The Los Angeles Lakers have signed fourth-year center Andrew Bynum to a multi-year contract extension, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.

Appearing in 35 games last season, Bynum averaged 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks before suffering a season-ending knee injury during the Lakers 100-99 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on January 13th.

?We?re extremely happy to have signed Andrew to this extension, which will secure his immediate future with the franchise,? said Kupchak. ?Andrew has shown a vast array of skills for a player his size and if he continues to stay dedicated and work hard to improve, he has an excellent chance to develop into one of the top players in the NBA.?

?This has been a fantastic week for me so far: turning 21, winning our first two games of the season, and now getting this new contract signed,? said Bynum. ?This gives me and my family financial security, and more importantly, cements my future with the Lakers, which in my opinion is the best organization in all of professional sports. I couldn?t be happier.?

Bynum, an early entry candidate for the 2005 NBA Draft, became the youngest player in NBA history to be selected when the Lakers used their first round pick (10th overall) to acquire the 7?0? center. A McDonald?s High School All-American, Bynum averaged 22.0 points, 16.0 rebounds and 5.0 blocks his senior season at St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, New Jersey.

For his career, Bynum is averaging 7.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 19.3 minutes.

Lakers' coach Phil Jackson doesn't believe that his team has shed the 'soft' label they earned in their loss to the Celtics in the NBA Finals last June.

"Mentally they were a tough team, but physically they weren't a tough team," Jackson said of last season's Lakers. "We're not a bunch of wrestlers or tough guys who can slug it out. We haven't solved that problem. I think quickness is what we've tried to do to eradicate that. I think speed is going to have to help us do that."

The Lakers on Thursday reached an agreement on a four-year contract extension with Andrew Bynum worth about $58M, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing sources familiar with the negotiations.

The deal would keep Bynum under contract with the Lakers through the 2012-13 season, according to the report. The first three years of the deal are reportedly worth nearly $42M, with a team option fourth year for about $16M.

The regular season was back in full swing on Wednesday night with twenty-four teams taking the floor. Jermaine O'Neal made his debut for Toronto; the Knicks played for the first time under Mike D'Antoni; and Baron Davis battled with the Clippers against their roommates the Lakers in Los Angeles.

All that and much more took place on the second day of the 2008-09 regular season.

*FIC scores will be added as they come in.

- Toronto 95, Philadelphia 84

The Raptors used a strong second quarter run to take a lead that they would never relinquish against the 76ers at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. Chris Bosh led with 27 points and 11 rebounds while newcomer Jermaine O?Neal chipped in 17 points and 8 rebounds in the win. Toronto forced seventeen turnovers and limited the 76ers to just 34% shooting from the floor. Elton Brand posted 14 points and 13 rebounds in his Philly debut, and Samuel Dalembert contributed 9 points and 17 boards in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Chris Bosh, Toronto ? 24.0

Samuel Dalembert, Philadelphia ? 14.6

Jose Calderon, Toronto ? 12.3

Jermaine O'Neal, Toronto ? 11.6

- Atlanta 99, Orlando 85

The Magic led 4-2 early on Wednesday night but never led again as the Hawks cruised to a relatively easy roavictory. Joe Johnson had 25 points and 7 rebounds; Josh Smith added 17 points and 10 boards; and sophomore Al Horford tallied 10 points and 9 rebounds in the win. Atlanta outrebounded Orlando by eight despite Dwight Howard?s 22-point, 15-rebound performance. The Magic struggled from beyond the arc all night long, finishing the game 4-for-25 from downtown.

Game FIC Scores

Dwight Howard, Orlando ? 23.4

Josh Smith, Atlanta ? 22.6

Joe Johnson, Atlanta ?12.8

Al Horford, Atlanta ? 11.8

- New Jersey 95, Washington 85

The Nets used a 12-point advantage in the second half to come-from-behind and defeat the Gilbert Arenas-less Wizards. Vince Carter starred with 21 points and 6 assists, and Yi Jianlian contributed 17 points and 6 rebounds in his first game with New Jersey. The Nets took care of the ball, turning it over just nine times, and limited Washington to 37% shooting. Caron Butler had 13 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists in the loss while Antawn Jamison struggled to score 14 points as he went 6-for-18 from the field.

