There is no doubting the Dwight Howard has had a rough season. Between adjusting to a new team, recovering from injuries and dealing with poor performances on the court, his start in Los Angeles has been anything but positive. As the Lakers deal with the possibility of not making the playoffs this season, Howard is dealing with the possibility of not returning to Los Angeles. There is one person in the Howard corner and that is former Lakers' head coach Phil Jackson.
Jackson holds on to 11 NBA championships, including five with the Lakers. While he is no longer involved with the program directly, he still remains a valuable resource to players on the team. He has turned out to be a trusted mentor to Howard as he recovers from injuries and works on regaining his elite playing status.
"Phil, he texts me and he understands how it is to come off back surgery. He just said it takes a full year to recover, so you can't beat yourself up over the things that happened this year," Howard said.
Howard is in the midst of nursing an 11-month old surgically repaired back and a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Howard said there was a chance he might not have played this season, something he considered.
"I could've sat out the whole season until now and stated playing now, but I just felt like we had such a great opportunity. Some of these guys, their windows for winning are very small, and I just wanted to get back and try to do whatever I can to help this team, knowing that I wasn't in great shape. My body wasn't all the way there yet," Howard said.
The Lakers aging lineup has four of the team's All-Stars all past 30-years old and eyeing what could be the team's last real shot at an NBA championship. Howard has been pushing his body to get through the entire season. While he does not regret returning to play in late October, he hopes once the offseason begins, he can properly heal his injuries and be back stronger next year.
Howard is coming off a poor performance in the Lakers game against the Oklahoma City Thunder where he had only six points on one-for-seven shooting and took 16 rebounds in the 122-105 loss. Jackson believes that Mike D'Antoni's system does not suit Howard's style of play because he does not get enough touches with the ball.
