Not so fast.
Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reports that if D12 had his way, he'd be available Oct. 30 to play the Dallas Mavericks. But he also had this to say:
"The Lakers have been reluctant to make public a timetable on Howard's return, and have maintained a cautious approach to protect his long-term health."
Good for them.
There just isn't much to be gained by bringing Howard back before he's absolutely ready, and his doctors will ultimately determine when that is. As eager as the All-Star center may be to debut, along with the rest of the new-look roster, it's far more important that he not risk setbacks that could sideline him for an extended portion of the regular season.
As it is, Howard will already miss out on some valuable opportunities to build chemistry with his new team during training camp and preseason games.
But Los Angeles can stomach that.
Losing him for any significant chunk of time later in the season would be another story altogether, a costly interruption for this starting unit's attempts to gel well in advance of the postseason.
In theory, Howard shouldn't have to worry about another herniated disc. After his April surgery, that back should be as good as new structurally.
The concern is that playing at anything less than full strength could cause the big man to compensate with unsound biomechanics that lead to entirely new problems. In the same way that fatigue can cause players to move differently and spur "wear and tear" kind of injuries, returning to the floor before his training regimen runs its course could lead to similar unpredictable consequences.
It would be one thing if we were talking about Howard coming back in time for a playoff game, but at worst, his brief absence could cost the Lakers a couple of games in the stand...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
