Dwight Howard’s shoulder hurts.
You saw it against Memphis last week — Howard ran shoulder first into a Rudy Gay screen and had to leave the game. He missed three games earlier in the month with what is described as a torn labrum (the cartilage that cushions and allows a wide range of movement for the joint).
How do you fix that? Surgery is the primary option.
But not an option Howard is considering because of the recovery time, he told the Los Angeles Times.“Six months,” Howard said. “I’d rather live with it than have six months out again. That’d be two summers in a row, so I don’t want that….
“Will it heal?” Howard said. “I hope so.”
It will not heal, the inflammation just can be controlled and the pain managed. You can play through it if you can handle some pain, although when aggravated it could be worse. The only long-term solution is surgery.
Last season Howard tried to play through his back pain and... Lakers fans don’t want to think about that.
But after everything he and the Lakers have gone through, he’s not coming off the court now.