Knee surgery goes well for Bynum

Andrew Bynum had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Wednesday in New York and was expected to make a full recovery by the time training camp begins in early October.

The 30-minute procedure consisted of removing cartilage debris and smoothing rough spots on the underside of Bynum’s left kneecap. Bynum will begin rehabilitation almost immediately, according to a team spokesman, and will be back at full strength within three months, Coach Phil Jackson said.

David Altchek, medical director for the New York Mets, performed the surgery.

“Everything seemed to go well,” Jackson said. “Nothing unusual, a normal procedure. It says in three months he should be 100%, ready to play.”

Bynum has been sidelined since Jan. 13 after sustaining a bone bruise of the knee and a subluxation of the left kneecap -- a brief dislocation that popped back into place.

“I think Andrew’s glad he did it,” Jackson said. “There’s a sense of ‘Let’s move forward and get on with this and start the recovery process’ because there’s no hope for him to return to us and play for us in the playoffs.”

Bynum’s rehabilitation will initially consist of range-of-motion exercises and others like it to “keep the knee loose,” Lakers spokesman John Black said.

Bynum, Trevor Ariza and Coby Karl were not on the active list Wednesday for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against San Antonio.

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After further review, San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich said he was kidding a few months ago when he said the league should create a committee that could reject trades such as the Pau Gasol one.

“It was a joke,” Popovich said. “You got to have a life. I wasn’t upset about it. I just made a joke.”

Popovich wasn’t without humor in other areas Wednesday.

When asked if he was a fan of “American Idol,” he asked if that was the show where “they dance with each other.”

And of the Spurs’ slow bus ride to Staples Center: “Six o’clock is probably not the greatest time to try to get someplace in L.A.”

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Two players were the main beneficiaries of Kobe Bryant’s pass-first mind-set in the first half.

Vladimir Radmanovic was the leading scorer for the Lakers at the end of the first quarter, scoring 10 points on five-for-five shooting. He didn’t take a shot the rest of the game and finished with 10 points.

Jordan Farmar also started strong, scoring eight points in the first half. He was scoreless in the second half.

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Fans are invited to watch the Lakers’ first two road games of the West finals -- Game 3 on Sunday and Game 4 on Tuesday -- on the scoreboard inside Staples Center.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for children ages 3 to 13, and are available today at 10 a.m. at the Staples Center box office, Ticketmaster outlets and ticketmaster.com. Proceeds will be donated to the Lakers Youth Foundation.

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mike.bresnahan@latimes.com