Getty Dwight Howard
Washington Wizards center Dwight Howard has missed the team’s last three games with a gluteal injury, but his return is highly anticipated for more reasons than just that.
In case you missed it, Howard was accused over the weekend of threatening and harassing an ex-boyfriend–and he was outed as potentially bi or pansexual in the process.
While Howard’s sexual preferences don’t matter, the 6’11” center has yet to speak out about the harassment allegations, which some are saying can’t be true and others are fully backing. The fact that he’s injured and hasn’t played (or been seen) in a while makes the drama all the more bloated, and NBA fans are wondering how he’ll handle his first time back on the floor after such a whirlwind of over-the-weekend gossip.
Howard Will not Play Tonight Against the Rockets
Dwight will have a bit more time for everything to blow over as it’s been confirmed that he won’t play tonight against the Houston Rockets. NBC pre and post-game host Chris Miller tweeted the news today, and the official Washington Wizards twitter page hit it with a retweet.
According to Houston Chronicle writer Jonathan Feigen, Howard will join Rockets players Chris Paul and Gerald Green on the sidelines during the teams’ matchup. So neither team will be at full force tonight, making it almost anybody’s game in spite of the Wizards’ recent struggles.
No changes in the updated injury report before Rockets-Wizards tonight. Chris Paul (sore left leg), Gerald Green (sore right ankle) and Dwight Howard (gluteal soreness) are still listed as questionable.
How Badly do the Wizards Need Dwight Howard?
Howard is averaging 12.8 points and 9.2 rebounds so far this season, but he’s a sort of Carmelo-esque player in the way that he’s sometimes blamed for the downfall of otherwise-great teams.
The Wizards have certainly had a rough go these last few weeks. It’s been a disappointing start that the team never expected and can hardly be blamed on the veteran center alone. In fact, Howard has been one of the few people on the team who’s appeared to maintain a positive attitude.
That being said, the Wizards are coming off of a big win over the Pelicans and they beat the top-ranked Clippers last week–both without Dwight in the lineup.
Shannon Sharpe recently tweeted that the Wizards have way bigger problems than whatever personal drama Dwight Howard might be slogging through–but we’ll see what happens as both teams work to improve their disappointing records. They’ll play tonight at 7:00 pm EST.
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