(Christopher A. Vito)

Everybody else had left the court at PCOM, when Andrew Bynum grabbed a ball and – with assistant coach Michael Curry serving as his rebounder – began to take shooting practice.

It's not the first time Bynum says he's taken shots, but it's the first time in front of reporters. Bynum, who has missed the entire season with bilateral bone bruises in both knees, said Monday he's hoping for a return to the court after the All-Star break.

Here's what else he had to say:

Feel good out there?
“Yeah, man. Coming along well. I'm up to running now on the (anti-gravity treadmill), steady at an eight-mile-an-hour clip for 20 minutes, so that's good. I'm incorporating weights. Time to get ready –  ready to play.”

What kind of weights?
“More explosive stuff – stuff for my legs and my upper body.”

How's your touch?
“My touch feels pretty good. My timing I've yet to work on. We've still got quite a ways to go, but I'm making good progress.”

Mentally, does it feel good to be on the court?
“I feel much better, mentally. I wake up today and I'm ready to go and work out, so that's good, versus the alternative of sitting around all day and just waiting. The waiting is over. The motion is good.”

First time shooting?
“Well, first time in front of you guys. I've been on my own, coming back and shooting some shots.”

Did you approach Michael Curry about helping with the workout?
“I came out today and said I had to get shots up. It's part of the stage, and I got a sweat before I got on the court and came out and worked on my touch. I tried to shoot over 80 percent because nobody is guarding me.”

When did running start?
“Running started today. I've been jogging, but running started today. Weights, I've been doing them, but it's more explosive stuff.”

Running?
“Not on the court, but on the treadmill over there. It's starting out with a jog and then running. I haven't sprinted and stopped. Aceleration and deceleration and stuff like that, I'm still working up to that.

Where are you with pain?
“Minimal.”

It's tolerable?
“It's minimal.”

But is it tolerable to work through it?
“I'm not feeling anything is what I'm saying.”

Are you pain-free?
“Yep.”

How good are these signs for you?
“They're the best I've had in a long time, so they look really, really good to me.”

What do you do when you're done – ice?
“We've worked all the way down to just ice, so I'm becoming a regular basketball player again. Just ice.”

Do you feel a weight off your shoulders?
“No, because I'm not back. But I'm headed in that direction. It's all positive.”

Any indication about the next stage of rehab?
“I have to decide when I'm going to start. I think we have it pretty much mapped out, but it's based on me and my body and how I'm feeling. But we're progressing because I'm not feeling anything. We'll continue to do that. I'm fine. I don't get a click. I don't get any pain. It's pretty good.”

What's the next basketball stage?
“I have no idea. It'd still be linear, so probably straight line, going up and down. I'm still running on that treadmill, taking weight off. So the first step would be putting that weight back on.”

So you'll do stationary shooting for the next week?
“I don't know how long I'll do it. It could change every day.”

Do you have a date circled on your calendar for a return?
“I don't ideally have a date. I just want to get back. I think – I'm hoping – around the All-Star break. That's what I'm hoping, but...”

Probably after the All-Star break?
“I have no idea exactly when I'll be back. But that's my hope.”

How did it feel to step back out there?
“I've been doing it – I'm probably not supposed to, but I've been doing it. I don't want to stay away that long. You've got to keep your touch around the basket. The next progression would be to add some movement, some straight-line movement.”

What are you at now? You look slim
“I'm still at 300.”