McHale preaches caution with Howard's recovery, says 'he's coming along'

There may be no words more frustrating in the NBA lexicon than "at least" in relation to an injury timeline.

Dwight Howard was expected to be out at least four weeks after he underwent a bone narrow aspirate injection in his knee on Feb. 4. With Wednesday marking the four-week mark, it sounds as if the report of a four-to-eight week timeline for a return may have been more telling than the open-ended one.

In response to persistent soreness and bone edema in his right knee, Howard has missed 29 games this season, receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection and later the marrow injection, which takes bone marrow from the patient's hip and injects it into the knee to help regenerate worn-down cartilage.

Howard was expected to undergo an MRI on Wednesday to check in on what's said to be slow progress in his recovery, but that MRI may have taken place last week, according to a report from Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Feigen reported that Howard is progressing on schedule, but that his response to eventual workouts will be more telling than any MRI or checkup.

Houston Rockets head coach Kevin McHale provided an update on Howard's status Wednesday, but he didn't sound like someone who was certain about when he'd have his defensive anchor back:

He’s coming along. I saw him on the treadmill which is a good sign, but I haven’t seen him on the floor. Until you see him on the floor, who knows....

I’m hoping he comes back as soon as possible, but there’s no use in having him come back until he’s healthy and can play for us. I’m not sure how many games he will have under his belt at that time, but we have to make sure we make the best use of all those games. He’s got to get in the best rhythm he possibly can

The goal with Howard isn't to get him back quickly but to get him back in a timeline that will allow him to round himself into top form for the playoffs, which are still six weeks away. The Rockets have hung tough without him at 41-19 overall and 19-9 when he sits, thanks in large part to the play of superstar James Harden.

Despite their success, the team's ultimate upside is far higher with a healthy Howard, who is averaging 16.3 points, 11 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while shooting 57.5 percent.