Dwight Howard's right shoulder has been about as reliable as Pau Gasol's attitude this season. And much like Gasol's disposition, Howard's shoulder is only going to become a bigger problem for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Though Howard's back was supposed to be the primary reason for concern, it's been his shoulder that has caused the most conflict.
Initially, the torn labrum in his right shoulder was supposed to be just a minor hurdle. He missed about a week and that was supposed to be the end of it.
Or so the Lakers thought.
Howard has reaggravated that same injury on a number of occasions in less than a one-month span, most recently in Los Angeles' fourth-quarter collapse against the Phoenix Suns (via Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register).
Each time the big man has irritated that pesky shoulder of his, the repercussions have been considered minor. He hasn't missed any extended time since the original tear, nor has he seemed to favor the injury while pursuing rebounds or contesting shots.
According to Kevin Ding (h/t Sulia.com), this incident is to be no exception:
Dwight said this is the most pain he has felt in shoulder since he initially injured it.
But pain has always gone away the next day and improved after that, so no reason to believe this time with the shoulder will be any different.
Dwight said flatly that he is not considering having surgery on the shoulder or shutting himself down. He is hopeful the pain will go away so he can play -- though he stressed it is a lot of pain right now.
Per Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni reiterated that he does not expect Howard's shoulder to be a major problem moving forward.
Forgive me for going against the grain here, but there's no way Howard's injury ceases to be an issue. If anything, it's only go...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
