The Los Angeles Lakers will begin their 2012-13 pre-season today in Fresno, Calif. against the Golden State Warriors, but their star center Dwight Howard will not make an appearance.
Howard is coming off an extensive back rehab process, and although he is looking forward to playing on opening night, he will not participate in tonight’s pre-season game. Instead, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times tweeted that Lakers coach Mike Brown will start either Robert Sacre or Greg Somogyi in place of Howard.
Mike Brown says he will either start Robert Sacre or Greg Somogyi in preseason opener b/c of Dwight Howard’s absence.
— Mark Medina (@MarkGMedina) October 6, 2012
The Lakers made the right choice in sitting out Howard for this pre-season game. Even though pre-season games give players the chance to get back into basketball shape, the Lakers did not want to risk any further injury with Howard. Howard’s healing process has been quite lengthy and Los Angeles was not willing to put him back on the court.
The pre-season offers players like Sacre and Somogyi the perfect opportunity to showcase their talents. These players may or may not make the final cut on the Lakers’ roster, but this is their chance to prove to the coaching staff that they indeed deserve a spot on the final team.