Once the blockbuster deal to bring Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers was finalized, the biggest concern for the Lakers was his recovery from back surgery.
Fortunately, reports indicate that Howard's recovery is going as planned with no major set backs as of yet.
Howard underwent the surgery back on April 20 and has been fairly active since then with appearances at Dodgers games and an Adidas promotional tour through China. The Lakers center also made an appearance at the Staples Center for MTV's Video Music Awards.
There's still no timetable for his return or whether or not he'll be in the starting lineup for the Lakers in the season-opener against the Dallas Mavericks on October 30.
In an effort to have Howard ready for the Lakers' first regular season game, the Lakers have set Howard up with team athletic trainer Gary Vitti on Monday according to Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register:
"Details are scarce and Lakers spokesman John Black declined to comment, but Howard on Monday had his first hands-on session with Lakers athletic trainer Gary Vitti and head physical therapist Judy Seto at the team's training facility in El Segundo."
The initial recovery time for Howard's back surgery was originally set for about six to seven months according to Ding.
So far all indications seem to be that Howard's recovery is going well and to have him ready for the season opener against the Mavs isn't out of the question, but still remains up in the air as we move closer to the start of preseason on Oct. 7.
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