Howard had back surgery last spring and has been practicing without setbacks. But he hasn't appeared in game action against people who do not care if he's healthy or not. Laker Nation will certainly be watching closely to see how Howard moves and reacts to inevitable contact. Their status as supreme leaders of the NBA rest on how effective Howard is this season.

The Kings might also see Howard on Thursday in San Diego in the preseason finale. Spears reports that the Lakers likely won't play him both games in a Wednesday-Thursday back-to-back, so we'll see. The Kings have two regular season games against the Lakers in November, too.