn't very healthy now. That's the problem.

As for Bryant, it wasn't too long ago many were wondering about his health. But all Bryant, having battled a sore right knee and once-fractured right index finger, has done is average 32.1 points and 6.9 assists the past eight games, including getting 36 and 11 Sunday.

"If they let me, I would have went for 60 because I'm taking what they give me,'' Bryant said. "If they're playing me straight up, I got shots, I'm going to take them. If I have lanes, I'm going to take them. If they close it down, I'm going to make the right pass.''

Nobody doubts Bryant has made a lot of the right passes lately. He has 29 assists in the series.

But not one of Bryant's assists against Phoenix has led to a Bynum basket. Despite his great size, Bynum hasn't been much of a target lately for anybody on the Lakers.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com or on Twitter @christomasson