The Los Angeles Times' Ben Bolch reports that Dwight Howard won't be ready for the Oct. 7 preseason opener against the Golden State Warriors and could be out a while longer:
Howard is not expected to be ready to participate when the Lakers start training camp Oct. 2.
The newly acquired center, who had surgery in April to repair a herniated disk in his back, said last month that he might not be ready by the Lakers' season opener Oct. 30.
With all the good news this summer has had to offer, it's hard to get too down about a minor and not entirely unexpected delay. We've known all along that Howard would have to follow a strict set of recovery guidelines after getting back surgery in April.
And, we also know championships aren't won or lost during the preseason.
If anything, Los Angeles should view Howard's recovery period as an opportunity to give more playing time to some key role players who really could use it, albeit for different reasons.
Jordan Hill played sparingly for the Lakers last season after he was acquired in the deal sending Derek Fisher, ever so briefly, to the Houston Rockets. He probably won't play significantly more minutes this season, but you can be sure head coach Mike Brown wants him ready to go in a moment's notice should Howard experience any back pain as the season grinds on.
Antawn Jamison will get some extra preseason minutes too given that Hill will spend more time at the center position than he will when Howard's not on the floor. The 36-year-old is obviously far more polished than Hill, but he's new to the Lakers.
He'll also have to adjust to coming off the bench again, a role he thrived in during the 2003-04 season in which he was named Sixth Man of ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
