[valentine]

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/8821787/injured-los-angeles-lakers-dwight-howard-pau-gasol-indefinitely
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Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard and forward Pau Gasol are both out indefinitely with injuries, the team said.

Howard suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder in Sunday’s 112-105 loss to the Denver Nuggets and will be re-examined in a week, according to the team.

Gasol took a blow to the face in the fourth quarter Sunday and suffered a concussion. He will not travel with the team.

Howard tied a career high with 26 rebounds and added 14 points and four blocks in 41 minutes of playing time despite the injury, but he had his shoulder wrapped heavily in ice after the game.
Howard originally hurt the shoulder in the second half of the Lakers’ 107-102 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday after getting tangled up with Caron Butler.
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Kobe says: More shots for ME

[TyroberParticipant]

The Lakers can not afford any more losses. Without Howard and Gasol they will probably lose the next 3 games vs Houston, SA, and OKC. There was a good chance they would have lost anyway, but you might as well pencil in a L now which puts them at 15-21. If they are out for longer than that they will be in a deep hole.

[druneave3Participant]

He will now be trying to top his 81 point performance.

[TheArtistPaysthePriceParticipant]

Don’t tangle with Tough Juice, even in his weakened state he is still Tough Juice.

[Wavy BagelsParticipant]

I remember when Dwight and Nash first got there and thinking to myself, “Man, the league is in trouble when they get some chemistry.” Boy I was wrong. Their season is far from being in the trash can, but the Lakers are in an untied garbage bag right now.

[KHAM83Participant]

“Playoffs!?”
I dont know about you guys, but I never thought the Lakers could really miss the playoffs. I expected them to turn it around in time to go on a run and get a 6-8 seed. I’ll be shocked, it’s not the same to not have the Lakers in the playoffs.
What do you think is their playoff chances now?
How bad is Howard’s injury, will he be out or can he play through it eventually?

[220Participant]

I’m with you there. It’s actually looking like the Lakers could actually miss the playoffs despite having Kobe, Dwight, Steve Nash, and Pau. To not even make the playoffs with this bunch would be absolutely terrible.

[A Shitty Something]

Mike brown plus Lebron and some scrubs… Finals
Mike Brown plus Kobe and couple HOFers… scrubing out
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Put Lebron with Howard, Gasol, and Nash and you got yourself a finals team.
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Lebron >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Kobe

[TyroberParticipant]

^ he played last night and grabbed 26 rebounds. He can obviously play through it, but it is best to let it heal.

[Chilbert arenasParticipant]

Though he did play through it last night he might eventually require surgery, I did my senior thesis on SLAP tears which is Supirior Labral tear from Anterior to Posterior but they didn’t specify what kind of labral tear it was verthough. The problem is it’s cartilage which won’t heal very fast on it’s own. I think it’s ironic that the guy with some of the largest shoulders in league history has a shoulder injury. They were in trouble with these two on the court, they’re screwed without them. Hello Antawn Jamison!

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

Pau Gasol won’t be out for too long, but Dwight Howard could.

Antawn Jamison is about to get his wish… He’s about to get hell of PT. Jordan Hill will do a solid job.

Kobe’s about to go into NBA 2K13 mode though lol.

[stepback3Participant]

Jordan Hill is out as well with hip injury according to ESPN.

[A Shitty Something]

Whip out the Sacre

[omphalosParticipant]

You know, I saw that injury happen and I knew immediately it was serious, partially because I had the same thing happen to me in October at a basketball tournament; dude ripped my shoulder out of its socket a bit and tore the labrum when he was making a play for the ball.

I rested it for a month straight but it still hurts almost constantly a few months on, Dwight could be out for a long while if he wants it to really heal.

[Ghost01Participant]

I don’t *think* they will miss the playoffs, but boy, its starting to look more and more possible. Everytime they win a nice game here or there, they then lose a couple right back. Everytime they get healthy, someone else goes down. There bench is absolute trash, they have one of the oldest/slowest teams in the league, yet have an up-tempo style coach, I mean its just a mess. Kobe is getting a lot of points, and shooting a good percentage, but he really isn’t helping his team win. They are empty baskets he is scoring. Out of Houston, Denver, Portland, Minnesota, and Utah, they are going to have to play better than 3 of those 5 from this point on to make the playoffs, which is far from a lock. Putting Kobe, whose played with spot up PGs his whole career with a ball dominator like Nash, and D12’s injury, and Gasol being bad has just lead to this team being right where they belong: 15-18. The more I think about it, I do think they will miss the playoffs.

