Bynum doubts he’ll play for Lakers in playoffs

It sounds like remote just turned into extremely remote.

“I doubt there’s going to be a comeback this year,” Andrew Bynum said Friday. “I’ve got to get my knee straight. At this point, I’d have to train for a good month just to be able to go out there and play.”

There are no plans for the injured Lakers center to begin practicing any time soon. If the Lakers eventually advance to the NBA Finals, the earliest start date would be June 3.

Bynum has been out since Jan. 13 because of a bone bruise in his left knee and a subluxation of his left kneecap – a brief dislocation that popped back into place.

Bynum said there was no swelling in the knee, but acknowledged it was painful.

“It’s frustrating because I can do everything but what pertains to basketball – running and jumping, defensive slides,” he said.

Early in the first round against Denver, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said, there was only a “remote” chance of Bynum returning for the playoffs.

Bynum, 20, is under contract for one more season, but he could sign an additional five-year extension after this season worth up to an estimated $80 million.

Bynum’s play kept improving before he was injured. He averaged 17.3 points and 12.2 rebounds in six games in January before he was sidelined.

 mike.bresnahan@latimes.com