Mike Brown preaches caution on Dwight Howard’s return to action – NBA Update
Dwight Howard thinks he is ready to make a comeback in Sunday’s pre-season game against the Sacramento Kings.
Mike Brown is not that sure about it.
"With Dwight's status, it's a day-by-day approach," Brown told 710 ESPN LA's John Ireland before the Lakers' exhibition game against the Kings in Las Vegas on Friday night. "(Saturday) we'll have a practice; they (the Lakers' medical
staff) will re-evaluate him. Sunday, we'll have a shootaround, they'll re-evaluate him, and if he's ready to go, he'll go that night."
Howard has been on the sidelines for quite some time now. He missed games for the Orlando Magic late last season due to back issues and then underwent a surgery in April to repair a herniated disk in his back. Initially it was
expected that Howard will not be fit for the pre-season opener against the Dallas Mavericks on Oct 30, but the big man made a speedy recovery and for the past week he has been participating in 5-on-5 scrimmages.
Howard is understandably eager to start off with the Lakers, but maintained on Friday that it's all up to the team's medical staff.
"I want to hopefully play in a couple of preseason games, or at least one," he said. "I think it's very important for myself, for the team. But if the trainers don't feel like I need to play right now, then I won't play. There's
no rush. Hopefully, I'll be playing sooner than later," he added. "But there's no statements that I've ever said I'm going to play Sunday. I don't want people to think that that was the date that I had set for me to come back.”
Howard’s addition has added a new dimension to the Lakers. Now they have the league’s best centre, best point guard of the last decade in Steve Nash, and the best shooting guard – infact the best player – of last decade in Kobe
Bryant. Add Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace to the mix and the Lakers starting five really pack a punch.
Their problem however, as depicted by the pre-season results so far, is the team chemistry. The Lakers need to absorb Nash and Howard into their system as quickly as possible, and for that they need the duo to play as many games
as possible.
However there is a fine line between caution and eagerness and hurrying Howard onto the court can hurt the franchise in the long run. They would certainly not want to take that risk, considering that Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami
Heat are rearing to re-assert their dominance, and Howard’s extension hangs in the balance.
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