The Orlando Magic learned earlier in the week they will likely be without star center Dwight Howard for the remainder of the season. The Magic received some more concerning news on Howard, as according to a report by ESPN The Magazine, surgery on Howard's back is not out of the question.
Howard has been complaining of back pain since March, but it wasn't until he sought a second opinion by Los Angeles-based Dr. Robert Watkins on Friday, for what previously had been called back spasms, that he was diagnosed with a herniated disk. The disk is not fully herniated and non-operable treatment has been recommended, the source said, but "it's not 100 percent clear" if that treatment will work, and surgery remains a possibility.
The report also states that Howard will sit out for a period of 10 to 14 days to give his back some rest and hopefully avoid having to have surgery on it, which would likely put him out for some of, if not all, of the 2012 NBA playoffs. Orlando has struggled without Dwight Howard this season, going just 1-4 without him in the lineup.
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