However, he can still get back in good graces if he goes to the Los Angeles Lakers and wins a title in his first year there, thereby proving to everyone what a difference-maker he can be.
This is a conditional image repair though, one that won't be completed if Howard sticks to his guns and follows Ric Bucher's report that he won't sign an extension with any team, preferring to test free agency in the summer of 2013.
On top of that, it's only going to be a partial repair of the basketball world's perception of Howard.
It's going to be ridiculously difficult for Howard to be loved—hell, even liked—by the majority of NBA fans again at this stage in his career. Going to Los Angeles and helping to form a superteam would only fuel the fire of the hatred, with the exception of Lakers Nation of course.
However, winning a title and showing exactly why he's made out to be such a dominant center would at least earn Howard a bit of grudging respect.
After all of this drama, that's about all Howard can hope to earn back.
It doesn't matter how many ear-to-ear grins he flashes next season, how motivated he looks on the court or how well he handles himself with the media, Howard has wrecked his image this offseason with his constant backtracking and flip-flopping.
As LeBron James showed when he won the title with the Miami Heat, a championship can validate a drawn-out decision, even if it was won with a group of fellow All-Stars.
The only rumored destination at which D12 could hope to win a title in year one would be in Los Angeles, playing at the Staples Center in a purple and gold uniform.
The Houston Rockets ha...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
