Andrew Bynum's knees are no longer hurting and the center is hoping to return to basketbal action for the 76ers just after the All-Star break. Bynum has not played in a Sixers uniform since being acquired in the deal that sent Dwight Howard to Los Angeles due to knee issues, but Bynum has begun working out in front of media for the first time and insists there is minimal pain in his knees. 

From Philly.com:

Bynum has sounded increasingly optimistic in recent weeks when discussing his recovery from bone bruises and weakened cartilage in both knees. When he finished Monday, he gave fans of the Sixers reason to be optimistic that he will play soon. The 7-foot center said that his knees no longer hurt and that he was "running at an 8-mile-per-hour clip" on the team's treadmills. Bynum would not give a timeline for his return, but he suggested that he could be back next month.

"I have no idea exactly," Bynum said. "I just want to get back. I think, I'm hoping, around the all-star break. That's what I'm hoping."

The team offered no timetable for his return. The Sixers will begin the all-star break on Feb. 14. Considering that Bynum has yet to run on anything other than joint-protecting exercise machines, it is more likely that if he does return next month it will be sometime after the break. The 76ers' first action after the All-Star Game is Feb. 20 at Minnesota.

When a reporter asked Bynum if the pain he felt in his knees was tolerable, Bynum corrected him.

"No, it's minimal," Bynum said. "It's not hurting is what I'm saying. . . . It's time to get ready. I'm getting ready to play."