Howard is out of excuses. More importantly, he is out of leverage.
The Rockets don’t have to kiss up to him the way Orlando did for a while. They also won’t tiptoe around his immaturity, like the Lakers did for one awkward season. The Rockets need him, but they don’t need to please him. For the first time since Howard became a superstar, his employer holds the hammer.
Howard chose his team. Now he has to show he was worth the fuss.
The next time his camp leaks a story about Howard being unhappy with his coach, we’ll all point at Howard and laugh. He knew Kevin McHale was the Rockets coach when he agreed to this deal. (At least, I think he did.)
If Houston loses, it won’t be the coach’s fault, the offense’s fault, or even James Harden‘s fault. It will be Howard’s fault. You can be sure Rockets fans will turn on Howard before they turn on Harden or general manager Daryl Morey.