Dwight Howard can’t win. That four-word assessment will warrant an approving nod, no matter your perspective on Howard, who has become the NBA’s most reviled goofball, considered too eager to seek a cheap laugh and lacking the commitment required to
Dwight Howard can’t win. That four-word assessment will warrant an approving nod, no matter your perspective on Howard, who has become the NBA’s most reviled goofball, considered too eager to seek a cheap laugh and lacking the commitment required to claim a championship ring.
Bitter Orlando Magic fans will label Howard a loser because he bailed on a contending team and got a good coach canned in an immature fit of flighty emotions. Los Angeles Lakers fans will use the same label because a 6-foot-11 mound of muscle wouldn’t put up Shaquille O’Neal-like numbers despite back and shoulder pain and bristled under Kobe Bryant’s brutal competitiveness.
And now that he is in Houston, Howard is realizing that no matter how often he summons a dominant performance, no matter if he led his depleted team to an improbable second-round comeback over the Los Angeles Clippers, he is always one bad jump or one fluky dive from having his toughness and dedication questioned all over again.
On the night the Lakers celebrated winning the No. 2 pick in the lottery and Orlando accepted its third straight top five pick since his departure, Howard was back in the conference finals for the third time in his career and feeling physically better than he has in years. Roughly six minutes into his return to a stage that could restore his battered reputation within the league, teammate and close friend Josh Smith stumbled into Howard’s left knee.
Despite fighting to return and helping the Rockets take an early 16-point lead, Howard’s body eventually surrendered and he missed all but 51 seconds in the fourth quarter of his team’s 110-106 loss in Game 1 to the Golden State Warriors. Howard’s teammates tried to encourage him while he sat on the bench, left knee covered and wrapped in ice. He finished with seven points — just two coming after his collision with Smith — 13 rebounds and five turnovers in just 27 minutes and left the Rockets in a familiar position of trying to win in his absence.
The Rockets were underdogs against the Warriors with Howard at full strength, but they will have a difficult time generating a competitive series with him absent or diminished. Howard had an MRI on Wednesday that revealed a sprain in his left knee and he will be questionable for Game 2.
“The most important thing is that I listen to my body,” Howard told reporters in Oakland, offering little encouragement for a miraculous recovery. “Nobody can understand an injury but the person that is injured. It’s going to be how I feel. If I feel I can tolerate it and go out and play with it, then I will. But my career is the most important thing. I want to do what I can to help this team, but I cannot help the team if I’m hurt.”
Howard joined the Rockets in the summer of 2013 because he felt that teaming up with a rising talent like James Harden would give him the best chance to compete for a championship. Though Howard was the more established star at the time of the union, Harden is the Rockets’ unquestioned best player. With Howard sidelined for almost half the regular season, Harden built a strong case for most valuable player by leading the Rockets to 56 wins.
Harden was once again superb while Howard sat in Game 1, scoring 28 points with 11 rebounds and coming one assist short of a triple double. After the loss, Harden explained the mind-set he has had to develop with Howard missing almost two months this season: “I didn’t even remember that Dwight had gotten injured.”
Howard hasn’t done himself many favors since he made his unexpected tumble from slam-dunking “Superman” to one of the more polarizing figures over the past five years. He still makes questionable decisions and corny jokes and opened himself up for more derision in Game 4 of the Rockets’ previous series, when he got fouled out and ejected as his team fell down 3-1.
But Howard averaged 18.7 points and 17 rebounds to lead his team to three straight victories, authoring a thrilling redemption story for this season and possibly his career. Still in a sometimes unfair fight for respect, Howard now has to coax his knee to give him a chance to help the Rockets win.
“As a team, we’ve come a long way,” Howard said. “I’ve come a long way. I won’t allow this to defeat me.”
