Dwight Howard is hurt and listed day-to-day after suffering a shoulder injury in Wednesday's game against the Phoenix Suns. What started out as a highly anticipated season has slowly turned into a circus for the Los Angeles Lakers. Now without Howard, will the Lakers fall so far behind in the West that they will miss the playoffs?

Howard has a torn labrum, but has decided not to get surgery. He will have to sit out until his right shoulder gets better. It is another injury to a player who was already hurt following back surgery over the summer.

"Two years of having injuries is not something that's easy to deal with, but I won't lose my spirit," said Howard.

Steve Nash, the team's veteran point guard had a bit of a grim outlook on Howard's injury and doesn't forecast too great of a result for the Lakers.

"This team is built to play around a center. We're not athletic or fast elsewhere, but we're experienced and obviously have skilled players. But that's all predicated around having that defensive presence and having a big body in the paint at both ends."

The Lakers have a pretty tough schedule ahead just because they are on the road and below .500 sitting at 20-26. Add to the fact that they are down one of their big three and suddenly the Lakers look completely vulnerable.

Not that they seemed unbeatable when Howard was in the lineup, but at least they were picking up the slack. The Lakers won three straight games following a four-game losing streak. However, after Howard suffered the shoulder injury in the fourth quarter, the Lakers relinquished a 13-point lead as the Suns rallied back with nine minutes left to play and beat the Lakers 92-86.

Kobe Bryant is trying to become a passer now, but who will be able to finish? Nash isn't a score even though he has a great outside shot. We saw Bryant repeatedly hit Metta World Peace behind the arc and he missed a ton of open shots. Pau Gasol was on the decline last season and now with Mike D'Antoni coaching he looks more lost than ever.

The question is, without Howard who will finish in the paint for the Lakers? Do they plan on relying on shots from the perimeter all game long?

The Lakers are also a man down in the bench since Jordan Hill is out after recently going through hip surgery, not that he's the answer for the Lakers at the center position but it looks like Gasol will have to start and Antawn Jameson will get more minutes.

L.A. is currently 20-26 and sitting at third place in the Pacific Division, a division which they usually controlled. However, things have changed. The Lakers are old, they have the wrong coach and the Los Angeles Clippers are suddenly the team to watch at the Staple Center.

Howard's injury has made the Lakers vulnerable and with their record they are sitting on the 10th spot in the Western Conference. However, the Lakers are not panicking. They are positive that their center will recover and eventually come back and play great basketball.

"I'm not worried about it," Bryant said. "It is going to be an all-season thing. That's how those type of injuries are with the labrum. I've had them before. Lamar [Odom], when he was here, had them before. When you get banged like that going up, you're going to get that stinging sensation. That's just how it's going to be."

Yes, it's early in the season. Howard is day-to-day and could comeback, but for now, the Lakers are in danger of fallen further back in the standings. With an injured Howard the Lakers will be missing 16 points and 11 rebounds nightly. The only thing that can save this team is a sudden rejuvenation in Gasol's game and Jameson becoming the player he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Ladies and gentleman, the Lakers are in trouble. All this talk about bring back Showtime has obviously failed and D'Antoni needs to check his strategies.

The Lakers spent a lot of time and energy to get Howard over the offseason while getting Nash to jump aboard. All of that hype from the summer is looking like a distant memory as reality has it that the Lakers aren't dominant and are far from winning a championship.

Prediction:
With Howard out, look for the Lakers to struggle in the paint and as they play their second game of six remaining road games, look for them to fall back further in the standings.