[ThaShark316]

LOS ANGELES Juwan Howard, desperately missed in the Rockets frontcourt, will not be back this season, team sources confirmed today.

Howard suffered a viral infection in his heart that will bar him from physical exertion for four to six months, according to sources speaking on the condition of anonymity. Howard, who had been out with a sprained right knee, had hoped to come back from that injury for the playoffs, but doctors told him Monday and again today that though his condition has been remedied he will not be cleared to play this season.

Howard was unavailable for comment. His agent, David Falk, did not return phone calls this week. Rockets officials would not comment, citing privacy laws.

Howard had been battling the flu since March 11 and left the Rockets game March 22 against the Heat because of flu symptoms. Early March 25, he developed symptoms of viral myocarditis, including heart palpitations, mild chest pains and fever, and was taken to the hospital.

He was released with a heart monitor, but he now has no symptoms and no longer needs the monitor. He is not taking any medication.

This month keeps getting worse and worse.... ...We're gonna miss Howard, and I hate to say it...but If he retired, I would be the least bit surprised.

 

[Kunlun]

ESPN.com - Rockets' Howard (heart) out for season

Howard hoped to return from his knee injury in time for the playoffs, which start April 23, but was told by doctors this week that he wouldn't be cleared to play again this season, even though the infection had been cured, the newspaper reported.

Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson told The Associated Press on Wednesday night that he couldn't comment about Howard's medical status, citing privacy laws.

"We're working on his knee," Dawson told the AP in a phone interview. "Unless he releases information from his doctors, we don't know about anything else."

Asked if Howard would be able to return this season, Dawson said: "Who knows? [Team doctors] are not letting him run right now. He's working hard to rehab the knee."

Neither Howard nor his agent, David Falk, was immediately available for comment.

Wow, really bad news for the Rockets. They are in a slump right now and need any kind of help possible. This could affect your playoff run as well, Clarence Weatherpsoon is just too old, slow and undersized to match the big forwards in the West.

Full article here:
Forward already out with sprained knee

 

[The_Franchise]

Horrible news...

Atleast Weatherspoon and Padgett are shooting the ball well. Only way we can overcome this loss is if Wesley/Sura/James start shooting close to what they were a month ago and Barry recovers soon. I really don't want to fall below the 6th spot, Phoenix or San Antonio in the first round would not be good.

LOS ANGELES Juwan Howard, desperately missed in the Rockets frontcourt, will not be back this season, team sources confirmed today.

Howard suffered a viral infection in his heart that will bar him from physical exertion for four to six months, according to sources speaking on the condition of anonymity. Howard, who had been out with a sprained right knee, had hoped to come back from that injury for the playoffs, but doctors told him Monday and again today that though his condition has been remedied he will not be cleared to play this season.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3122158

 

[Hakeem]

Re: Horrible news...

Poor Howard. He was playing pretty well. I hope he doesn't come back next season significantly worse.

 

[kisstherim]

oh,geez,a chinese newspaper reported about this a few days ago and i thought it's a late April fool joke(actually ballscientist made a thread on this in NBA General board on april 5th and i said in that thread it's a fake news:shy:http://www.basketballboards.net/forum/showthread.php?t=155739 ).now it's officially declared by a houston local newspaper?that sucks.probably we will fall to the #7 spot and be kicked out by spurs in the first round :no:
but C'Mon,if i remember correctly,JVG took the Ewing-less Knicks to the finals,so we might still make noise in the playoffs,as long as Spoon could step up(Deke might need play some PF,too) and Wesley bounce back from his slump(Barry will be back soon,right?)

anyway,we really need to build our depth badly, hope CD will be as smart as he was in the last some months.

 

[DwyaneWade4MVP]

Bad news...bad news....:nonono:

 

[Kunlun]

Now it's finalized.

HOUSTON -- Houston Rockets forward Juwan Howard will miss the rest of the season because of a viral infection in his heart.

Out of the lineup the last three weeks because of a sprained right knee, Howard developed an infection that could keep him from physical activity for the next four to six months. The ailment, viral myocarditis, has symptoms that include fever, heart palpitations and mild chest pains.

"This will prevent me from participating in conditioning workouts and games for the next few months," Howard said in a statement released Thursday. "On the advice of my doctors, I will take a conservative approach for resuming my regular training regimen in order to ensure a full recovery so that I can be ready for the start of next season. My physicians have reassured me that there should be no long-term consequences."

Howard hoped to return from his knee injury in time for the playoffs, which start April 23, but was told by doctors this week that he wouldn't be cleared to play again this season, even though the infection had been cured.

"Anytime you lose someone like him, it's very difficult," Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. "He was playing good ball and was an intergal part of our team. You just hope you're deep enough to deal with these kinds of injuries."

Howard averaged 9.6 points and 5.7 rebounds in his first season with the Rockets. He was acquired in the offseason in a trade with Orlando that also brought Tracy McGrady to the Rockets.

Howard's efficient low-post game helped Houston climb into the race for homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Without him, the Rockets have lost three straight and gone 6-6.

Howard, an 11-year veteran, had missed only eight games in the past five seasons.

"Obviously, this has been a very difficult and frustrating time for my family and me," Howard said. "We would very much appreciate your help in respecting our privacy regarding this matter as we move forward."

Forward Recovering From Viral Infection