Lakers center Andrew Bynum reported no pain after Saturday's practice, but he'll soon find out how much his left Achilles' tendon he strained
nearly a month ago can tolerate actual contact in a game. He survived a long and physical practice Friday and a fine-tuning practice
Saturday, but he'll soon find out how that translates Sunday in Game 1 of the Lakers' first-round matchup with Oklahoma City. Lakers Coach
Phil Jackson provide positive appraisals to Bynum ("He looked good") and to Lakers guard Kobe Bryant ("Fine") in just their second practice
since remaining on the sideline, but the positive news upon their return immediately precedes an uncertain transition period in them phasing
back into the lineup.
"I think both teams have adjustments to make as we go through the playoffs," said Jackson, who declined how many minutes Bynum would get, but predicted he'd play him the first eight minutes of the game. "It's natural to do. We'll both come out with what we do best I think to start this series. That's what you have to stick with, and then how we make adjustments as we go along."
It's an interesting dichotomy the Lakers (57-25) face, but then again they've been filled with them all season. That includes the debate on whether the Lakers' first-place finish in the West actually indicates a good season. It involves whether complacency, injuries or other teams' increased aggressiveness has contributed more to the Lakers current struggles.
This current case involves Bryant and Bynum, two welcome additions that bring a team-leading 27 points and third-leading 15 points per game
respectively. But Bynum hasn't played in the last 13 games, and has a strong history of taking a while to return to full form following an
injury. Bryant, who didn't speak with reporters after Saturday's practice, has sat out four of the past five contests and isn't completely
recovered from his fractured right index finger, sprained left ankle and sore right knee. Bryant, Bynum and Pau Gasol scored on average 62%
of the team's points in the three games leading up to Bynum's injury, but they likely won't duplicate those kind of numbers right away. But
the only way to expedite that process entails playing games, which will begin against the eighth-seeded Thunder (50-32).
"I think I can definitely make it through my regular minutes," Bynum said. "Maybe not as effectively, but I'll be able to make it through."
“我想我能打上和常规赛出战时一样的时间，”拜纳姆说“可能不像以前一样高效率，但是我有能力撑下来。”
For however long Bynum takes in returning to full form, he'll at least be able to mask the problems his absence exposed. Lakers forward Lamar
Odom returns to the bench, providing leadership and stability to an inconsistent unit. The Lakers won't feel as inclined to rely on its poor
outside shooting, and instead feel more inclined to use the team's height advantage over the Thunder's undersized lineup. And with the
exception to the absence of Lakers reserve guard Sasha Vujacic (severely sprained left ankle), the Lakers finally field a full lineup.
