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Shaq, Worthy are just more nagging pains for Howard

Former Laker greats criticize current center for an apparent inability to play through pain. Then again, Howard's numbers aren't so bad, even if the team's record is not so good.

February 07, 2013|T.J. Simers

BOSTON -- So Mike D'Antoni, Kobe Bryant and everyone else wanted Dwight Howard to rush back. For this?

Talk about a pain in the shoulder.

The Lakers were trailing by 26 after three quarters to the hated Celtics, officially designating this as an embarrassment.

But whether it was punishment or conditioning, D'Antoni sent the fragile Howard back into this fiasco even though as Howard goes so go the Lakers' playoff chances.

The coaching staff thinks he's a big baby. But as much as Bryant needed Pau Gasol to arrive to win two more titles, he now needs Howard to be healthy and, maybe it's hard to believe, dominate.

Along the rocky way there will be all kinds of reports about who is happy and who is not, where Howard will play next season and ultimately whether Lakers fans care.

There will also be predictions of the end of the world if the Lakers struggle, so you know I'm getting ready to mention Magic.

As the leader of the rabble, it's usually up to Magic to set the agenda and speak the outlandish.

But Magic's priorities were a bit off Thursday. He was seemingly more interested in being with the president and tweeting about it than waxing crazy about the hapless Lakers.

So that left it to Shaq to sound ridiculous on behalf of former Lakers everywhere, and he let no one down.

Speaking on TNT before the game, the Big Hypocrite said: "The great players before us showed they can play through pain.

"My favorite clip in the world is Willis Reed walking through that tunnel [at Madison Square Garden in Game 7 of the Finals, 1970]. We have all played through pain. [Howard's] shoulder is not going to get any better. If you're so hurt all the time, stop smiling on the court."

What's smiling got to do with any of this?

But beyond that, isn't this the same guy who put off having toe surgery before the 2002-03 season, irritating Kobe to no end and leading to a disastrous 11-19 start to the season?

Shaq really has no right to ask someone to do whatever is necessary to help a team after routinely reporting out of shape to the Lakers.

James Worthy also let Howard have it on Times Warner Cable SportsNet, suggesting from 3,000 miles away that Howard wasn't mentally ready to play.

But then it's so easy to pound Howard because he's been nothing more than a pushover since arriving.

His body has not allowed him to perform as he would like. His back continues to hurt him. "Every day," he said after playing the Celtics.

He lost the nerves in his legs because of back surgery and he's undoubtedly going to feel pain again in his shoulder if smacked while trying to go up and score.

And yet, as broken down as he might be, he's near the top in several NBA categories that measure a center's effectiveness.






So much for the Lakers highlights.



So what did D'Antoni think of Howard's performance?

"Like everybody else, it wasn't good."


Kobe said that wasn't true.






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