Andrew Bynum, the new Philadelphia 76ers center, made it through the 2011-12 season without injury. It was important for him because he needed the shed the developing image of a potential-filled but injury-prone big man.
Not only did he avoid injury, but Bynum flourished, making the all-star team and becoming an important piece to the Los Angles Lakers’ success. Now a Sixer after being a part of the blockbuster trade that brought Dwight Howard to the Lakers, Bynum is taking steps to assure his knees hold up next season. (It’s also important to note that he will be a free agent after the season, and a healthy and productive year could land him an astronomical contract in Philadelphia or somewhere else.)
While playing with Kobe Bryant, Bynum, 24, heard the superstar guard espouse the virtues of a radical, non-surgical treatment he had on his knee that wrought tremendous results. And according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Bynun will travel to Germany to have the same thing done on his knee. The procedure is called Orthokine/Regenokine and it is a derivation of platelet-rich plasma therapy that Bryant, Grant Hill and baseball’s Alex Rodriguez all tried with great results.
Bynum has been plagued by knee injuries throughout his career, but supposedly is not suffering from any knee injuries at the moment. But Bryant spoke so adamantly about it — and Bynum saw first-hand the buoyancy in Bryant’s gait after the treatment that he was impressed. So Bynum is looking at the procedure as a preventative measure and an opportunity to get his knees to feel better and stronger..
He played in 60 out of a possible 66 games during last season’s lockout-shortened campaign. The 7-footer averaged 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds in 35.2 minutes per game, all career highs. His agent as indicated he will test the free-agent market next year. And it would be a lot more lucrative to do so coming off an injury-free season.
