Lakers' Andrew Bynum injures shoulder, expects to play
LAKERS
Lakers center strains rotator cuff during practice but says he will go against the Clippers on Wednesday.
Perhaps Lakers center Andrew Bynum is wondering why his luck has been so tested after signing a contract extension. His latest mishap was suffering a strained right rotator cuff injury during practice today.
Although the team listed Bynum as day to day, he said he will play when the Lakers are host to the Clippers on Wednesday night at Staples Center.
Bynum injured the shoulder while trying to block Chris Mihm's attempted dunk and the two collided while airborne. Bynum said his arm was yanked back.
"It's just a little tight," Bynum said.
Bynum said he'll get treatment and will be ready to go.
"I'll be at practice tomorrow and the game on Wednesday," he said.
"I don't think it's going to bother him to come back to practice tomorrow," Coach Phil Jackson said. "It was just the normal action that happens in basketball a lot."
Bynum said he didn't hear a pop and wasn't concerned about the injury being serious.
Bynum signed a four-year, $57.4-million contract extension Thursday, and in his first game Saturday at Denver, Bynum had a poor outing.
Bynum still was complaining today about one official from Saturday night's game against the Nuggets.
Bynum never got untracked, getting whistled for five fouls that limited him to 21 minutes, four points and eight rebounds.
"I got in a lot of foul trouble," Bynum said. "One official called all five of the fouls. I don't know, man."
That official was rookie Eric Dalen, who spent several seasons working in the NBA Development League.
"Andrew's game, I'm sure he was disappointed. He didn't get a basket in that ballgame," said Jackson, referring to Bynum missing his one field-goal try. Bynum scored all his points from the free-throw line.
"But still in all, in this game, it's going to happen once in a while to a young player until he finds the rhythm of the season."
Selection day
Tuesday's presidential election is something about which the Lakers have had heated debates. Derek Fisher said his teammates have been more attuned to this election than others before.
"I'm hopeful that tomorrow's results will be legitimate and actually no matter who is president, everybody in our country can get behind him and push him . . . in terms of getting our country back on the right track," Fisher said.
Turner is a Times staff writer.
broderick.turner@latimes.com
