Lakers center Andrew Bynum to have surgery

The Lakers announced today that center Andrew Bynum will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee this week.

The procedure is scheduled for Wednesday in New York and involves cleaning some rough spots and fraying on the underside of his kneecap. It will be performed by Dr. David Altchek.

The team will release a report of the surgery and estimated timeline of return on Wednesday.

Bynum has been out since Jan. 13 with a bone bruise in the knee and a subluxation of the kneecap – a brief dislocation that popped back into place.

“I just hope for the best for him,” teammate Luke Walton said following a light practice Sunday. “He was a huge part of our success early on and he’s going to be a huge part of our future.”

The 20-year-old center averaged 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots in 35 games.

It’s hard, I know that he is probably really frustrated right now,” Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic said. “He’s going through tough times. We miss him. Everybody knows he’s going to have a good, long career in the NBA. He’ll come back when he’s ready.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.