The Los Angeles Lakers made headlines this offseason with the acquisition of big name players Steve Nash, Antawn Jamison and Dwight Howard. Out of the three Howard may have the most questions surrounding his health and the effect it will have on his play.
Due to back surgery he underwent in April, Howard will miss most of the regular season to ensure he's back at 100 percent before returning in time for the players.
Even when he returns the concerns about his health will remain.
Back surgery is no joke and I can't see Howard being the dominate force he was in the paint. Howard is a physical big man, that's what makes him the great player that he is.
But if Howard were to be defended by centers that are just as physical, like say a Kendrick Perkins, I see Howard's injury becoming his Achilles heel.
Good news for Lakers fans is that Howard has reached out to NBA Legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and plans to learn from the NBA's all-time leading scorer. With the new post moves Howard will develop, Howard can learn to continue to be dominating without being to physical and risking another back injury.
Even with Howard's absence the Lakers should be alright during the season being that this won't be the first time they went without a dominate man in the paint.
The last two Lakers championships were led by Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, so this team is no strangers to having an injured center on their roster.
Kobe is going to be Kobe, so his performance will be of no concern. As for Gasol, he's been having confidence issues on the Lakers it seems.
Luckily Gasol is coming off terrific play during the 2012 London Olympics for the Spanish National Team. That confidence should carry over to the regular season, especially with Nash running the show on the floor.
Nash on the Lakers will probably be the best thing for Gasol's game. Look for Nash to run a great deal of pick-and-roll/pop sets with Gasol. This will give Gasol plenty of touches allowing him to impact a game more and allowing the Spaniard to regain his swagger.
Also expect the Lakers bench to be much improved with Jamison and Jordan Hill leading the way.
These two should be able to take advantage of Howard's absence allowing them to gain more minutes on the floor.
Jamison a former Sixth Man of the Year award winner will be returning to a team with a winning culture. His veteran leadership will be key for the benches success this season.
Hill on the other is expected to have a bigger impact this season. In just 11.7 minutes per game last season, Hill averaged 4.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Now take those numbers and imagine Hill playing for 36 minutes, those numbers then translate to 14.5 points and 13.6 rebounds.
With Howard's absence, Hill will undoubtedly take on the starter's position. If he can play well to the start the season, the confidence he'll gain will be invaluable to the Lakers' second unit when Howard returns.
The only thing I expect the Lakers to have difficulty with this season with Howard's absence would be their defense.
Either way the Lakers should be able to salvage a good record going into the playoffs so when Howard does return they will remain to be a threat to become NBA champions at the end of the season.