Game FIC Scores

Yi Jianlian, New Jersey ? 15.8

Jarvis Hayes, New Jersey ? 14.5

Vince Carter, New Jersey ? 12.6

Etan Thomas, Washington ? 9.8

- New York 120, Miami 115

The Knicks won in their first game under Mike D?Antoni, holding off the Heat despite a furious fourth quarter rally by the visiting team at Madison Square Garden. Jamal Crawford scored 29 points, and David Lee had 16 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists in the victory. Dwyane Wade excelled for the Heat, tallying 26 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds, but Miami dug themselves too deep of a hole heading into the final quarter. Udonis Haslem posted 23 points and 10 rebounds while rookie Michael Beasley had 9 points and 4 rebounds in twenty-seven minutes of play.

Game FIC Scores

David Lee, New York ? 19.1

Udonis Haslem, Miami ? 17.5

Mario Chalmers, Miami ? 17.0

Zach Randolph, New York ? 15.4

- Detroit 100, Indiana 94

The Pistons defeated the Pacers in a closer-than-expected battle at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Wednesday night. Tayshaun Prince led Detroit with 19 points and Chauncey Billups had 13 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds in the win. The Pistons forced twenty-two turnovers and outrebounded the Pacers by three. Danny Granger led Indiana with 33 points, and Troy Murphy helped anchor the middle with 13 points and 15 rebounds in the loss. T.J. Ford, who was making his debut for the Pacers, had 10 points, 5 assists, and four turnovers.

Game FIC Scores

Danny Granger, Indiana - 20.8

Troy Murphy, Indiana - 18.3

Chauncey Billups, Detroit - 14.4

Tayshaun Prince, Detroit - 13.8

- Minnesota 98, Sacramento 96

The Timberwolves won a very hard-fought game over the Kings at the Target Center. Minnesota led by ten at one point in the second quarter, but Sacramento fought back to tie the score heading into the fourth. Al Jefferson had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and rookie Kevin Love debuted with 12 points and 9 boards of his own in the victory. John Salmons led the Kings with 24 points and 6 assists, but Kevin Martin struggled from the field in the loss. Martin, who scored 17 points, went 5-for-19 from the field. Spencer Hawes, Sacramento?s first round pick from 2007, had 12 points and 14 rebounds.

Game FIC Scores

Spencer Hawes, Sacramento - 21.3

John Salmons, Sacramento -  16.0

Al Jefferson, Minnesota - 14.9

Kevin Love, Minnesota - 14.0

- Phoenix 103, San Antonio 98

The game was extremely close throughout, but the Suns came away with a win in Terry Porter?s coaching debut against the rival Spurs. Amare Stoudemire had 22 points; Shaquille O?Neal posted 15 points and 13 rebounds; and Steve Nash tallied 13 points and 13 assists in the victory. Phoenix attempted eight more foul shots than San Antonio and made just one more three-pointer. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker each had 32 points in the loss while Matt Bonner contributed 8 points and 7 rebounds off the bench.

Game FIC Scores

Tony Parker, San Antonio - 18.5

Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix - 18.3

Tim Duncan, San Antonio - 16.8

Steve Nash, Phoenix - 16.5

- Milwaukee 98, Oklahoma City 87

The Thunder?s debut in Oklahoma City was an unsuccessful one as they lost to the Bucks on Wednesday night. Michael Redd, Richard Jefferson, and Charlie Villanueva each scored 20 points, and Andrew Bogut added 14 points and 7 rebounds in the win. Milwaukee outrebounded Oklahoma City by eight and made seven three-pointers. Chris Wilcox led the Thunder with 15 points and 7 rebounds while Kevin Durant was just 5-for-14 from the floor with 12 points. Rookie Russell Westbrook had 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in his debut.

Game FIC Scores

Richard Jefferson, Milwaukee ? 16.1

Charlie Villanueva, Milwaukee ? 12.9

Chris Wilcox, Oklahoma City ? 12.4

Andrew Bogut, Milwaukee ? 11.0

- Houston 82, Memphis 71

The Rockets used a 24-14 edge in the fourth quarter to knock off the Grizzlies in their first game of the season. Yao Ming had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Ron Artest posted 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals in the victory. Houston forced sixteen turnovers but was outrebounded by five. Marc Gasol had 12 points and 12 rebounds in his NBA debut while fellow rookie Darrell Arthur (11 pts, 15 rds) had a double-double of his own. O.J. Mayo, yet another Memphis rookie, scored 10 points on 5-for-20 shooting in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Darrell Arthur, Memphis - 18.3

