(Associated Press)

Andrew Bynum spoke to reporters Monday about his health status. He has yet to play for the Sixers, while dealing with bilateral bone bruises and weakened cartilage in both knees. Here's what Bynum had to say:
Any update?
“Left knee is still really, really sore. Right knee is actually better, which is good.”

How do you gauge improvement?
“Just banging it. Walking around. I have an appointment on the 20th. Worst-case scenario, it's another month. Best-case scenario, I can ramp it up.”

MRI that day?
“Probably so. I don't know yet.”

Better today than last time we spoke to you?
“Not the left knee. My right feels much, much better. Swelling is down.”

This season been disappointing?
“Health is going to be an issue. There's nothing I can really do about it. It's arthritis in the knees. Cartilage is missing. That's not going to regrow itself. Maybe in the future, the next three to five years, there may be something out there that really does help. For right now, it's a waiting game.”

Opinion of teammates
“Jrue and Evan's play has been really good. Evan is doing more than filling in for Iguodala, which is great. And Jrue has just developed into a hell of a player. J-Rich is helping. I want to see more of the young guys, personally – Maalik and Arnett. I think they could really help give us a push.”

Feel connected to them?
“Off the court, we're great. Having fun and stuff. It's good.”

Have your knees gotten worse?
“It hasn't gotten worse. It's just continuous pain. I think it's just the bone bruise has to heal. It's a mirror image of my right knee. My right knee took four months. I think we're a little ahead of the curve because two months (ago), my right knee was swelling pretty big. We've gotten the swelling out of that already and I think it could be quicker.”

Crossed your mind about never playing here?
“No. It hasn't. It's obviously a possibility depending on what my doctor tells me, but I really think I'll be fine. If my left knee gets better and feels like my right knee, I'll be fine.”

Pain threshold that's still playable for you?
“As far as a threshold on the pain, it's about I think protecting and being cautious about my knees. I feel this pain walking around, so I think it'd be kind of silly to kind of start running or do anything basketball (related), because it's only going to get worse. Until it heals up, until this Germany procedure's half-life is over, being cautious and taking time and giving it its time to heal (is best). If this was the Finals, and it could be potentially, me helping this team win, I'm going to play because I think that's a serious time and you want to be a part of that. I don't think, especially right now, that it'd be a good time to risk anything. Why risk it when you have time to come back and be 100 percent?”

Feel pressure within organization?
“Initially. I had to kind of relax a little bit. Being impatient in this situation would definitely be a detriment, so I wouldn’t do that.”

How many games will it take to get in game shape?
“Game-wise, I think it’ll be pretty quick – once I’m back. To be in game shape, it’s going to be a week or maybe two at the max to be there. Getting there is going to be the hard part.”

How have you stayed in shape?
“Swimming, swimming, swimming. That’s it. Supposedly if you swim 10 laps straight, it’s 250 calories, so I swim 20 to 30 laps.”

Knee doesn't hurt while swimming?
“No.”

If not for setback with left knee, right is doing fine?
“My right knee is feeling really, really good. I would definitely chance it on the right side. I think it’s more evidence my knees weren’t right if they got hurt more because it’s definitely going to happen if I play basketball.”

How much higher can the afro grow?
“Oh man, I want it to go forever, man. There’s going to come and point in time where it’s not going to be growing, so I might as well enjoy it while I have it.”

Why flatten it like Dora the Explorer that one time?
“It wasn’t Dora, man. It was ‘Pimp Named Slickback’ (a character from The Boondocks cartoon). No, I flattened it because it gets boring picking it out all the time.”