Orlando Magic super star Dwight Howard to undergo surgery, out for the season – NBA Update
The Orlando Magic feared the worst when star centre Dwight Howard’s back injury aggravated and now it has been confirmed that the player will not return this season, even in the playoffs. Howard is set to undergo surgery on his back and that means he will only be ready for next season.
Howard almost never misses games through injury and is easily the most physically fit player in the NBA. Since he has entered the NBA, this has been his longest absence through injury from the court.
Howard first experienced pain in his back last month, when his coach Stan Van Gundy accused Dallas Mavericks centre Brendan Haywood of having punched him in the back. At first Dwight and the Magic believed that the reason for pain in his back was just spasms.
The multiple times NBA Defensive Player of the Year underwent massages and other therapies to ease his pain and get back to fitness. It wasn’t until he went to Los Angeles that a specialist diagnosed him with a herniated disc.
The franchise knew immediately that the player would miss the remaining games of the regular season. There was though hope that he would be back for the playoffs. However, with surgery now inevitable, that too is an unforeseeable eventuality.
The player will be out for around four months after surgery and he is confident that he will make a full recovery.
"The doctor said it's a one-inch incision," Howard said. "He said I can start rehab right away and be back to full contact in four months. So I'm not really concerned. If anything, I'll come back stronger."
Stan Van Gundy is already on record having said that the Magic are preparing for a post season without Howard. The coach’s earlier attacks on his centre and his subsequent absence from the team had some quarters suggesting that he had in fact given up on the idea of playing again for the Magic under him.
That though is far from the truth, according to Dwight. He said he has always been committed to his team and that has not changed.
"It hurts (emotionally)," Howard told ESPN the Magazine's Chris Broussard. "That's the first thing -- it hurts. And then with people saying and thinking I'm quitting on my team. This is a real issue. I tried to play through it and it just made my back worse."
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