Lakers center Andrew Bynum hasn’t played very well since returning from his knee injury and admitted yesterday that he’s not 100%.

“It’s just not ready,” he said. “I’m probably about 85-90 percent.”

Bynum said his knee doesn’t hurt or swell up, but he doesn’t feel the same explosion and strength as he did before the injury.

And the way to address that?

“I just think it’s a timing thing; I just need more time to get it stronger,” he said.

Which is a bit problematic, since the Lakers are in a dogfight with the Rockets in the Western Conference semifinals and don’t have all that much room to let Bynum work his way back into things.

I don’t think I’m going out on a limb when I say that the Rockets have a good chance to upset the Lakers if Bynum isn’t 100%. They need his size and energy to combat Yao Ming, who is just too big for Pau Gasol to handle on the block.

Andrew Bynum returned from his knee injury Thursday night and posted 16 points (on 7 of 11 shooting) and seven rebounds in just 21 minutes, helping the Lakers defeat the Nuggets, 116-102. I watched his first few minutes of play and he looked like his old self, though his stamina still needs work.

If Bynum comes back at or near 100%, the Lakers are clearly the team to beat in the West. In fact, they’re the team to beat without him, so the addition only pushes them further ahead of the pack. Barring a major setback (to Kobe, Pau Gasol, Bynum or Odom), it’s doubtful that the Lakers will run into any serious problems in the West. Are there teams that can win a few games and maybe push a series to a Game 6 or Game 7? Sure, but I just don’t see anyone in the West upending a healthy Laker squad.

The stars are aligning for the Los Angeles Lakers. Yesterday, news broke that their chief rival to the Western Conference crown — the San Antonio Spurs — would be without the services of Manu Ginobili for the rest of the season. Now it looks like Andrew Bynum will be back before the week is out.

He probably won’t play Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings and he might not play Thursday against the Denver Nuggets. If he doesn’t play Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers, that leaves next Sunday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

It would be the perfect night and opponent, as far as Phil Jackson is concerned. The Lakers coach wants Bynum to clear a mental hurdle sooner rather than later. He doesn’t want the 7-foot center developing a complex about facing the Grizzlies.

Maybe it’s too late, however.

Bynum tore a right knee ligament Jan. 31 against Memphis.

He injured his left kneecap Jan. 13, 2008, against Memphis.

He faced Marc Gasol when he was hurt this season.

He faced Pau Gasol when he was hurt last season.

He scored 25 points in the game before he was injured this season.

He scored 25 points in the game before he was injured last season.

Bynum runs down the list of coincidences with anyone who will listen. Jackson would prefer Bynum get past his phobia about playing against Memphis.

Jackson said Bynum’s role has yet to be determined, although he might be better suited to start because he could warm up and then begin the game. He wouldn’t have to warm up, then sit and get stiff and then try to play.

Prior to the Ginobili injury, I thought that the Lakers would need a healthy and productive Bynum to make the Finals again, but now I’m not so sure. Barring an injury to Kobe Bryant or Pau Gasol, the Lakers look like they are destined for a second consecutive Finals appearance, so Bynum’s impending return is just frosting on the cake.

- SPORTSBYBROOKS has photos of the Playboy bunny that Andrew Bynum was photographed carrying around on his shoulders and the third one is…outstanding. Laker fans should feel good about Bynum’s workout regimen — there’s no doubt that he’ll be back at 100% for a playoff run.

- YARDBARKER has video of Andrew Bynum hula hooping with a couple of playmates.

- Will Leitch over at DEADSPIN brings us his “Ten Humans of the Week” column, though I don’t agree with his take on Gus Johnson.

- LARRY BROWN SPORTS says that DeJuan Blair has a backup plan if professional basketball doesn’t work out.

- SPORTS CRACKLE POP has a photo of Tim Tebow’s new gal pal.

It’s true, Bill Simmons has been critical of Kobe Bryant at times, but he has also pushed for the Black Mamba to be the league’s MVP even though the Lakers weren’t an elite team. In a recent column, Simmons explains why Kobe’s 61-point effort against the Knicks is the “defining Kobe game.”

