Dwight Howard has been in the news as much for his drama as his sterling play this season.

First the Rockets center got into an opening night kerfuffle with former Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant, in which the latter called D12 "soft" and a host of other obscenities. Then last week injured Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant repeatedly shout an emasculating term at him from the sidelines.

Kevin Durant Insults Howard's Manhood, Inflates Rivalry

To top it all off, former player-turned-analyst Gary Payton didn't even rise to Howard's defense, but said he agreed with Kobe and Durant's sentiments.

Ouch.

Well, now it looks like Howard's receiving a bit of a respite. Bryant was asked about the soap opera-esque vibe that seems to perpetually surround Howard, and the Black Mamba put away his fangs.

When asked if Howard really embodied the negative qualities he and Durant had ascribed to him, Bryant said, “No, I don’t feel that way. I don’t think Kevin does, either. In moments of confrontation during a game, you’ll say things in the heat of the moment.

“I know Dwight. I’m sure Kevin does. We don’t really feel that way about him. It’s like when you get in an argument with somebody, you’ll say things out of frustration, out of anger, that you don’t really mean.”

The Lakers face the Rockets once more, on January 25. We'll see if Kobe is still singing the same tune of forgiveness that night.