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Andrew Bynum could miss the regular season with another knee injury.  His loss will certainly affect the Lakers, but just how much?  AccuScore sees how the effect of this injury will be felt even after the young center returns to the court.

Jonathan Lee

AccuScore Analyst

Twitter @thejonlee

Bynum suffered the injury Saturday night in Memphis a collision with Kobe Bryant, and the diagnosis was made Monday.  If Bynum comes back closer to the eight-week prognosis, he would possibly be able to play in one of the Lakers’ eight games in April in preparation for the playoffs.  A 12-week absence likely means a return during the second or third rounds of the postseason.

 
AccuScore simulations show that the Lakers are projected to be four games worse over the course of the regular season without Bynum in the lineup (assuming that he does not return early).  This still leaves the Lakers as the strong favorite to runaway with the West being five games ahead of their next closest competitor, the San Antonio Spurs.

The Lakers did show that they are still a dominant team without their young star center in the lineup, particularly after the acquisition of Pau Gasol.  Los Angeles went 32-14 last regular season without Bynum, and of course reached the NBA Finals.  Bryant, Gasol, and Lamar Odom are all projected to increase their scoring and rebounding for the rest of the season, picking up the slack without Bynum.  The problem occurs when the postseason begins.

Before the injury, the Lakers, Celtics, Cavaliers, and Magic were able projected to have approximately even chances of finishing with the best record in the league.  With that of course comes homecourt throughout the playoffs, which would prove vital in a potential finals situation.  The Lakers are now behind the Celtics and Cavs in the race for the best record.  They are also behind the Magic pending the status of point guard Jameer Nelson.

Any hypothetical finals match-up between the Lakers and any of the three elite Eastern teams would be very close in simulations.  This is where home floor becomes an issue.  The first six games of the series would be projected as a 3-3 split, but now the Eastern team is much more likely to get those crucial sixth and seventh games at home.  That is where the Bynum injury impact will be felt the most.  While the Lakers should be fine for the regular season and look to be strong favorites in the West regardless, they could be looking at a repeat of the 2008 season coming up just short of the ultimate prize.