Unfortunately, it still remains uncertain when Howard will be good to go and ready to wear purple and gold for the first time. Howard said during his recent interview with Ric Bucher of ESPN that he doesn’t want to make his debut with the Lakers until he’s 100 percent ready to go via Mark Medina of the L.A. Times:
“When I’m 100%, I will step on the floor and play,” Howard said. “I don’t want to play at 85% or 80%. I want to be at 100%. I want to give all that to this city, to this team, to myself, to basketball and to all of the fans. I want to give them 100% every single night. I don’t want to have any relapses. when i’m 100%, you will see me giving 100% on the court.”
All indications point to Howard making a full recovery and possibly making his return to the floor for the season-opener against the Dallas Mavericks on Oct. 30. Workout sessions with Lakers trainer Gary Vitti have been going well, but the team has already ruled Howard out for the start of training camp on Oct. 2 and the first preseason game against the Golden State Warriors on October 7.
Howard missing training camp and the majority of the pre-season was to be expected. With no timetable for his return, it still remains to be seen if the six-time All-Star will suit up for any of the seven other preseason games on the schedule for the Lakers.
It’s safe to say that Howard might not make his highly anticipated debut until the regular season gets underway and perhaps well into November. Only time will tell when Lakers fans will get to see arguably one of the most talented starting lineups in the league at full strength.
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In case you missed it – Dwight Howard talks about starting over in Los Angeles
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