Maybe the Lakers will finally win a preseason game. After being outscored by a ridiculous average of 23 points in their opening four “games that don’t really matter except to Chris Douglas-Roberts,” sources told Yahoo! Sports that Dwight Howard plans to suit up and play this Sunday against Sacramento.
Those same sources apparently also said it’s doubtful Howard plays in back-to-back games next week, but that he may play in two of the Lakers’ final three preseason games.
After surgery in April to repair a herniated disk, Howard’s possible return date has been slowly moving up. At first, we heard Christmas, and as training camp got underway and then moved along, the timetable consistently changed. That’s great news for Laker fans, whose team has looked like complete garbage so far during the preseason. Obviously, the real games haven’t started yet, but with a similar injury keeping Jordan Hill out of the lineup for the foreseeable future and depth already an issue, the Lakers would like to get a look at their true starting five before opening night against Dallas 11 days from now.
How will they look? Kobe Bryant is spry, having lost anywhere from five to 15 pounds depending on who you talk to. Steve Nash has alternated between splendid and turnover-prone (especially against Utah), which is quite odd. Metta World Peace is in great shape, and still cuckoo, while his production isn’t consistent. But still, a first look at a Howard-Nash pick-n-roll is going to be devastating.
Should he be going this early?
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