Dwight Howard's experience with the Los Angeles Lakers was a rough one, but he doesn't consider it unproductive.
Howard began his tenure with the Lakers returning from back surgery.
"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 … "
My RealGM account is old enough to drink. 
