LAKERS BYNUM A MONTH AWAY

Andrew Bynum might not return to the Los Angeles Lakers before the NBA playoffs begin in April, coach Phil Jackson said yesterday. Jackson said Bynum is probably a month away from returning from a torn MCL in his right knee. The Lakers end their regular season on April 14, with the playoffs starting soon afterward. "I would say he's still like a month away from being a player," Jackson said, according to Los Angeles-area media reports. "And if he had to do that in the postseason, then he's going to have to do it. That's just part of it. It's going to change how he comes back obviously."