I like watching him and arguing about him. I like being bothered and thrilled by him. And I really like when he plays like Michael J. Fox instead of The Wolf. See, I was weaned on the Bird era in Boston: the joys of making the extra pass, not caring about stats. Kobe’s 61-point game represented the best and worst of basketball to me. His shotmaking was transcendent: a steady onslaught of jumpers, spin moves and fallaways made in his typically icy style, as efficient an outburst as you’ll ever see. On the other hand, his teammates stood around and watched him like movie extras. In 37 minutes, Kobe took 31 shots and another 20 free throws. He finished with three assists and no boards. He may as well have been playing by himself on one of those Pop-A-Shot machines.

A friend of mine, a lifelong Knicks season ticket-holder since the Bradley era, e-mailed me afterward: “That was the worst night maybe of my life in the Garden. How horrible it must be to play with Kobe. He was signaling constantly to his teammates to get him the ball. THREE ASSISTS AND NO REBOUNDS. Talk about a team guy.” Another New York buddy was so distraught that Bernard’s 60-point Garden record fell so ignominiously—with Kobe’s padding his stats against a reprehensibly bad defense as a shocking number of fans chanted “MVP!”—that he e-mailed me the next day: “I literally didn’t sleep last night.” A third friend was there and swore that Kobe eyeballed Trevor Ariza after Trev made the mistake of swishing a 24-footer in the fourth. And yet, the national reaction seemed to be, “Wow! Kobe scores 61! He’s unbelievable!” Spike Lee even called it “genius.” (Move over, Einstein and Mozart.)

Really, it was the defining Kobe game. He elicited every reaction possible from lovers, haters and everyone in between. When LeBron arrived in New York two days later and notched his amazing 52/9/11, he didn’t break Kobe’s new record but definitely cheapened it. LeBron’s 52 came in the flow of the offense. When the Knicks doubled him, he found the open man. When they singled him, he scored. He dominated every facet of the game. It was a complete performance, basketball at its finest, everything we ever wanted from King James. And it happened 48 hours after Kobe’s big game … in the same building. Crazy.

I’ve been comparing those two games ever since. Never has basketball seemed more simple to me: I would rather watch a 52/9/11 than a 61/0/3. I would. It’s really that simple. It’s a matter of preference. So don’t call me a Kobe hater, call me a basketball lover.

And if Kobe ever put up a 52/9/11, yes, I would love him, too.

Gotta love that “Teen Wolf” reference. Classic.

Regular readers know I’m not a big fan of Kobe’s persona though I’m the first to admit that he’s the best one-on-one player in the NBA. I’ve been accused of being a hater as well, and that’s part of being critical of athletes on a sports blog. The bottom line is that Kobe is polarizing and not everyone that criticizes him is a true “hater,” much in the same way that everyone who likes his game isn’t a “believer.”

Simmons mentioned something else earlier in the piece.

When he accidentally injured Andrew Bynum’s knee recently, I found it interesting that Kobe’s reaction was more “Crap, there goes my title!” than “Oh, no, my teammate is hurt—I hate seeing him in pain!”

I went back and watched Kobe’s reaction again, and he did look like he was more pissed about the injury (and the negative ramifications on his title hopes) than he was genuinely concerned about Bynum.

Or maybe I’m just a hater.

Andrew Bynum is hurt again. On Saturday against the Grizzlies, Kobe Bryant landed on the big man’s knee, knocking him out for at least a few weeks. Reports are sketchy, but the Daily News is reporting that he’ll be out six weeks.

The preliminary diagnosis is that Bynum suffered a sprained right knee against Memphis Saturday and will miss the next six weeks. But it could be longer, and the damage could be more serious, pending results of an MRI taken yesterday in Manhattan.

So six weeks would mean that Bynum would potentially be back in mid-March, giving him about a month to get in shape for the Lakers’ playoff run. Does any of this seem familiar? Bynum was supposed to be back for last year’s playoffs but it never happened.

And this is probably a best case scenario. If the MRI reveals more damage to the knee, it’s entirely possible that Bynum will miss the playoffs yet again.

Expect Pau Gasol to move over to play center full time with Lamar Odom getting most of the minutes at power foward. I wouldn’t expect Odom to be traded before the deadline with Bynum’s status up in the air. This is exactly why the Lakers chose to hold onto him despite several trade offers — he’s great insurance if Bynum or Gasol were to go down.

Afternoon Update: The OC Register is reporting that Bynum has a MCL tear and is expected to miss 8-12 weeks. Twelve weeks would put Bynum’s return a week or two into the playoffs.