One of the biggest offseason moves in the NBA came from the Los Angeles Lakers as they acquired Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic to make them one of the favorites to win it all in 2012-13. While Howard’s presence should have an immediate impact on both offense and defense, the Lakers may have to wait a little longer before their new center can play.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, Howard’s rehabilitation from back surgery is taking longer than expected and he’s expected to miss training camp along with the first game of the preseason. With this in mind, it’s difficult not to wonder whether or not Howard will be ready to go for the start of the regular season when the Lakers take on the Dallas Mavericks October 30.
The last thing Howard wants to do is push himself too hard and re-aggravate his back injury—which would put him at risk to lose even more time during the regular season. After averaging 20.6 points and 14.5 rebounds last year, Howard will play a key role in how far Los Angeles goes this season.
With a lineup consisting of Howard, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, and Pau Gasol, the Lakers will arguably have one of the most dominant starting lineups in all of basketball. The Lakers realize they need to be cautious with Howard’s situation –so it should be interesting to see how his rehabilitation goes over the next couple of weeks and whether or not it impacts him playing at the beginning of the regular season.
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