At his first news conference as new Lakers coach Thursday, (Lakers coach Mike) D’Antoni was all smiles and giggles and awe.

Meeting the media on a nearby bench, Dwight Howard was all shrugs and sighs and caution.

“It’s just the first day,” he said flatly. “He came in, he talked to us, we ran a couple of offensive plays, that’s it.”

The Lakers’ coaching drama has ended, but there could be another thriller looming if the new coach can’t sell the only Laker who needs to be sold. On a day when nearly everyone in a Lakers shirt seemed genuinely excited — Kobe Bryant beamed, Steve Blake grinned and D’Antoni actually let out a little West Virginia howl — the most important guy in the room was genuinely cool.

Since showing up here this summer, Howard has always been the most jovial man in the room. But on Thursday, he was the most reserved. The guy who jumps every question would painfully pause before answers. There were more long faces than laughter. He was careful not to openly criticize, but he was also clearly not himself, and the reasons were as obvious as his blank stare.

via Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times