6:33pm: Sources close to Bynum dispute the idea that he'll need season-ending surgery, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who hears the center's ailments are not believed to be career-threatening. Instead, the Sixers and Bynum believe a definite prognosis and course of action could be determined in a week to 10 days.
11:14am: The timetable for Andrew Bynum's recovery and his debut with the 76ers has now been pushed back several times, and it's possible it will be delayed further, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Although the Sixers haven't released a statement since the team expressed hope Bynum would be able to resume basketball activity on December 10th, the pain in the All-Star center's knees has doctors confused, says Windhorst. Bynum wasn't experiencing pain earlier in the year and hasn't undergone any major trauma, so he's at a loss to explain it.
"Germany is one theory," Bynum said, referring to the Orthokine treatment he underwent overseas this fall. "Or the [lubrication] injections. Or I have bad cartilage. I don't know."
While the Sixers haven't committed to a new timetable for Bynum's return, Jason Wolf of the Delaware News Journal spoke to one "internationally respected orthopedic surgeon" who says the details released by Bynum and the team suggested a likely diagnosis of osteochondritis dessicans lesions. The surgeon isn't involved in Bynum's treatment and hasn't seen his MRIs, but said that such a condition could keep the big man sidelined until the postseason, or longer.
"While [the lesions] can heal non-operatively, they can take a long time [four to six months] to heal," the surgeon said. "And in adult athletes, frequently they will require surgical intervention at some point if there isn’t adequate healing within the first several months of treatment.
"I’m a little bit worried, bluntly, that it’s more advanced and the guy probably does need surgery. If he needs surgery, then the year is completely written off. But if he doesn’t have surgery and they think they can demonstrate healing in about four months, then he could potentially still come back for the playoffs. That’s what it sounds like they’re thinking about."
Again, the surgeon speaking to Wolf isn't directly involved in Bynum's treatment, so knowing more specific details could affect his diagnosis. Nonetheless, the news continues to look worse and worse for the Sixers. GM Tony DiLeo and the team now expect to issue an official update on Bynum's health in December.