Lakers center Andrew Bynum is coming back from a four game suspension, and awaiting the big man is a bigger role.

"He's going to see the ball probably a lot more than he did in the past, but he'll have to be able to do something with it in order to get it and keep getting it," Lakers coach Mike Brown said.

Brown said he would like for Bynum to blossom into a "double-double guy" this season.

"Does that mean 10 and 10 or 20 and 10? I don't know," Brown said. "But I think he can be a double-double guy."

Derrick Rose is close to agreeing to a 10-year, $250 million extension with adidas, according to an industry source close to the situation.

Rose is adidas' only counter to Kobe Bryant in emerging markets like China, where volume really counts. Rose reportedly already outsells LeBron James there.

Both Bryant and James endorse Nike.

Kobe Bryant said Thursday his troublesome right knee is “95 percent better” after the innovative procedure he underwent in the offseason.

“As close to 100 percent as it’s going to get,” Bryant said.

Bryant was approached about the molecular scientist Peter Wehling’s procedure, which involves injecting the patient’s own blood as a serum into the problem area, by baseball star Alex Rodriguez.

“I gave him the phone number,” said Bryant, who added that his message to Rodriguez was: “It made a huge difference for me.”

Kobe Bryant's attempted 47 shots, 19 of which are classified as dribble jumpers by Synergy Sports – a mark that is consistent with his recent increase in this shot type.

However, what is readily apparent  – even in such a small sample size – is the concerted effort Los Angeles is making to help him create space. It isn’t unusual to see someone like Derek Fisher set a down screen for Kobe in the corner, allowing him to flash up then curl off a handoff from Josh McRoberts.

In fact nearly 40 percent of his 64 total possessions have come via screen, handoff or pick-and-roll. In the previous four seasons, those play-types never accounted for even 20 percent of his offense.

According to sources close to the situation, the Magic will not hold out for youth and draft picks in a potential deal for Dwight Howard.

The Magic would instead prefer to acquire several established players who can keep the team competitive.

Owner Rick De Vos, 85, is believed to have little interest in rebuilding in the wake of Howard's departure.

Dan Fegan, Howard's agent, has formal permission to discuss trade possibilities with the Nets, Lakers, and Mavericks.

As the first team to have to go through a back-to-back-to-back in this lockout-shortened 66-game season, the Lakers partook in a unique team activity Monday to guard against the fatigue that the schedule has in store for them.

The Lakers visited a Sacramento-area cryotherapy clinic to experience intense cold therapy, a procedure that is growing in popularity in the world of professional sports and replacing the traditional ice bath.

Lakers players were split into groups of four and placed in a room that was approximately 60 degrees below Fahrenheit for one minute. Once their bodies got used to the cold climate, the players walked into an adjacent room where temperature was approximately 200 degrees below zero, where they were kept for three minutes before being released.

Josh McRoberts had six points, eight rebounds and two blocks in a Lakers' debut Kobe Bryant described as "terrific."

McRoberts has been nicknamed 'McRambis' by some fans with how his style of play is similar to Kurt Rambis.

McRoberts started at power forward with Pau Gasol shifting to center due to the suspension of Andrew Bynum.

Kobe Bryant visited molecular orthopedist Peter Wehling in Duesseldorf, Germany during the offseason to get treatment on an arthritic joint in his knee. After deeming it a success, Bryant went to see Wehling for his troublesome left ankle.

Wehling's procedure targets interleukin, proteins or molecules that cause inflammatory responses.

Blood is removed from the affected area of a patient and spun in a centrifuge. The antagonists of interleukin are removed to create a serum that is injected back into the targeted area.

The ripple effects of Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard both being part of the Adidas endorsement family is that the shoe company wouldn't want the two players on the same team.

As one high-ranking sneaker executive says, “Adidas simply cannot have its two signature players on the same team in the same market. … Derrick is the face of that market, owns that market, and Adidas can’t possibly have maximum bang for its buck with Dwight there.

“It serves Adidas no purpose. They need them as rivals in competing markets.”

Howard has an Adidas renewal on deck in the next year, and Los Angeles and Brooklyn guarantee him maximum money.

The Knicks have the highest average ticket price of the five Christmas Day games.

Here are the averages, according to information provided by TiqIQ.com:

Celtics @ Knicks: $516.09
Bulls @ Lakers: $466.02
Heat @ Mavs: $395.97
Magic @ Thunder: $295.71
Clippers @ Warriors: $104.95