Lakers' Bynum braces himself for worst

PORTLAND, Ore. - Andrew Bynum on Saturday revealed the reason for wearing a second knee brace Friday night. It turned out he knocked knees with Stephen Jackson of the Charlotte Bobcats during the Lakers' victory Wednesday.

Bynum has been wearing a brace on his right knee, the one he injured Jan. 31, 2009, against the Memphis Grizzlies, all season. He wore a different type of brace on his left knee, the one he hurt Jan.13, 2008, for Friday's game against the Denver Nuggets.

He had both braces on again for Saturday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers. He said there was some swelling under his left kneecap, and the only way to get it out was to rest. He plans to rest during the All-Star break next week.

"I knew it would swell up," the 7-foot Bynum said, "but I knew it wasn't going to be too bad. It's a pain thing and the range of motion in the knee isn't there. I've just got to get the swelling out to get that back."

Bynum sat out the rest of the 2007-08 season after stepping on Lamar Odom's foot while chasing after a rebound and suffering a partially dislocated left kneecap. He missed 2 1/2 months last season after tearing ligaments in his right knee.

He laughed when it was mentioned that he made it through January without an injury. He also smiled when asked if he had any feelings of relief upon leaving the court without getting hurt in the Lakers' loss to Memphis last Monday.

Coach Phil Jackson noticed something different as Friday night turned to Saturday morning while the team's chartered aircraft flew from LAX to Portland, where the Lakers would play their fifth game in seven days.

"I noticed they fell asleep on the plane last night, which is unusual for them," he said. "They're night owls. They all sleep in the morning when we fly in the mornings."

Jackson called off the morning shootaround and held a film session instead.

"You can see a drain on players all around the league," he said. "Last night, I was watching Minnesota beat Dallas by 10, Orlando got beat by Washington. You see guys who are struggling, veteran players who play a lot of games."

This has been an exceptionally difficult week for the Lakers, who played Sunday in Boston, then Monday in Memphis, then returned home to play Charlotte on Wednesday and Denver on Friday. They closed their week in Portland.

"We really haven't had a practice in two weeks," Jackson said. "These guys rejoice in it because practice is practice. I get to work 'em out the way I want to get it done. There are some joys to just playing games."