One internationally respected orthopedic surgeon, who is not involved with Bynum’s treatment and has not seen his MRIs, told The News Journal that all of the information that has been released by the player and the Sixers points to a likely diagnosis of osteochondritis dessicans lesions. The surgeon said that if this is the case, there’s a small chance that Bynum’s knees could heal sufficiently on their own in time for him to return for the playoffs this season, but called that scenario “wishing on a star.”
“While they can heal non-operatively, they can take a long time [four to six months] to heal, and in adult athletes, frequently they will require surgical intervention at some point if there isn’t adequate healing within the first several months of treatment,” the surgeon said.Bynum has always had a history of being plagued by injuries, especially in his knees. The Sixers knew that when they traded for him during the Dwight Howard trade, possibly because they saw the previous season, in which Bynum dominated and stayed surprisingly healthy. He missed only six games, and in a shortened season too.
The surgeon also added that if Bynum returned to early, it is possible that the injury could escalate t a career-threatening problem, something both the league and the fans would like to avoid.
What's worse is the the Sixers traded an All-Star and Olympian in Andre Iguodala for a center with a history of injuries and is being paid $16.5 million this year who may never play for the team. At the end of the season Bynum becomes a free agent, and one should expect that an injury and extensive recovery like this should crush any hopes Bynum and his agent had for obtaining the big bucks.
After hoping for Bynum to lead them deeper into the playoffs, the Sixers may have just done the complete opposite and could come out empty-handed, with neither Bynum nor Iguodala.
However, there are two options for management at this time. The first is to give Bynum surgery, and effectively shut him down for the season. The second would be to wait it out, hope that Bynum's knee heals without surgery, and have him return just in time for the playoffs, assuming the team can uphold itself without for that long. The four month healing time is no guarantee, and it would increase the risk of having Bynum further injure his knees. At this time, it seems as though management is leaning towards taking that risk and playing their cards from there. It should be noted that the team will know by December if Bynum does indeed need surgery, and can decide on his future then.
This downfall of Andrew Bynum could realistically take the Sixers out of the picture in the fight within both the Eastern Conference and the Atlantic Division. It would seem as if they do not have the players and tools to compete with the best of them. Without Bynum the Sixers are:
- 27th in the league in points scored per game at 90.5
- 28th in the league in shooting %, at 41.5% which is around 3% lower than last year (44.2%)
That is expected, as their two biggest scoring threats are gone (formerly Iguodala, and now Andrew Bynum). However, they have been playing their typical stingy defense, and rank among the league's top 10 in that category which results in their surprising 7-4 record. But as the season wears on, it will become more clear as to where the Sixers rank within the Eastern Conference, and if the risk of returning Andrew Bynum is outweighed by the positive potential.
Sixers Injury Update: Andrew Bynum Could Miss Entire Season - NBA Injury News
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