pretty good Josh Howard article

[Chicago JK]

Maverickes find steal in Howard
By PAUL NEWBERRY
December 4, 2003


The ACC Player of the Year normally couldn't get 100 feet in an airport with causing a stir.

The list is a Who's Who of basketball. Before Michael Jordan there was Ralph Sampson. Before Sampson's reign there was Phil Ford, and David Thompson's three-year run.

In the 1990s guys like Christian Laettner, Grant Hill, Tim Duncan, Antawn Jamison and Elton Brand were honored. Even Shane Battier and Juan Dixon were household names among sports fans.

Then came Josh Howard. Who? If he were a few inches shorter, even hoops junkies wouldn't take a second look as he walked past them.

Howard just blended into the college basketball scene, quietly making Wake Forest a better team and earning recognition as the best player in that storied conference a year ago.

But the 6-7 forward didn't wow the fans or even the NBA scouts in the process. Howard lasted all the way to the last pick of the first round in the June draft.

And it probably wasn't an exciting pick for Mavericks boss Don Nelson to make. The bottom of the first round is not an enviable position to draft from and it's much more fashionable to take a shot at some foreigner your fans haven't heard of.

But right now Howard looks not only safe, but like a real steal for the Mavericks.

Howard immediately gave Nelson something he desperately needed - a defensive stopper. Eduardo Najera earns a lot of praise from fans and announcers, but that's really for energy and hustle, not defensive ability or command of the fundamentals.

Howard has shown he can defend wing players - small forwards or shooting guards - and won't back down regardless of their name or reputation.

And you don't get to be ACC Player of the Year without the ability to score a little, too. Out of necessity, that part of Howard's game has come to light in recently as the rookie has scored double figures in three straight games where he played just 18, 26 and 25 minutes.

Howard, who picked up four DNP-CDs (did not play-coach's decision) is not supposed to be playing this much, but Dirk Nowitzki's injured ankle and Danny Fortson's three-game suspension opened up some more minutes.

Howard was also supposed to be Michael Finley's backup, but in a couple of games last week, a near rally against Denver and a comeback win over Minnesota, it was Howard and Finley together doing some major damage down the stretch.

Credit Howard as much as anyone for the win over Minnesota. Howard had season highs of 15 points, seven rebounds and three steals. He had 10 points in the third quarter alone, helping erase a 12-point Dallas deficit and sparking a 22-4 Mavericks' run.

"I know we have a lot of stars, so whenever I get a chance to replace them, I'm going to play hard and do what I've been doing since college," Howard said.

"Josh had a lot to do with us winning this game," Nelson said. "He's making a statement that he's a player."

And more than any statistics, Howard just looks like he belongs. He's not scared to shoot, take a charge or dive for a loose ball. The intriguing Antoine Rigadeau was the complete opposite in Dallas last year.

Less than three weeks ago I questioned Nelson about why Howard wasn't in the rotation during a victory over the defending champion Spurs. The coach said he just didn't want to use a rookie in the big games against tough teams.

Injuries changed that in the short term and Howard looks like his talent has a chance to change it for the long term. Blending in amongst the stars is working well for him once again.



(Contact Paul Newberry of the Caller-Times in Corpus Christi, Texas, at http://www.caller.com.)

[COOLJAZZ]

Good article for a great player!
I'm tellin' you guys jump on this bandwagon.
Josh is a player. He's only going to get better.