Yao Ming, Houston - 15.4

Luis Scola, Houston - 12.3

Marc Gasol, Memphis - 11.1

- Utah 98, Denver 94

Carlos Boozer led the Jazz past the Nuggets with 25 points and 14 rebounds in a hotly-contested game in Salt Lake City. Utah led by eleven at one point, but the game was tied was just fifteen seconds left when the Jazz took control. Utah outrebounded Denver by eleven, winning without Deron Williams (sprained ankle). Allen Iverson led the Nuggets, who were without Carmelo Anthony (suspension), with 18 points and 8 assists. Kenyon Martin added 18 points and 6 rebounds for Denver in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Carlos Boozer, Utah - 19.8

Andrei Kirilenko, Utah - 15.0

Mehmet Okur, Utah - 14.8

Kenyon Martin, Denver - 14.3

- New Orleans 108, Golden State 103

The Hornets remained poised in the fourth quarter against the Warriors on their way to a close road win. David West had 24 points; Chris Paul tallied 21 points and 8 assists; and Tyson Chandler added 13 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 blocks for New Orleans in the victory. The game was tight throughout, with the Hornets shooting 51% against Golden State?s mark of 45%. Corey Maggette led the Warriors in his first game with the team, scoring 27 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. Stephen Jackson, who had 26 points, and Andris Biedrins, 14 points and 12 rebounds, enjoyed strong statistical nights, as well.

Game FIC Scores

Chris Paul, New Orleans - 20.5

Corey Maggette, Golden State - 20.0

Tyson Chandler, New Orleans - 16.0

David West, New Orleans - 15.4

- L.A. Lakers 117, L.A. Clippers 79

The Lakers spoiled the debut of Baron Davis in Los Angeles as they thumped the Clippers by 38 points at STAPLES Center. Six Lakers scored in double figures, including Kobe Bryant, who had 16 points and 7 rebounds. The Lakers outrebounded the Clippers by eighteen and shot 52% from the field. Al Thornton led the Clips with 16 points while Tim Thomas added 11 points and 8 rebounds in the loss. Davis struggled, shooting 4-for-13, en route to 9 points and 6 assists.

Game FIC Scores

Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers - 14.1

Jordan Farmar, L.A. Lakers - 14.0

Andrew Bynum, L.A. Lakers - 12.0

Baron Davis, L.A. Clippers - 7.0

* RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their 'Reina Value.'
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

Greg Oden has had an NBA debut to forget, spraining his foot during the first half and not returning to the game.

According to Cheryl Miller on TNT, X-Rays came back negative, but Oden will undergo an MRI on Wednesday.

Oden was scoreless on 0-for-4 shooting in 13 minutes, but he did have five rebounds.

The Lakers exercised the fourth-year option on the contract of guard Jordan Farmar on Monday, but center Andrew Bynum is still without an extension as Friday's deadline approaches.

Bynum, who will make $2.8 million this season in the final year of his contract, is reportedly looking to sign a five-year extension worth approximately $85 million.

The Lakers haven't moved on any sort of extension even though the deadline is Friday, according to Bynum's agent.

"Whatever happens, happens," agent David Lee said.

Coby Karl was waived by the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, according to an Associated Press report.

Karl, the son of Nuggets' coach George Karl, averaged 1.8 points, 0.8 rebounds and 4.2 minutes as an undrafted rookie free agent with the Lakers.

Baron Davis, who has been slowed by a partial tear of a ligament in his left ring finger, is expected to be listed as questionable for the Clippers' opener against the Lakers on Wednesday night, according to a Yahoo.com report.

Lamar Odom has had a change of heart and is now fine with the role of sixth man in Los Angeles.

"Really comfortable," Odom said of his new role. "Whatever the team needs me to do, that's what I'm going to do. To be successful and play for championships, that doesn't come around too often, you know what I'm saying? Whatever it takes.

"You know, I'm a humble dude. I put my ego aside."

Lakers' guard Kobe Bryant tested his hyperextended knee on Friday night in the team's exhibition win over the Thunder.

"Just making sure my rhythm was good, making sure my knee was good," Bryant said. "This way I wouldn't have to go out on Tuesday and experiment with it. It felt fine, and I'll be ready to go."

Bryant played only eight minutes before taking the rest of the night off.

He went 2-of-3 from the floor and had one rebound and one assist.