Your Last Dwight Howard Update Of The Season

It seemed like only yesterday when we were getting daily updates on Dwight Howard's latest mood swings and changes of heart. Then there was the whole drama with his coach and then a back injury put him on the shelf for a while. Now, in case you've been living under a rock lately, here's your last update of the season on Dwight Howard. He had surgery on his back and will miss the playoffs, the Olympics, and just about any other basketball related activity until the Fall.

So, to sum up, he's hurt, he wants his coach fired, he isn't sure if he can sign a long term extension, and he still wants everyone to love him. I'm not sure how much more I can add to the analysis that countless writers provided this week. I did want to pass along an interesting comparison that Andrew Sharp made on SBNation.com.

Superman Needs Surgery: Dwight Howard And A Potential Tipping Point - SBNation.com

With Dwight, I'm starting to think of Vince Carter. He was every bit as outrageously gifted as Iverson, Shaq and LeBron. As awe-inspiring as Dwight's physical tools are, Vince's athleticism was the same way. You could watch him in warm-ups and spend the rest of the night remembering one dunk. But then, we kept waiting for him to deliver on all the potential, and one day he hit a tipping point. He forced his way out of Toronto, injuries set in, and as he hobbled around the perimeter for the next five years, he just fell further and further away from being the player we'd expected all along. Eventually he stopped being the guy everyone remembers with awe, and he became immortal for everything he never became.

The teams are still going to line up around the block to try to trade for Howard, but I agree with Sharp. Backs are scary things and there's a chance that he could never be the same again.

No more Dwight Howard updates! Well, at least until the offseason.

Oh, and if you really like sarcasm taken to a whole new level, check out Kelly Dwyer's article on Howard here.