[Ghost01Participant]

Another fun fact: The Lakers are closer in the standings to the Sacramento Kings than the 8 seed.

[Mr. 19134Participant]

I think what really needs to be taken away from this is the fact that basketball is indeed a team sport and it doesn’t matter how much talent you have on your team if you can’t bring it all together it won’t matter.

Lebron is the best basketball player in the world because despite being able to single handed-ly take over a game or even the league he always elevates the play of his teammates and has always brought into the team concept. The Heat are a huge failure and don’t win last year if Lebron isn’t a team first superstar, and if Bosh and Wade didn’t sacrifice to make it happen.

It seems like everybody on the Lakers wants there cake and eat it too. Kobe and Howard are notorious selfish players and not even Nash can bring this team together.

The fall off of talent after their starters is one of the worst in the league too for the Lakers. I honestly don’t believe this team will make the playoffs at this point unless a move is made. The Lakers might as well try and trade Howard to the Hawks for Josh Smith and see if Atlanta would even take it at this point. Howard seems like he’s turning into a team cancer and already has one foot out the door in L.A.

It’s a shame that Pau got hurt too because it’d be really interesting to see how Pau would work as the C in D’Antoni’s offense with D12 out.

I wanna say I could see the Lakers going on a run with Dwight out, but they have like literally no depth. They should sign Hassan Whiteside from the D League, and/or a couple young guys. Like Waynes and Kris Joseph just got cut from the Sixers and Celtics the Lakers need to start bringing in pieces like this and letting them grow within the organization instead of just trying to sign everybody’ else best player.

Jerry West, Magic, and Kobe are like the only true franchise players the Lakers ever had that they actually drafted and groomed.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

The scariest part for the Lakers isn’t that this season could go to waste if they don’t get it together, but this season is an interview for the Lakers given by Dwight Howard and Steve Nash.

If they do not perform well and get it together Steve Nash might choose to retire and Dwight Howard will leave at the end of the season and the Lakers will be stuck with a 35 year old Kobe (on the verge of retiring), a 33 year old Pau (on the verge of retiring), and a 34 year old Ron Artest (on the verge of retiring). Coming out to a grand total of $57m of salary on those three players alone.

Leaving them in deep-sh!t when Kobe retires as they will not have another player to take the throne.

[omphalosParticipant]

There will always be another player to take the throne, it’s Los Angeles. The Lakers have too much money, history and too great a location to be slumped at the bottom of the league for long, it’s going to be a FA destination for the foreseeable future, who’s to say John Wall won’t go there when he’s a FA? Cousins?

I don’t think Lakers make the playoffs this season with this injury to Dwight.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

They won’t be slumped at the bottom of the league, but they won’t be title or even playoff contenders for a couple of years.

And I’m pretty sure the Wizards are to say John Wall won’t go there when he’s a F/A (restricted F/A) and whoever ends up with Cousins are to say as I’m sure any contract will be matched for them.

[Ghost01Participant]

Good luck bringing in the rings with Wall and Cousins, whats their cumulative winning percentage as pros?

What’s really scary to me, is who the hell is going to put all their eggs in the Dwight Howard basket after this season? I thought it was a total joke when people were saying he was the second best player in the league (ahead of Durant, reallllly?). He has never been an established offensive player. That does not mean his athletism and other elements have never lead to huge scoring nights, but generally this guy gets his points on dunks and easy shots in the paint. He hasn’t grown offensively at all, and with this injury, hes apppeared to regress on defense. I know he just had a huge rebounding game, but he wasn’t dominating the defensive end of the floor like the Lakers thought. And back injuries tend to linger. I’m not saying no teams will be lining up to give this guy the max, I’m just saying I wouldn’t want my team to be one of them.

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