Kris Humphries and Kim Kardashian. Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger. Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards.

It there's anything those ex-couples have shown, it's that divorces can get quite nasty in the public eye. And in the world of sports, few professional unions have ended quite as bitterly and publicly-not to mention bizarrely-as the case of Dwight Howard and the Los Angeles Lakers.

When the Lakers signed future NBA Hall of Famer Steve Nash and pulled the trigger on a four-team megadeal that brought the then-six-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year to the bright lights and glamour of Los Angeles, he was to be the centerpiece of a new Lakers team in the coming years, the next great superstar to follow in the line of Magic, Kareem, Shaq...and Kobe Bryant.

Unfortunately, it was Howard's troubled relationship with Bryant, a former league MVP and five-time NBA champion, that seemed to make for the dominant headlines in a Lakers season marred by controversy, reports of infighting, injuries, coaching changes and overall discord as the Lakers limped into the playoffs with a mediocre-for the level of talent they had on their roster-45-37 record for third place behind the younger Golden State Warriors and a more dynamic L.A. Clippers team. To add further insult to injury, almost literally, the Lakers were dispatched easily in a four-game first round sweep by their bitter rival San Antonio.

One offseason later, Howard is gone from L.A., trading his yellow and purple threads for Houston Rockets red as he opted to join forces with James Harden, Chandler Parsons and Jeremy Lin in Houston. Now the Rockets are 6-4 , second behind the San Antonio Spurs in the Southwest Division, while the Lakers, still reeling with injuries to Steve Nash and Bryant, have struggled to a 4-6 record, only fourth place in the Pacific Division. Granted, Howard struggled Thursday with only 7 points and 15 rebounds as the Rockets needed to grind one out in a 109-106 nail-biter over the Knicks, but after 10 games showing different results for both teams, one has to wonder: should the Lakers have tried harder to keep Howard?

Sure, it was a messy year last season for the Lakers and their fans. Howard struggled with injuries, he had difficulty fitting into Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni's "7 Seconds or Less" offense and allegedly, he and Bryant continued to butt heads, the biggest sticking point between the two of them occurring when Howard was hurt. Bryant reportedly tried to push him to work through the pain as the Lakers fought for their playoff lives, which the former Orlando Magic center chaffed at. And as the rift between the Lakers' two biggest stars grew, the Lakers' chances of a sixth world title in the Kobe Bryant era dwindled. Overall, it was a disaster.

However, with Bryant on the shelf, the Lakers could use a steady source of dependable offense, especially considering that the team's lead scorer thus far, Pau Gasol (13.4 points this season), is not as spry as he once was at 33 years old and coming off an injury-marred season himself (left foot). Outside of some big midseason trade or the prospects of signing a big name free agent in the summer-the name Carmelo Anthony comes to mind-Los Angeles doesn't have a lot of promising prospects aside from waiting for an injured and aging Bryant to return from injury and lead them to a mere playoff appearance, considerably low expectations for a team that has 16 championship banners and has become synonymous with winning through the years. And on defense, there's virtually no question that the Lakers could use the defensive powerhouse Howard.

Yet currently, the Lakers are tied for the third-worst defense in the NBA with, ironically, Houston at 105.8 points per night. Neither Houston nor L.A. have been known for being defensively sound, so would Howard have made that much of a difference for Los Angeles in the grand scheme of things? Having Howard can't hurt, but D'Antoni has never been known for his defensive schemes and ultimately, if a team doesn't have the defensive gameplan, then as the old saying goes, one player a defense does not make.

In addition, by the numbers, Howard isn't really doing that much better in Houston than he did last season, at least when you compare the numbers of his first 10 games. In his first 10 games last season with the Lakers, Howard racked up 20.0 points, 11.4 rebounds and a monstrous 2.7 blocks as the Lakers compiled a 5-5 record during that time. The Rockets have a better record at Howard's 10-game mark at 6-4, but his numbers haven't been quite as strong, the 7-footer netting 17.1 points, and 2.5 blocks, though he is grabbing more rebounds at 14.9 boards thus far. Plus, it can probably be safely said that the infighting and drama that revolved around Howard's contract situation and his feud with Kobe aren't missed by the Lakers. Remove one distracting element from the roster, and the tension in the locker room diminishes; addition by subtraction, if you will.

Yet, ultimately, the true test of whether the Lakers are better off with or without Howard can't be measured in stats and records between November and April. It's going to be where it counts the most-the playoffs. In the Lakers' case, it might be tough just getting there, from what they've shown so far. The Rockets are heading for the playoffs, that much can be certain, and with Howard on their roster, the expectations for the Rockets are far greater now than they've ever been. Only the team that makes the most noise and goes the farthest when the postseason arrives may have bragging rights in saying who's better off with or without Howard there.