Dwight Howard has missed the last 10 games for the Houston Rockets with an apparent knee injury. Dwight was experiencing some knee soreness after the Memphis Grizzlies game on November 17th. Dwight was clearly frustrated when he missed the next game vs the Lakers in Houston. When Dwight was asked about why he missed the Lakers game Dwight said the following.
From ESPN.com.
“I went through shootaround, I warmed up, our trainer was working on it until 16 minutes before the game started, but it just didn’t feel right,” Dwight said.
Dwight Howard is set to return this Saturday on December 13th vs the Denver Nuggets. McHale gave every Houston Rockets fan a scare when he said he doesn’t expect Dwight Howard in the line-up for awhile! Dwight ended the speculation yesterday when he was asked about his return.
Also From ESPN.com.
“That’s the plan,” Howard said of his potential return Saturday. “I don’t want to put a date on it, but that might be the best time. We’ll have a couple days of practice after the Kings game, and I should be ready to go.”
Dwight was also asked about how he felt about his team 7-3 record without him.
More from ESPN.com.
“It’s a testament to everything that’s been going on all summer. Guys worked hard this summer. We’ve really stepped up on defense. That was the one thing we all said after last year, ‘We’ve got to play defense now. It can’t be one or two people, it has to be the whole team.”
Dwight is a three time defensive player of the year award winner. Dwight’s presence on defense is much more valuable then people think. Dwight protects the paint, rim, & players defensive flaws. Opposing players think twice before driving to the rim and they rather settle for a long two or three then test Dwight in the paint. The Rockets are 16-4 without Dwight playing in 10 games and other key starters not playing. With Dwight healthy, wouldn’t it make sense to believe this Rockets team has to be the favorites to come out of the Western Conference if they have a 16-4 record without?
