Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Philly's biggest flop: Bynum to have surgery

PHILADELPHIA - Andrew Bynum will not play a single game for the Philadelphia 76ers this season.

While that sentiment had seemingly been a forgone conclusion, it became official when the team announced the 7-foot center will undergo arthroscopic surgery on both knees Tuesday.

"After many months of rehabilitation and consulting with numerous doctors, Andrew and the doctors treating him determined that this is the best course of action at this point," Sixers general manager Tony DiLeo said. "We will continue to monitor and evaluate his status moving forward."

Bynum, who becomes a free agent in the offseason, will have loose bodies cleaned out from within the knees in order to alleviate pain and swelling that has persisted since he underwent a radical yet non-surgical procedure called Orthokine therapy in the offseason.

The 25-year-old Bynum had several setbacks in his recovery and will not play for a Sixers club that traded away several key players in order to make him the centerpiece of the franchise despite his history of knee problems.

Bynum missed only six games in a shortened campaign last season that saw him average career highs of 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds, but he has played a full season just once in his seven-year career after being selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 10th overall pick in the 2005 draft.

Philadelphia shipped out former guard Andre Iguodala as well as rookie Moe Harkless and second-year player Nikola Vucevic to acquire Bynum and Jason Richardson, who also had season-ending knee surgery last month.

Philadelphia came into Monday's action in the basement of the Atlantic Division with a 25-40 record after reaching the postseason four of the previous five years.

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