Dwight Howard leaves game injured against the Suns

The ball always has 2 sides.

When you will see Chandler grabbing rebounds over Dmo again and again, you will start to miss him.

 

Brace themselves? Been through Yao Ming.

Already braced myself.

2 years left at stupid, silly money. At best, he's in and out of the lineup. At worst, he's completely done. Sucks but it is what it is. What are you gonna do?

Dobro mentioned the Rockets owing a favor to Fegan or Dwight after this deal since he left a year on his contract. Sorry, they don't owe either **** after this contract is up. Max contract? That'd be ****ing silly.

Edit - here:

 

The organization can no longer depend on Dwight to be a corner stone and should prepare accordingly. Even though I've been pretty critical of Dwight, at the time of his signing, I thought he could be a big missing piece to legitimatizing the Rox as contenders. Now he's a bad contract that could handicap the organization for a while. A Yao/Tmac situation all over again. Hopefully other players around Harden continue to strive to pull their weight consistently. Don't want Harden breaking down prematurely either.

 

No. This isn't just an accident, where the injury heals and you're back to normal. This is accelerated wear and tear from the way he was moving (bad mechanics). If there's a chance it can still heal up, it's just going to become aggravated again soon enough because he's still moving the same.

Surgery and extensive rehab is a real possibility.

 

Fegan can go fornicate himself. After what he pulled with Parsons, the Rockets don't owe him d-ck. And Dwight certainly can't get all upset if management decides at the end of his current contract that they don't wanna resign a guy in his early 30's who can't stay in the lineup(and doesn't play all that well when he IS in there).

If Dwight winds up shutting it down this season because of his knee, the team needs to start looking immediately in a different direction. Don't for one second plan your future around Dwight Howard(aside from dealing with his existing contract til it expires obviously).

 

Assuming it's not season ending (which I doubt), I consider this a blessing in disguise. TJones needs time to get back in game shape, and the Rockets need time to showcase TJones and DMo. If we lose a game or two because we didn't have Dwight, it's not going to drop us out of the playoffs or anything.

 

The way I see this injury actually may not be a bad thing.

At least for the second half, McHale will put a hard limit on his minute and he should be much better rested for the playoff - whatever he has left in his tank /knee.

Knowing the issue and find a way to work around it is better than over use him.

 

Agreed. Here is how the glass is half full(assuming he isn't done for the year):

1) It allows T-Jones more playing time. We saw tonight how important he is to the team on both ends of the floor.

2) It gives D-Mo more of an opportunity in the post. No offense to Dwight, but I'd rather D-Mo get those touches.

3) The Rockets offense seems to flow better without Dwight. They don't necessarily score more points, but there's a lot more movement without the ball.

4) The Rockets defense may even be better. At least when compared to the team with the injured, lackadaisical Dwight we had after the first knee injury. Look at how they won tonight on defense. And they did the same thing in the first win over the Mavs(also without Dwight), so this is no fluke.

5) It allows Dwight to be fresh and hopefully healthy(or at least healthier) for the postseason. Hopefully it doesn't jeopardize home court advantage, but we ain't winning squat in the playoffs without Dwight. So give him some rest.

6) It actually improves Harden's MVP chances. If the team finishes in the Top 3 in the West with Dwight missing roughly half the season, how do you not give it to James?

 

Obviously not good news but let's not go evoking Yao Ming rhetoric around here. Rockets have copious amounts of 4/5 depth to let D12 cushion Dwight taking Feburary off. Long-term strategy they can address in the off-season.

 

Work around the issue? That's what they have been doing since he strained it....This is no longer being able to work around it and having to face it head on. Maybe they drain it and he gives it a go, if there's no real pain, but I have to wonder if Dwight will look to save his career instead.

 

lol

You have no way to know that so you are talking out of your azz right now. They will need to do more tests and see what needs to be done. Just a regular injury will cause edema and a short rest and he is back. Or he could have arthritis and he is done for. Many ways to play this and to go overboard at this time is moronic. If it were bone on bone he would not even be walking.

 

I am not optimistic at all.

 

As rockets fans we are desensitized.

 

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

 

We should trade for Chuck Hayes. I'd rather he start than Dorsey

 

My azz paid attention to his injury history and his recent injuries, which all have been non contact. We already knew his mechanics were funky as recently as when we signed him....I would call it an educated guess. Everything lines up, including what cyberx said.

 

I'm not all that worried about it. everyone is freaking out about the word "edema".

He practiced yesterday and tweaked his ankle. Im sure they weren't surprised to find the fluid. In the offseason he may need surgery, but he can play through it for now. 80% of Howard still gives us a top 5 center.

 

lame. this team is so good. if dwight was 100 percent they would be even that much better

 

The C position is a joke nowadays, come on.

 

If they expected fluid build up, he wouldn't have been practicing.....