Image via WikipediaThe charm of Andrew Bynum has always been his openness.
He's like Marmaduke ... so big and unrefined, often overexcited or a touch overzealous, completely straightforward. The oversized puppy who is indeed the youngest player in NBA history still proudly wears that No. 17 to signify his early entry age.
Andrew Bynum overcame his knee injury to help the Lakers beat Boston in the 2010 NBA Finals, but he didn't immediately fix the knee to prepare for the 2010-11 season.
Over the past five years, Bynum has given the Lakers more and more reasons to believe he's no longer a "Big Baby," as he was initially nicknamed by tutor Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – the foremost reason being a saintly determination to march through the pain last season and contribute to a championship.
A reminder of what Bynum isn't, though, has already been sent for this season – before this season even starts.
Bynum put off having offseason surgery on his right knee so he could play – and we're not talking about playing basketball. He could've repaired the knee immediately after last season, but he postponed it to travel – to see the soccer World Cup in South Africa and then vacation in Europe, as he had the previous summer.
Bynum didn't want to be on crutches, which would've diminished all that fun stuff or required rescheduling. He even had the knee drained, just as he did repeatedly with much ado in the playoffs to keep playing, so he could keep pivoting around reasonably well as a sightseer.
Yes, Bynum's doctor did push back the surgery date also – from July 18 to July 28 – because of scheduling issues, but Bynum's doctor was indeed available to perform the procedure before Bynum went globetrotting. It was Bynum's choice to enjoy himself, assuming he'd be fine by the time the 2010-11 season came – even though his complications with knees are well known and his past healings have been measured by sundial.
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