Dwight Howard: The Fragile Giant Is Hurt Once Again

The Los Angeles Lakers looked as though they had finally turned the corner over the last couple of games. Everyone was getting involved, the defense had improved, and Kobe Bryant was suddenly pass-happy, averaging 12 assists over the last four games. It was starting to look as though the Lakers were going to make a run at legitimacy after all.

Then Dwight Howard had the ball stripped as he was going up strong towards the basket, and he immediately dropped to the ground, clutching his often injured right shoulder. This is the second time in just a few short weeks that Howard has had an issue with this shoulder, the same shoulder that required surgery to repair a torn labrum not so long ago.

With all of the madness that surrounded Howard for so many months while he was publicly plotting his exit from the Orlando Magic, one has to question whether or not the Lakers’ center is worth all of the trouble it took to get him.

His laundry list of injuries continues to grow, keeping him from contributing on the floor, and calling his “Superman” alter-ego into question. The attitude issues have been well documented over the years, and the change of scenery does not appear to have tempered the diva in him at all.

It is unfortunate for Howard, and for fans of the Lakers, that their big man is hurt once again. The Lakers have been fighting hard against all of the hurdles a newly formed team has to overcome, and it is tough to see that get derailed just as they seemed to be getting it going.

As for the injury itself, it looked eerily similar to the first time he injured that shoulder and tore the labrum. As he goes up with momentum and force, the Phoenix Suns defender, in this case ex-Laker Shannon Brown, comes down on the ball and the two forces heading in opposite directions manes something has to give.

Hopefully, Howard just aggravated the shoulder and will be able to return to work soon. Without him on the floor, the Suns were able to spoil Steve Nash‘s return to Phoenix, erasing a 13 point fourth quarter deficit, and stealing the game away at the end.

 

Jeff Everette is a Featured Columnist for www.RantSports.com, covering the NFL and NBA.  Follow Jeff on twitter @jeverettesports, like his page on FaceBook, or add his Google + to your circles for all of his latest articles, thoughts, and rants.