Dwight Howard Needs Back Surgery, Will Reportedly Miss Playoffs And Olympics

Dwight Howard And A Potential Tipping Point

The Magic announced Dwight Howard will undergo season-ending back surgery, and he'll miss the NBA Playoffs. But if this is how the soap opera ends, all it does is create more questions.

Dwight Howard's Weird Year Ends With Season-Ending Back Surgery

Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic put together a story worthy of writing a book about this season, considering all of the twists and turns that have happened over the last six months. That story is reportedly coming to a close, however, as the All-Star center has apparently elected to have season-ending back surgery.

Howard began to make headlines when he made the list of teams he wanted to be traded to public, angering many and confusing others when he decided just before the NBA trade deadline that he wanted to stay in Orlando for another season (albeit with some interesting reasoning).

Following that long national nightmare, Howard's relationship with head coach Stan Van Gundy was thrusted into the spotlight. The most awkward moment came at a recent press conference, though reports this week indicated it may have been even uglier behind the scenes.

Fortunately -- or unfortunately, depending which side one is on -- the season-long Dwightmare has come to a close, as ESPN's Ric Bucher reported on the season-ending surgery late Thursday night.

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard will undergo back surgery on Friday morning in Los Angeles to repair a herniated disk, effectively ending his season and eliminating him from participation in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Howard's agent said on Thursday night.

For what it's worth, that Howard will need surgery should effectively end the rumors that he was faking an injury to get out of playing for Van Gundy the rest of the season. That, Howard said in the ESPN story, is what hurt him the most.

"It hurts (emotionally)," Howard told ESPN the Magazine's Chris Broussard. "That's the first thing -- it hurts. And then with people saying and thinking I'm quitting on my team. This is a real issue. I tried to play through it and it just made my back worse."

For more on Howard and the Magic, be sure to visit Orlando Pinstriped Post.

Dwight Howard To Undergo Surgery, Will Miss Playoffs And Olympics, According To Report

Surgery to repair a herniated disk will keep Dwight Howard out for the 2012 NBA Playoffs and 2012 Summer Olympics.

Dwight Howard Injury Update: Magic Star Hopes To Return For Playoffs, But Uncertainty Lingers

The Orlando Magic will almost certainly not have Dwight Howard for the rest of the regular season due to a herniated disk in his back, but it remains unclear whether Howard will be back for the playoffs. On the one hand, Howard continues to rehab the injury, and his camp is "adamant" that he will be healthy in time for the postseason, according to Joshua Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.

However, that optimism is not necessarily shared by Howard's coach. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said he is preparing as if Howard will not return for the postseason. Via our own Gethin Coolbaugh:

"No, I'd be surprised. Very surprised," said Van Gundy, prior to Orlando's game against Boston on Wednesday, when asked if he expected Howard back before the playoffs. "What we're saying right now, our approach is that this is our team, not only in the regular season, but in the playoffs. If we get him back, obviously it would be a huge bonus, but we're not expecting that at this point."

Howard and Van Gundy have rarely been on the same page this season, so it makes sense that neither really knows what will ultimately happen once the playoffs begin. The Magic are currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, one game behind fifth-place Atlanta and three games ahead of seventh-place New York.

For more on the Magic, visit Orlando Pinstriped Post and SB Nation Tampa Bay.

Dwight Howard Will Rest Ailing Back 10-14 Days, According To Report

It appears the Orlando Magic will be without Dwight Howard for the stretch run in the regular season. The All-NBA center is suffering from a herniated disk in his back and the Magic will rest him for the next 10-14 days, according to a report from ESPN the Magazine.

Howard has missed the Magic's last two games and four of their last six with what was originally diagnosed as back spasms, but the news worsened when he got a second opinion. From the ESPN story:

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.

There's a lot of foreboding in there for Magic fans. This isn't good news, especially considering the Magic are jockeying for playoff position. Without Howard in the lineup, the players who see the floor don't make up a playoff-quality team. If Howard can fully recover before the playoffs (they're currently locked into the sixth seed, three games up on the Knicks with seven games remaining, five against likely playoff teams), the Magic could make something happen. If he's limited, it's hard to see how that's possible.

For analysis and reaction from Howard's injury, check out Orlando PInstriped Post.

Dwight Howard Injury Leaves Magic In Dire Straits, But Playoff Bid Remains Likely

To say that the Orlando Magic are in trouble with Dwight Howard's injury is an understatement. The All-NBA center has been remarkably durable over his career, missing just 12 games over eight seasons, five of those this season as Howard deals with a herniated disk in his back that could end his 2011-12 campaign.

Over the last four seasons, the Magic have a record of 200-93 (.685) when Howard plays, and just 4-8 (.333) when he sits. Not only is Howard a great player that makes a huge impact on both ends of the floor, but Orlando's offensive system under Stan Van Gundy is completely tailored around having a dominant low post presence who can open up the perimeter for a bevy of shooters. Howard is one of few centers in the entire league with whom the system would work; needless to say, the Magic do not have a proxy on the roster, which forces Orlando out of its comfort zone. (Losing Hedo Turkoglu during this spell hurts, too. That's one less creative playmaker Van Gundy has at his disposal, especially problematic given the pre-existing lack of playmaking ability the team has dealt with since the 2008-09 season.)

Can the Magic actually fall out of the playoffs with Howard on the shelf? Orlando's magic number is two: any combination of two Magic wins and Milwaukee Bucks losses will confirm the team's participation in the postseason, likely against the Indiana Pacers. The Magic swept the Bucks 4-0 this season within the span of three weeks.

For more on Howard's injury and the Magic's prospects, visit Orlando Pinstriped Post.

Dwight Howard Injury: Magic Center Out With Herniated Disk

Dwight Howard was diagnosed with a herniated disk in his back and will be out for an indefinite amount of time.

Dwight Howard Injury: Orlando Magic Center Getting Second Opinion On Back

Dwight Howard experienced tightness in his back following a March 30 game against the Dallas Mavericks. The Orlando Magic's superstar center has missed four of the team's last six game as a result of back spasms stemming from the injury and has been out of action entirely since Saturday.

According to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, Howard has traveled to Los Angeles to seek out a second medical opinion regarding his back. As such, he will not play in Friday night's game against the Atlanta Hawks.

"It's back spasms, basically, caused by bruising and getting pounded," Van Gundy said Thursday afternoon.

"It's not a disk problem or anything, but anybody who's been through back problems knows sometimes they resolve more quickly than others. We're heading down the stretch now, so as much as we'd like to get everybody together and have 'em out there and playing, we've also got to get healthy. It's a tough time."

Howard suffered a setback on Thursday after experiencing pain during practice. It is unknown whether he will be able to return to full strength in time for the postseason.

For more on the Magic, head over to Orlando Pinstriped Post.

Dwight Howard Injures Back, Stan Van Gundy Accuses Brendan Haywood Of Throwing Punches

Dwight Howard will miss Sunday's game with back spasms and Stan Van Gundy blames Brendan Haywood. Could it be one last stand by a coach trying to win over his superstar?