Looks like Dwight still wasn't close to full health even after all of last season, even though he started looking better towards the end. Hopefully he is a lot closer now. http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/...ise-joining-houston-rockets-kevin-mchale-says [rQUOTEr]LOS ANGELES -- The lingering effects from Dwight Howard's 2012 back surgery were so severe that Houston Rockets coach Kevin McHale had concerns even after Houston signed the All-Star center to an $88 million contract last summer. "Last July, when we got him, he was not healthy," McHale said Monday after the Rockets finished their morning shootaround at UCLA in advance of their game against the Los Angeles Clippers. "We signed him, and our biggest fear was his health. Dwight Howard has shown dramatic improvement in his conditioning and health since joining the Rockets, coach Kevin McHale said. "We knew he could play. He already had been three-time defensive player of the year, he'd been first-team all pro. He could still play, and he was young enough. We were more concerned about his back and his strength and flexibility." Since then, Howard's condition has improved dramatically. Howard has averaged 15.0 points and 17.0 rebounds as the Rockets have gotten off to a 3-0 start this season. "His health is 100 percent different," McHale said. "When we did a physical after we signed him, I sat down with our training staff and they were all like, 'Oh boy.' He had a huge discrepancy in his strength in his right leg and his left leg. His glutes and his hamstrings were really weak and his flexibility was completely ... funky. "He really spent a lot of time this summer getting right. He's getting closer." Howard averaged 17.1 points and a league-leading 12.4 rebounds with the Los Angeles Lakers during his lone, drama-filled season in which he didn't mesh with Kobe Bryant and had issues with coach Mike D'Antoni's system. What's different in Howard's body in the four months since signing with Houston? "Everything," Howard said Monday. "I'm moving a lot better. I'm going to get balls that I couldn't get last season. Rebounds, blocked shots, all that stuff is a lot different. I've been doing a lot of work in the offseason just to get my body back right. I feel a lot better." [/rQUOTEr]
interesting... he still looks stiff here n there..long season..i totally see him firing on all cylinders by playoff time..touch wood
What's amazing is how well Dwight has been able to remain healthy throughout his career. Prior to his back injury, Dwight only missed 7 games in 7 seasons. For a player that plays the most physically demanding position in basketball to miss only 7 out of 574 games is quite remarkable. The guy is a freak of nature. Even though Howard wasn't healthy last season, and shouldn't have been on the court, he still only missed a total of 6 games. I'm not too worried about Dwight's health, because he has taken care of his body very well. I think he could only improve from here as he continues to get shape up.
[rQUOTEr] "His health is 100 percent different," McHale said. "When we did a physical after we signed him, I sat down with our training staff and they were all like, 'Oh boy.' He had a huge discrepancy in his strength in his right leg and his left leg. His glutes and his hamstrings were really weak and his flexibility was completely ... funky. "He really spent a lot of time this summer getting right. He's getting closer." ." [/rQUOTEr] So, basically, muscle imbalances affecting his movement, right?
I really enjoy this type of insight. It's a breath of fresh air reading about the inter-thinkings of management/coaching. Especially now given the craziness our forum has become It also shows, again, how willing the Rockets are at taking calculated risks. Can't wait for tonight!
on post game interview after jazz game he basically said he wasn't 100% but will be there as season goes on, that was the first time I've ever heard something like that
'But Dwert herpward is lyke full big n strong n rippd n stuff screw dat ghey msucele imbalance stuffff'
haha...Howard is wound up like a pogo stick. Once, they fix him up he should have better rotational and lateral movement. Can't wait :grin:
1. You were talking about his whole career. Not just since he's had back trouble. If you have nerve damage in your back, your muscles that correspond to it will shrink. Like how Peyton Manning's arm got weaker and smaller because of the nerve damage in his neck. 2. You were talking about Dwight's shoulders. Not muscular atrophy due to nerve damage in his back.
It's good to see the Rockets trainers' using advanced methods to evaluate the physical condition of their players. Seems like Morey may have made that a priority after the Tmac/Yao disasters.
1. So what? You don't develop things like that over night. He could have developed it at 14 or 24. I don't know his medical history or have any idea how he moved in high school. It was an educated guess on my part. 2. I was talking about his shoulders being a sign that he had issues. As well as his stiff movement. I don't see where they say his muscles weaknesses were due to nerve damage, but regardless, issues in the lower body can transfer up the chain, which i mentioned to you before. The Rockets had to get their hands on him to pinpoint his issues, as is usually recommended and done by professionals. I'm on the outside looking in. I've never met Dwight, i have no inside knowledge of his medical records. Never assessed his strength, posture, etc in person. I just eyeballed it and knew something wasn't right and an imbalance was the core of it. i guess that's not enough to get some credit, huh?
If its true that he is not yet 100 percent healthy, that is a scary thought for the rest of the league.
well he probably isnt yet. He looks alot better but still.. sorta stiff in his movements. Herniated discs aint nothing to fk with.
This isn't about stuff he developed at 14 years old. It specifically says, and I quote: " The lingering effects from Dwight Howard's 2012 back surgery were so severe..." This is specifically talking about his back and the surgery related to it.
If one leg is a lot stronger than the other, it's pretty obvious that it is nerve damage. This isn't rocket science.
Unless they have a pre surgery assessment to compare it with, that's speculation. I would find it odd that the medical team wouldn't have him rehab the muscles that surgery weakened. Wouldn't that surely be part of the rehab process? Seems like the first step to recovery to me, not something you bypass for a whole year.
