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7:38 AM
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Andrew Bynum was aback in action, finally, putting in 17 account of assignment Tuesday in the Lakers' 103-89 achievement Tuesday over the Washington Wizards.
As Bynum entered the fray, Sasha Vujacic exited in his seventh season. The Lakers agreed to barter him to New Jersey for adept advanced Joe Smith in a cost-cutting move that would save them about $8 actor in bacon and luxury-tax considerations while accretion their frontcourt depth.
The deal probably will be announced Wednesday and is contingent upon Smith passing a physical in his 16th NBA season.
The bigger-picture story, though, was Bynum's long-awaited return from off-season knee surgery, in case it wasn't obvious when Lakers fans, desperate for his return, began applauding at Verizon Center when he took off his sweats several minutes before he actually entered the game.
He had seven points, four rebounds and two blocked shots, showing bursts of power and also flakes of rust after his long layoff.
He entered the game midway through the first quarter and blocked Hilton Armstrong's shot 55 seconds later. Then he blocked Nick Young's shot a few minutes after that.
He had no problem going to the line, making five of eight free-throw attempts, but looked a step slow in transition and hoisted a few off-balance shots, making one of five from the field.
He reported no swelling in the knee after the game and said it would take him about four more weeks to round into shape and catch up to the speed of the game.
"I'm a little bit rusty," Bynum said. "I'm just out there, starting fresh. It takes time but I'm glad the wait's over."
So are the Lakers.
"He's going to get easy baskets just by the nature of his athleticism and his size," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said. "That's important for us, the easy ones."
Said Kobe Bryant: "It's been a long haul for him in his young career. So many injuries he's been dealing with. [His return] gives us more size, it gives us length. He makes a big difference for us."
Bryant was the reason the Lakers beat the Wizards, scoring 16 of his 24 points in the third quarter and making an efficient seven of 13 from the field. He did have a low moment when he missed three free throws after being fouled on a three-point shot.