Lakers center Andrew Bynum says he’ll play Sunday despite hurt knee

Andrew Bynum stood before a gathering fidgeting, his eyes roaming, looking like a player who wanted the questions about the bone bruise in his right knee to end quickly.

The seven-foot Lakers center was quick to announce that he will play Sunday in Game 1 of the Western Conference first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Hornets at Staples Center, saying, “I’m fine” and “I’ll be all right” after he practiced Friday.

Bynum was injured Tuesday night against the Spurs. He got an MRI Wednesday that showed the knee was nothing worse than he originally thought while sitting on the court with his head between his knees.

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“It felt crazy when it happened,” said Bynum, who didn’t play Wednesday night against the Sacramento Kings. “So I just thought I did something more than I did.”

Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said he’s not sure what Bynum will be able to provide against the Hornets.

The fact is, Jackson said, how Bynum recovers and responds at Saturday’s practice will be another test.

The beginning of Friday’s practice wasn’t so smooth.

“Actually, I was a little concerned,” Jackson said. “He started out practice and he felt like the knee was a little bit loose, a little different. But he proceeded and he played fine, OK.”

Bynum admitted that he still has a “little pain” in his knee.

“It’s not bad, though,” Bynum said. “It’s not anything more than anything I had to endure last year.”

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Last season, Bynum played in the playoffs with a torn cartilage in his right knee. During the 2009 playoff run, he came back to play all 23 playoff games after recovering from a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee.

He said he’ll always have to wear a brace on his right knee.

And then there is the fluid in his right knee that is a constant.

“Yeah, I’ll always have fluid in there,” Bynum said. “It’s not to the extent where I have to get it drained. The thing is, if that increases, that’s when you know I did something [bad to the knee]. Since that didn’t happen, it’s encouraging.”

Injury update

Matt Barnes sat out practice Friday with a sore right knee and was listed by Jackson as “probable” for Sunday’s game.

Jackson said Ron Artest sat out practice Friday with a hyperextended knee from Wednesday night’s game in Sacramento, but he will play Sunday.

Jackson said he dropped a video off Thursday night at Steve Blake’s home. Blake missed the last two games with the chickenpox and is not expected to play Sunday. Jackson said Game 2 on Wednesday night is a possibility for Blake to play.

“He looks very speckled,” Jackson said, smiling. “He’s got a lot of poxes on him, but he says he’s feeling better.”

Jackson disagrees with fine

Jackson didn’t feel a $75,000 fine issued to him and the Lakers for his comments regarding a possible NBA lockout was warranted.

He didn’t want to answer a question about the fine because of “another fine,” but Jackson proceeded to answer the question anyway.

“No one feels good about the action that pursued,” Jackson said, pausing for a second, “except David Stern, probably.”

Stern is the NBA commissioner.

Lakers draft pick

A coin flip broke a tie between the Lakers and Mavericks that Dallas won for a first-round draft pick because both teams had 57-25 records.

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But the Lakers already had given away their 2011 first-round draft pick to New Jersey when they traded Sasha Vujacic to the Nets for Joe Smith.

The Lakers have four second-round draft picks — 41, 46, 56 and 58.

broderick.turner@latimes.com

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