The loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night was devastating to say the least for the Los Angeles Lakers. The loss to the Rockets on Tuesday didn’t help, either.
As a result of the Denver loss, the Lakers fell three games below .500 (now four) and suffered multiple injuries to some of the team’s most important players in the process. The frontcourt was absolutely ravaged by injuries following the loss to the Nuggets with Pau Gasol suffering a concussion, Jordan Hill injuring his hip and Dwight Howard said to have suffered a torn labrum.
Gasol’s concussion will keep him out of tonight’s game against the Houston Rockets while Hill’s injured hip will sideline him for at least week.
As for Howard, the initial diagnoses of his shoulder injury was also thought to keep him in street clothes for a week as well. Not only would Howard be out for a week, but many believed it would be much longer and a potential season-ending injury for the superstar center requiring surgery.
Fortunately for the Lakers, Howard’s injury may have been blown out of proportion according to OC Register’s Kevin Ding via Twitter:
Dwight said his labrum is not really torn. Only bone separated from labrum. Him sitting is only precaution. Hopeful he’ll be fine in a week.
— KEVIN DING (@KevinDing) January 9, 2013
Before Howard suffered the injury, the Lakers were in panic mode and desperately needing a drastic turnaround to get the season back on track in terms of playoff contention in the Western Conference. If Howard’s injury proves to be as serious as a torn labrum, the season will take an even more drastic turn for the worst with the Lakers’ front office working the phones to bring in some frontcourt help to fill the void.
It remains to be seen whether or not Howard can recovery quickly or if this is an injury like Steve Nash’s that will linger on much longer than anticipated.