Andrew Bynum Says He Wants To Stay With 76ers Long Term

The Philadelphia 76ers have already gotten the bad news about Andrew Bynum’s knees -- the center needs season-ending surgery on both -- and now the team has to figure out how to act going forward, not to mention who will be around to make those decisions.

Adrian Wojnarowski’s report on Bynum’s surgeries for Yahoo! Sports featured some interesting tidbits related to the direction of the franchise. After sacrificing several key pieces to bring in Bynum this season before he becomes a free agent this offseason, the team has been blindsided by the extent of Bynum’s knee injuries. It expected him to play this season and to make a major play to keep the talented 27-year-old big in Philadelphia when he became an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Now, those plans are up in the air.

“To be honest man, my first experience here has been so great (that) I’m really leaning towards making this my home,” Bynum said, via Sports Illustrated’s Sam Amick.

After pausing to let the crowd cheer the statement, Bynum continued by saying he’s “not a guy who tries to be all around and have a lot of teams on my belt.”

Bynum, a native of Plainsboro, N.J., which is less than an hour away from Philadelphia, has spent his entire career on the West Coast with the Lakers and he arrives in Philly as the best center to wear a Sixers uniform since Moses Malone.

The young center also brings with him a wealth of experience from playing for a winning organization as well as two NBA champuonship rings earned in 2009 and 2010.

The procedure, known as Orthokine/Regenokine, is not yet performed in the United States, and is a form of platelet-rich therapy that spins blood until it is full of healing platelets. Bryant underwent the procedure to help keep the cartilage in his knees from wearing.

Bynum has had trouble with his knees in recent seasons. He dislocated his left knee cap during the 2007-08 season and had to undergo arthroscopic surgery that May. The big man had surgery on his right knee after the 2009-10 season.