Howard's surgery is something that's hard to come back from EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak sat back in the chair in his office on Wednesday, pondering the question before coming to quite the remarkable conclusion.
A Lakers stretch as taxing and torturous as the current one during his 26-year tenure? As he sees it, it doesn't exist.
"There's been no year and a half like the last year and a half," the longtime Lakers executive told USA TODAY Sports in an extensive interview. "We've had some pretty off-the-wall years here – the year Magic (Johnson) announced (he had HIV), the other lockout year when Del Harris was coaching and Kurt (Rambis) took over and we brought back on Dennis Rodman, and with Shaq (O'Neal) and Kobe (Bryant), maybe even Eddie Jones – who couldn't seem to get over the hump because everything was crammed into a half a year, and it was like one unpredictable thing (after another). This has been a unique period. I can't think of anything I can compare it to."
LAKERS CONTINUE STREAK: 21 straight wins over Minnesota
The embarrassing sweep by the Dallas Mavericks and Phil Jackson's exit started it all in all the wrong ways, and was followed by the coaching carousel (Jackson to Mike Brown to Mike D'Antoni), the lockout landscape that played a part in Brown's downfall, the underwhelming way their so-called Super Team has performed this season (they're 29-30 and two games out of playoff position in the Western Conference) and the recent passing of Lakers owner Jerry Buss. None of that matters now, though, as the Lakers are looking ahead and hopeful that they can become the eighth seed no one wants to face in the playoffs.
Thursday's win over Minnesota was their 12th in the past 17 games. But success has mostly been fleeting, and – as Kupchak made clear – frustrating.
"Frustrating is a great word," he said when asked to pick a word to describe this season. "I don't think anybody, including myself, could have predicted this…It's been tough to try to pinpoint the problem, too, (because) there have been so many different things – new players, injuries, new coaches. That's all been frustrating."
LAKERS FUTURE: Is it safe in the hands of Jim Buss?
Kupchak is well aware that the future will be bright so long as free-agent-to-be Dwight Howard is part of it. To that end, he continued his recent habit of defending the center who has been so heavily criticized for the Lakers' losing.
While Howard returned from his April back surgery to start the season on Oct. 30, he's clearly not himself physically just yet. Howard has consistently said he'll decide if he wants to return in the summer.
"I think he should get more credit for the reality of what has taken place," Kupchak said. "Here's a guy who didn't have to come back. Forget whatever he needs (because of) this summer as a free agent, because doctors are going to say that after a year you're going to be fine. But he came back because after a year he wanted to play and he wanted to win. And then he's also had the torn labrum (in his right shoulder). I just thought he was getting unfairly criticized."
Kupchak can relate to Howard's season more than most, as he had the same back surgery twice in his career. The first came while he was a player at North Carolina in the mid-1970s, and the second came early in his nine-year NBA career.
"They did (the surgery) different then…but it's the same thing," he said. "And the second one I had, I had it in July and came back in like November and I couldn't make it through the season. I pulled up lame in March. So the second surgery almost took me two years to come back from. It hasn't even been a year yet (for Howard).
"A lot of the symptoms that you had are gone, but in this game you have to coil and recoil and you have to hop on your back and your legs. When your back is (hurting) when you're bending over to brush your teeth – the back is weird, it's different. So it hasn't even been a year yet."
DWIGHT HOWARD: A MAGICAL RIDE TO LAKER LAND 
Dwight Howard's travails as a Los Angeles Laker have become the story of the season. But how did he get here? Flip through for the making of a star.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea, USA TODAY Sports Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Howard was the top player in the country his senior season at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy.
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Howard won Gatorade National Player of the Year his senior season.
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When Howard was picked No. 1 overall in the 2004 NBA draft by the Magic out of high school, he still had braces.
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Howard had veteran teammates to guide him as a rookie, as Grant Hill does here Oct. 6, 2004, during a preseason practice.
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Howard, particularly early in his career, was criticized for his lack of finesse on the offense end. Here, he bulldozes past Hawks center Jason Collier as a rookie Nov. 26, 2004.
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Howard was drawing regular double-teams by his second season in the NBA.
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Howard developed his rebounding skill at an early age, averaging a double-double as a 19-year-old rookie. He led the NBA in rebounds per game four times in his final five seasons with the Magic.
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Howard shows off his headphones during part of the Team USA tour before the 2006 FIBA World Championship.
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Howard made his Team USA major-competition debut during the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan.
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Howard and company brought home the gold medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japana.
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Howard had 20 points and 12 rebounds in the 2007 All-Star Game, which drew attention and led to him being voted in as a starter every season since.
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Before being beset by injuries in recent seasons, Howard was one of the most reliable big men in the NBA. He played all 82 games in each of his first four seasons and only missed seven in his first seven combined.
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Howard worked with Magic assistant Patrick Ewing for years on his post skills and defense.
Todd A. Anderson, for USA TODAY Sports Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Howard's Superman-themed dunk during the 2008 dunk contest won him the title and remains one of the most iconic moments in contest history.
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Howard played with current Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant for Team USA in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, winning his only Olympic gold medal.
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Howard reportedly had a $7.8 million home in Orlando.
Preston C. Mack, for USA TODAY Sports Related story Fullscreen ![None]()
Howard brought back out his Superman cape for the 2009 dunk contest, only to allow Nate Robinson to leap over him for a dunk that sealed Robinson's victory.
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Howard's 6-11, 270-pound frame combined with his spectacular athleticism makes him nearly impossible to defend.
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Howard and Jameer Nelson watch as the Magic lose Game 5 of the 2009 NBA Finals to the Lakers. Orlando lost twice in overtime during the five-game series.
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Howard's marketability hinges on his incredible physique and fun personality, shown as he flexes with tennis star Venus Williams.
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Fouling Howard has long been an ideal defensive strategy because he can't shoot free throws well.
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Howard is among the NBA's best shot-blockers, leading the NBA in 2008-09 and 2009-10. He won defensive player of the year honors both of those seasons and in 2010-11.
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In Orlando, Howard was the smiling face of the franchise for eight seasons.
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Shaquille O'Neal didn't shown much respect to Howard as a player and still doesn't as an analyst. Both were No. 1 picks by the Magic who then went to the Lakers, both centers known for their strength and athleticism, both Superman enthusiasts.
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The Magic brought back Hedo Turkoglu in 2011 with hopes of keeping Howard, but they never quite found the same page they had been on during their five seasons together from 2004 through 2009.
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Howard's last season in Orlando was full of frustration, vented at his balky back, his mediocre teammates, franchise executives and more.
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Howard and coach Stan Van Gundy didn't see eye-to-eye on many issues, and both ended up getting booted from the Magic in the 2012 offseason. Michael Perez, AP
