The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Los Angeles Lakers announced via their website today that newly acquired center, Dwight Howard, will miss training camp and, at the very least, the pre-season opener.
Although Howard is in recovery mode and should be ready for the regular season, the setback may be a sign that perhaps the reshuffled Lakers team. that many are pinning as this year’s champions. have a long road ahead of them.
While the addition of Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to the Lakers roster led many observers to immediately rank club within the top 3 teams in the NBA, the age factor needs to be considered.
Four out of L.A’s starting five players are over the age of thirty and the one player who is not, Dwight Howard, has begun to shown signs of nagging injuries. Though Steve Nash will surely give the team the facilitating point guard it needs, what happens when the 38-year old Canadian begins to show signs of age?
The same argument can be made about the club’s unproductive small forward Metta World Peace, their power forward Pau Gasol, and the star player Kobe Bryant, who is now 34.
As long as the key players remain healthy and in shape to start the season the Lakers have the potential to bring another title back to Los Angeles. However, they won’t be able to do it without Howard, Nash, or Kobe in the lineup come the playoffs.
