Andrew Bynum, the Lakers’ 7-foot center, would seem to be a logical choice to replace Howard except for the fact that he believes he would be better off spending the summer relaxing with a cool drink under an umbrella somewhere warm.

“Probably not,” Bynum said when asked if he would consider playing in the Olympics. “I’ve got to take care of my legs in the offseason. I’ve got some things (treatment) planned on my knees. I need it. I need to have some therapy.”

Bynum’s history of knee trouble began when he suffered a partial dislocation of his left knee in a game Jan. 13, 2008 against the Memphis Grizzlies. He tore the medial-collateral ligament in his right knee Jan. 31, 2009 against the Grizzlies.

“For selfish reasons you always worry about Andrew’s knees and health and the wear and tear on that part of his body, so the more games and more practices he has it’s more wear and tear,” Lakers coach Mike Brown said Friday morning.

“You hope he takes the summer and rests, especially after a long playoff run.”

via Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News