Dwight Howard Injury: Updates on Rockets Star's Knee and Return
Dwight Howard is still recovering from a knee injury he suffered against the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 23. Howard has revealed that when he does return, he will not play in back-to-back games. Howard is expected to return on March 25 as a starter.
Continue for updates.
Howard Expected to Start vs. Pelicans
Wednesday, March 25
Howard will start Wednesday night, though he will play with a minutes restriction, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle confirmed that head coach Kevin McHale announced Howard will be in the starting lineup.
Howard said he will play "about 16 minutes," per Feigen.
On Tuesday, Creech had reported McHale planned to play Howard on Wednesday against New Orleans.
Howard Says He Won't Play in Back-to-Back Games
Wednesday, March 18
"Dwight Howard says when he returns he will not take part in back to back games," Berman revealed.
Howard commented on how the knee is feeling after practicing with the team, per Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle:
"I have been feeling pretty good. I had some pretty good days of practice this week...It’s more achy than anything but that is because I haven’t been able to do anything for awhile, so you are going to have those aches. For the most part, I am feeling fine. My legs are coming back.
(...)
I was doing stuff the other day that I couldn’t do all season.
"
On March 16, head coach Kevin McHale commented on Howard's recovery.
"He was able to do some things. He looked good. This is the start of coming back," McHale said when discussing Howard's practice, courtesy of Berman.
Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com reported that Howard is expected to be out another 10-14 days with the hope that Howard can play 10 games prior to the postseason.
Howard Hasn't Experienced a Setback
Monday, March 9
ESPN.com news services passed along comments from Howard, who told Lisa Salters that he expects to return to the Rockets' lineup in two weeks.
On March 9, Feigen reported on Howard after Rockets practice, saying he hasn't experience any setbacks and that the star center "has been running, cutting, doing 2 on 2."
Feigen also provided comments from Howard on how he felt:
The Rockets haven't set a timetable for Howard just yet, but team trainer Jason Biles said the original six-to-eight week timetable is accurate with Wednesday being five weeks, per Feigen.
On March 9, The Rockets provided a short video of Howard participating in drills at practice:
On March 7, the team announced that Howard had returned to mild on-court activities but that there's no timetable yet for his return to game action.
Howard's Health Just One Key to Potential Rockets' Playoff Run
Tuesday, Feb. 24
Adam Wexler of KPRC-TV spoke to Stephen Nelson about Howard's health and other factors for Houston to make a deep playoff run:
Howard Comments on Recovery
Sunday, Feb. 8
"Dwight Howard says he expects to be out 6-8 weeks. Dr. Walt Lowe says that's a reasonable estimate but he could be back before," Berman reported.
Berman also passed along comments from Howard on his injured knee:
Bleacher Report's Ethan J. Skolnick and Adam Lefkoe break down how Howard's injury will shake up the Western Conference:
Howard Has Injection in Knee; Will Be Evaluated in Four Weeks
Wednesday, Feb 4
The Houston Rockets released a statement on Howard's status:
Feigen provided injury details from Howard's doctor:
On Jan. 31, ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported that the team feared Howard would be out for an extended period of time.
Howard Misses Multiple Games, Reportedly to Get Second Opinion on Knee
Thursday, Jan. 29
Dwight Howard is expected to miss his third straight game with a knee injury on Friday against the Boston Celtics, according to Adam Wexler of KPRC-TV:
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports adds that Howard will reportedly get a second opinion on his knee:
Howard MRI Results Revealed
Wednesday, Jan. 28
The Rockets announced Dwight Howard's MRI results on his knee following Wednesday's game:
Howard Tweaked Ankle at Practice
Tuesday, Jan. 27
Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle reported Dwight Howard suffered a setback in practice:
"Rockets center Dwight Howard said he tweaked his ankle in practice Tuesday and missed most of the workout.
'It wasn’t as bad as when it happened, but I had to sit out of practice, so we’ll see how it feels tomorrow,' Howard said.
'Hopefully I can play, but if not, we still have a great chance to win the game.'
"
Berman previously tweeted that Howard is listed as questionable for Wednesday's game vs. Dallas. Howard has already missed one game after sustaining the injury on Friday, Jan. 23.
Howard Suffers Ankle Injury vs. Suns
Friday, Jan. 23
The Rockets provided details on the injury:
Jonathan Feigan of the Houston Chronicle had more information following the game:
Howard appeared to roll his ankle on a rebound attempt in the first quarter. He exited the game and did not return to the contest.
There are few star players who elicit more harsh criticism than Howard. He's had his share of tribulations throughout his career that have made him an open target.
Yet there's no denying that Howard changes the dynamic for the Rockets when he's on the court. When he sat out the team's Nov. 19 game against Los Angeles, a 98-92 loss, with a knee injury, ESPN Stats & Info tweeted out this stat after it was over:
Howard is a rarity among traditional centers in the NBA. He's never been prone to injuries, only missing more than 10 games in a season twice in his career thus far. The Rockets have built one of the best frontcourt-backcourt duos in basketball with Howard and James Harden leading them.
Harden leads the offense, while Howard is the defensive force in the middle who also adds 18 points in the paint every night.
The Rockets don't have much margin for error with limited offensive talent. Howard's got the necessary skills on both sides of the ball to make this franchise one of the best in the West, if his health will allow it.
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