Will Andrew Bynum play in the playoffs?

Question: If Andrew Bynum does come back in the playoffs, would it be fair to say he would come off the bench? I really believe he will be great coming off the bench to play with Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, Ronny Turiaf and Co. I really believe that's as good as any other team's bench, and he won't disrupt the court when Pau Gasol is in the lineup.

-- George Margaryan, Burbank

Answer: Indeed, Bynum will come back as a reserve, which will only strengthen an already deep bench. It will also save from disrupting the flow of the starters, who have developed an obvious synergy over the last nine games.

The big question remains, however, when will the kid be back?

The Lakers have remained mystifyingly silent on the subject, although I personally don't see him returning until at least the Western Conference finals.

The Lakers caught a break in their playoff schedule and won't face a team with a physical center until the West finals, if they get that far, so I don't think they'll risk rushing Bynum back into the lineup until he's needed against Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, or, on a smaller scale, Tyson Chandler.

Sorry, but Denver's Marcus Camby doesn't strike fear into opponents with his minimal skills on offense (9.1 points a game) and Utah is more physical with its power forwards (Carlos Boozer, Paul Millsap) than its center, Mehmet Okur. And if Houston gets past the Jazz, Dikembe Mutombo is obviously not Yao Ming.

In other words, the Lakers are already reaping the rewards of being the top-seeded team. And they got a little lucky, too, with Phoenix falling to the sixth-seed instead of finishing fourth or fifth, which would have meant a potential second-round Suns-Lakers matchup.

Q: We are now one step closer to the perfect matchup to bring the NBA back to where it once was -- a Celtics-Lakers final.

The teams have made it a little easier by getting the No. 1 seeds, but I think the Lakers have a much harder road to get to the finals. I feel only Detroit can beat the Celtics in the East. I think the West has four or five [strong] teams, including the Lakers.

-- Robert Nichols, Winslow, Maine

A: OK, it's obviously not a question, but it brings up a good point.

Can anyone in the East beat the Celtics?

The short answer -- no.