MINNEAPOLIS — Not exactly a news flash, but Coach Phil Jackson said today the team isn’t good enough defensively to win the NBA championship without center Andrew Bynum. Here’s more from Jackson: “I don’t think so. We have to shore it up another way than just relying on size. We’ve been talking to our players about being too porous as a team.”

Asked about the importance of bringing Bynum back from knee surgery at the right pace, Jackson said: “We understand what Andrew brings to us and also we have to value his return and do it the right way. It looks to me like we’re just going to have to say we want this to be right. We want him to last for the whole season. We don’t want to rush this.”