The Sixers will open their preseason schedule without Andrew Bynum this Thursday in Orlando, but insider Dei Lynam shared some good news from training camp on Monday.
There was some legitimate concern after the team announced they were shutting down their newly-acquired center for three weeks, a precautionary measure taken due to a bone bruise in his knee. He may be over a week away from stepping on the hardwood yet, but Bynum admitted he is feeling much better recently, thanks.
“I feel pretty good and I am definitely getting better,” Bynum said. "I just really have been trying to get down the offense because it is brand new.”
“I think if all the beans were on the table, I would be out there.”
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Doug Collins also weighed in on Bynum's progress:
“He’s happier,” Collins said of Bynum’s mood. “He senses he is getting closer to play. Anybody who has ever been injured, especially going to a new team where so much is expected and you can’t get out there and play, it’s a downer. You see his energy level and he has worked his tail off.”
The beans will be on the table soon enough, three weeks from tomorrow in fact, so it's good to hear Bynum and his coach think he should be ready to go.
If the Sixers stick to a full three weeks off as expected though, that will give him little more than a week to practice with his teammates before the regular season begins on Halloween. You can read more from Dei about how Bynum and Doug are working through the process despite the big man not actually being allowed to play basketball -- but so far, it sounds like the two are really hitting it off.
