Andrew Bynum says he could stay with 76ers

He heard the roar from hundreds of Philadelphia 76ers fans chanting “An-drew By-num! An-drew By-num!” the moment he stepped into the National Constitution Center.

Andrew Bynum instantly felt at home in Philadelphia.

He enjoyed his first days in the city so much, Bynum, who can become a free agent at the end of season, made it clear he wouldn’t mind playing in that No. 33 jersey for the 76ers for more than a year.

“My first experiences here have been so great,” Bynum said, “I’m really leaning toward making this my home.”

With that proclamation, 76ers fans erupted.

Wearing a 76ers T-shirt, Bynum made his first appearance Wednesday since he was acquired last week from the Lakers as part of a four-team megadeal. Former Philadelphia All-Star Andre Iguodala landed in Denver and Orlando shipped Dwight Howard to the Lakers as part of the trades.

The 76ers scrapped the usual ho-hum news conference and turned Bynum’s arrival into a full-blown pep rally.

ETC.

Nadal won’t play in U.S. Open

Rafael Nadal’s Grand Slam count will stay at 11 for now, sidetracked by another knee problem.

The third-ranked Spaniard withdrew from the U.S. Open on Wednesday. Tendinitis has kept him out of action since his stunning loss at Wimbledon in late June.

The injury already had forced him out of the London Olympics, where he was supposed to defend his title and carry Spain’s flag in the opening ceremony.

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Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer won their opening matches in straight sets at the Western & Southern Open, getting accustomed to the heat in Mason, Ohio, after spending the last two weeks in London and Canada.

For Murray, it was a chance to gauge how his left knee was doing. He won an Olympic gold medal by beating Federer on the grass at Wimbledon, then dropped out of the Rogers Cup in Toronto last week because his knee got sore in the transition to hard courts.

No problem for the defending Cincinnati champion. He beat Sam Querrey, 6-2, 6-4, facing only two break points all match.

Djokovic was a little off in his opening set on a court baked in sunshine and 86-degree heat, before pulling away from Andreas Seppi of Italy, 7-6 (4), 6-2.

Federer had no trouble in his evening match against Russia’s Alex Bogomolov, winning, 6-3, 6-2, in exactly one hour.

On the women’s side, top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland advanced to the third round with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden.

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Acclamation, expected to be the favorite in the $1-million TVG Pacific Classic on Aug. 26 at Del Mar, will probably miss the race after suffering an injury. Acclamation’s owner E.W. “Bud” Johnston reported that the 6-year-old son of Unusual Heat came out of a Monday gallop with a slight swelling by the left front ankle.

—Eric Sondheimer

The wide gap that existed in labor talks between the NHL and NHL Players’ Assn. was hardly bridged Wednesday, a day after the union presented its counterproposal and with the threat of a lockout now only a month away.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the two sides are “still apart, far apart,” and “not on the same page,” in making his first public comments since having a chance to read through the NHLPA’s offer. Adding that he was “a little disappointed” that the union has yet to present its full proposal, Bettman said the league isn’t even at the point of making a counteroffer.

NHLPA Executive Director Don Fehr described the gap between the two sides as “a pretty substantial monetary gulf.”