Media Day: Positivity over Andrew Bynum's health continues

Continuing in the tradition of good but not great news about Andrew Bynum's condition, there were some more positive than not tidbits released on media day. Will Bynum be ready to play on opening night? We don't know.

Andrew Bynum says he began basketball activities in just last 2 weeks. Still unsure if he'll be ready for season opener.

— M.S. Boyer/J. Valade (@PDcavsinsider) September 30, 2013

The thing is, it was when Bynum really got into the practice activity and full court basketball that his knees would start to swell up last season. He may not have any idea how his knees will react once training camp, which generally involves pretty tough physical conditioning, gets going. That said, the Cavaliers have a specific plan with Bynum to try and avoid just that sort of swelling, which is part of the reason Bynum is on a different timeline in the first place. The goal, I assume, is to build up as much strength as possible in the knees without adding to wear and tear. The Cavaliers want Bynum peaking around February, not necessarily in November. Still, there is good news:

#Cavs privately raving about how hard Bynum has worked. He said he doesn't think this is his last chance, but "my approach had to change."

— Jason Lloyd (@JasonLloydABJ) September 30, 2013

With a guy as mercurial as Bynum, who has had teammates question his commitment to the game, this is really positive to hear. It's possible Bynum didn't want to be traded to Philadelphia and didn't put in the seriousness required for his rehab. So far, that isn't an issue in Cleveland.

Bynum began jumping and explosive activities recently. Says he's lost 18 pounds, now 290. Wants to be 280-285. #Cavs

— M.S. Boyer/J. Valade (@PDcavsinsider) September 30, 2013

The more stuff it is reported that Bynum is doing, the better the chances of him doing something meaningful for the Cavaliers will be. We still haven't heard about any setbacks, and know that Cleveland has him on a very deliberate schedule, whether Bynum wants it or not. The second half of Bynum's contract is not guaranteed until January 7th, so he has that amount of time to convince the front office that he can be of use. And, for what it's worth, Bynum is still optimistic:

Andrew Bynum says he will "definitely" play this year for #Cavs

— Jason Lloyd (@JasonLloydABJ) September 30, 2013

It is media day and people are excited and optimistic. In my book, no bad news is good news for Bynum.