HOUSTON – Looking back, Dwight Howard should've resisted the natural inclination to rush himself into that Los Angeles Lakers' season. He wanted to be on the floor so badly that opening night, restore his reputation and validate Hollywood's vision of a Showtime return. Back surgery had come and gone within four months, and there turned out to be a steep price for embracing such a rapid rehabilitation. There were consequences for sacrificing his body, for trying to honor his commitment.

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Never did Howard reclaim his agility, explosion and conditioning two years ago, nor did it ever feel fully restored with the Houston Rockets. Howard is an athletic marvel of nature, size and strength and speed that separated him as one of the greatest defensive presences the sport had ever seen out of a center.

Twenty four months later, Howard sits inside a lounge outside the Rockets' locker room in the Toyota Center, and confirms what everyone else in this training camp tells you: This season, redemption could be his.

Howard returned a different physical specimen, his old Orlando Magic self – only maybe better with the benefit of trial and error, the benefit of learning hard lessons. If the Los Angeles bridge between Orlando and Houston had been unpleasant for Howard, he'll never consider it unproductive.

"I probably should've waited longer," Howard told Yahoo Sports, "but I don't regret playing right away. I wish the information could've come across to the world about how hurt I really was, how serious the back injury was, but I never thought it really did.

"The good thing about it, I didn't develop any other major injuries. The torn labrum eventually healed itself. But coming back early from the back, I believed it helped me out in the long run. It made me really develop a thicker skin, going through all the things that I went through because of the injury.

"I was always taught never to show pain, never to show weakness, never to show fear. Always put a smile on your face. But I'm glad it did happen. It made me a better person. The world coming down on you, saying you weren't playing as hard as you could … "

On a couch, his knees wrapped in ice, Howard clenched a fist and smiled: "It made me stronger."

The Rockets need Howard to be himself again, dominate on defense and restore himself to a devastating pick-and-roll force on offense. There were moments a season ago, including a spectacular performance in the Western Conference playoff series loss to Portland, where Howard was Howard again. He could be more, though. The organization knew it, and so did he.

This summer, Howard passed on USA Basketball and returned to his roots of training: From the gym to the weight room to the table, Howard found himself fighting to recapture a body and a mind, that had made him an All-NBA star, a Defensive Player of the Year, an MVP candidate.

Trevor Ariza, who played three seasons with Howard on the Magic, walked into Rockets training camp and found himself mesmerized with Howard's re-transformation. "To be honest, he looks more athletic to me now," Ariza told Yahoo Sports. "He's always been big and strong, but he seems stronger to me, looks like he's jumping higher than he did."

View photos Dwight Howard may not fully drop his goofy antics. (AP) More

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