National Basketball Association

Bynum will be ready for playoff opener

Published Apr. 15, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Lakers center Andrew Bynum says his troublesome right knee will be no trouble at all when the Los Angeles Lakers open the playoffs on Sunday.

Bynum participated in a full practice with the Lakers on Friday, just three days after hyperextending his right knee during their home finale against San Antonio. The Lakers feared disaster, given their shot-blocking defensive specialist's history of knee problems, but Bynum merely bruised a bone in his knee.

Bynum says he'll be back to normal when second-seeded Los Angeles hosts the New Orleans Hornets in its first-round opener Sunday.

Bynum averaged 11.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and nearly 2 blocked shots in 54 games, missing the first 24 after offseason surgery to repair a torn meniscus.