Well, actually, when it concerns his own health, he can get a pass.
Howard recently told the Los Angeles Times that his back injury affected his nerves to the point where he couldn’t feel his left leg. Here’s the entire quote in full:
"What a lot of people don't know is when I hurt my back, it affected my nerves to the point where my whole left leg just went dead basically," the Lakers center said Thursday. "I couldn't do a calf raise." – via LA Times
Howard’s words shed some light on how intense his back injury last season truly was. In this light, his absence in the Lakers’ next game against Utah seems more appropriate.
Perhaps these comments should temper expectations for the star center’s return to the hardwood.All in all, he may take longer to get to full strength than expected.
Laker fans, hold your collective breath.
After all, any injury involving the back should be handled with extreme care. Especially when "season opener" and "NBA championship" don’t have much of a correlation.
Before Laker fans start throwing tomatoes at me: Howard has decided to leave his game status in the hands of Lakers’ trainer Gary Vitti, or “Father Vitti,” as Howard has dubbed him.
When Howard puts his full trust in his “father figure” to choose whether he will play, there’s something more serious going on than seems to be the case. Dwight’s a 26-year-old mammoth of a man who could work his way into the lineup for his LA debut if he really wanted to.
Even when Howard does throw down his first vicious alley-oop from Steve Nash, the Lakers are sure to monitor his minutes.
No 40-minute outings for Howard just yet. This back injury is no qui...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
