“Able to do everything I needed” … that was the quoted from Lakers C Andrew Bynum, who is currently under rehabilitation from his injury which happened last January. He is scheduled to miss 8 weeks but he is optimistic about the injury and he expects to return by March 14. The Lakers Organization are not taking chances though, as they are planning to return Andrew into action in late March to early April.

That should give him enough games to get the feel of the court and to re-integrate with the team just before the playoffs begin. Just take your time, Andrew. We need you 100 percent for the playoffs.

Here is the article from LA Times reporting about the injury status of Andrew:

Bynum did not experience pain or swelling in his left knee the day after jogging in a swimming pool, a positive sign in the recovery process of the 20-year-old center.

“It responded great from the pool. No extra swelling, and I was able to do everything I needed to do today,” he said Friday. “I think we’ve got about a week and a half of the pool and if I keep doing well and don’t get any more swelling, then I’ll actually be able to get on the treadmill. Once I’m on there, I should be able to get on the court.”

The earliest Bynum would return is March 11 against Toronto, although the Lakers will take their time working him back into game action. Accordingly, he is not expected to return until an unspecified date later in March, although he seemed eager Friday.

“I think I can run,” he said, smiling. “I don’t want to try it right now and hurt myself.”

Bynum has missed 18 games since sustaining a deep bone bruise in the knee and a subluxation of the kneecap Jan. 13 against Memphis.

Meanwhile, the Lakers easily won against the Clippers in the latest edition of the court showdown between the two Los Angeles NBA franchises. As a result of the win, the Lakers have overtaken Phoenix and New Orleans for the leadership of the over wild, wild Western Conference. As I am typing this text, the Lakers have raced to their season-high seventh straight win, which ties their season-high, and they look to make it eight in a row against the Sonics, who suddenly found their groove, winning 2 of their last three games. They [Lakers] are currently at 38 wins and 17 losses, tied with Phoenix (but the Lakers have the edge because they took the season series away from Phoenix, 3-1) and half a game ahead of San Antonio and New Orleans.

Now, some notes.

The bench has been quite steady lately especially guards Sasha “The Machine” Vujacic and Jordan Farmar. The two have been steady all season long. Lamar Odom’s play has been totally revitalized by the addition of Pau Gasol. It’s like a sudden jolt of energy in his play. He is no longer forced to play the second role beside Kobe and he is flourishing in his role, averaging a double-double in majority of the games since Gasol came. Ronny Turiaf has been solid. DJ Mbenga has given his contributions. Everybody save for the Lakers’ current Big 3 have been solid…

…but one Laker has been consistent all season long at sucking - Luke Walton. No offense to him but he has been the temporary replacement of Kwame Brown in the lineup. He’s doesn’t really suck as much as Kwame but his level of play has been sub-par for most of the season. With the way he’s playing inconsistently now, he only appears now as an upgraded version of Kwame Brown. His consistent play from last year has been gone already. If he does not revive himself from this sudden drop of quality play, Luke might see himself with another team next year. Or the next. This guy has been a crowd favorite and it really hurts the fans that he is under-performing this season.

The Lakers’ bread-and butter plays since the arrival of Gasol has been pick-and-rolls and give and go’s. I don’t know if many of the Lakers fans noticed this but I really did take notice of it. They were pick-and-rolling to death against Phoenix and guys were cutting beautifully. The game plan was more evident with the game vs the Clippers wherein the Lakers did several give-and-go plays and they pick-and-rolled the Clippers to the ground. The Machine and Fish got multiple open looks from the outside and they burned the Clippers. This was also what happened versus the Suns. Ironically, none of the Clippers were able to contain the repeated play, let alone notice it.

This week is going to be relatively easy for the Lakers in comparison to other teams. They need to capitalize and win big on the four next games.

Let’s go LAKERS!