It has conveniently been forgotten by some that a surgeon sliced open Howard's back a little more than nine months ago, and people with sliced-open backs usually don't come right back to what they were doing right away. No, Howard isn't in the form that won him three straight Defensive Player of the Year trophies, but he's limping and gimping enough to lead the league in rebounds and currently sits fifth in blocked shots. He's also shooting 58 percent.
A rehabbing, recovering, still-awful-free-throw-shooting Dwight Howard is still, far and away, the NBA's best center. Folks need to remember that.