"I'm ready to go," said Bynum after completing a 5-on-5 session at Wednesday's practice. "Just waiting on my release ... I think tomorrow is possible."

Phil Jackson, however, wasn't quite ready to put his young center back on the floor - at least not explicitly.

"We'll probably assess how he feels tomorrow after today's practice, and then make a judgment on that," said Jackson. "He's doing pretty good - we're pleased with his progress. I don't know how much more he can get out of the activity level that he's doing right now. He's got to get playing here pretty soon."

Bynum certainly wants to play, even suggesting that he would lobby Jackson towards that end, though he recognized his fate is in the hands of his coach and L.A.'s training staff. Although Lamar Odom is on record saying Bynum looked "Awesome", 'Drew's keeping his expectations corralled: "Just go out there and play with energy and effort," he offered. Simple enough for the 21-year-old who was averaging 26.2 points, 13.8 boards and swatting 3.2 shots in the five games prior to his injury, deceiving numbers in that L.A. certainly can't expect them going forward.

The next question is whether Bynum starts or comes off the bench? He said he truly doesn't care, though Jackson hinted before Sunday's win over the L.A. Clippers that starting Bynum might make the most sense in terms of keeping his knee mobilized.

Though L.A. hasn't suffered in the win-loss column without Bynum, it's clear that the bench could use a bump either from him or Lamar Odom, who'd return to the pine if Bynum were to start alongside Pau Gasol. With Bynum, the Lakers were 37-9 (.804), and since then, have gone 25-7 (.781), but it's more than obvious that his presence will help the West's top team in myriad ways, particularly defensively. And while the Lakers will likely attain a mental confidence lifter from his return, Jackson opted to get physical.

"I think more of a physical boost," Jackson explained. "Last night (in Sacramento), Pau (Gasol) came out soft in the third quarter, and that was a time I would have substituted for him. He got going and had a great second half, actually, but it took him about five minutes. You could see that wear, getting going again ... (To) have a little relief in there will really help us out."

It doesn't hurt that Bynum's had the beastly D.J. Mbenga pounding on him in practice for over a week now with full contact, to which anyone who's faced the 7-0, 255-pound glob of Congan muscle can attest.

"It just gets you ready and into the mindset of playing with contact," said Bynum. "Definitely."

The questions are more about Bynum's game conditioning, which simply can't be replicated in practice, and how he'll fit into a Lakers rotation that's been without him for 67 days.

"He's got the ability to play with a 10-man crew out there on the floor and feel his way along, concluded Jackson. "We expect a little hitch in our game, but it may not be like that at all. He may just fit right back in. We'll see how it goes."

Seeing how it goes, as it were, is all Bynum wants.

"I'm just excited," he said. "I really can't wait."