Howard Headed in the Right Direction - by Art Garcia

[xraided199]

ok, i tried to look around, and i didn't see this posted. i know i get reamed from everyone here when i say whats on my mind, but all i'm saying is 1) im VERY sorry if this has been posted, its been a horribly long day that's not over yet, and i just wanted to post this, and 2) it's a darn good article, and hopefully one that will just put a smile on some of your faces. i know these last few days for damn sure when i hear "Mavs," a little vomit builds in my throat. but this was nice:

http://www.nba.com/2008/news/feature...der/index.html

have a great night everyone, love ya'll

GO MAVS!!! (there's that taste again...)

M/F/F/L

[Re-Dirk-ulous]

Art who?

[craggmac]

Yeah... right dierction.

The injury list.

[Dirkenstien]

Give credit where credit is due. Howard has been playing very well this season and this article seems to portray a guy who has his head on straight. His talent and ability were never in question. I think we're going to be okay with him and I'd sure like to see us have success with him here.

[Murphy3]

I just wish that Howard was about doing more of the little things like he was when he first came into the league...

[bernardos70]

For those too lazy to click through, and for convenience.....

Western Conference Insider: Howard headed in right direction

By Art Garcia, NBA.com
Posted Nov 12 2008 2:25PM

If it seems like Josh Howard's life since the end of last season was a series of fiascos, there was good reason. His losing streak of poor decisions reads like a how-to-screw-up-a-promising-career guide.




There's one decision Howard doesn't regret. One he won't ever regret. The same guy many folks in Dallas wanted to run out of town and others around the country wanted run out of the league experienced a life-altering moment as the summer came to a close.

He became a first-time papa.

"It gave me new life," Howard said Tuesday before the Mavericks' loss to the Lakers. "It's somebody that's going to be looking at you. It's a good feeling. It's kind of hard to describe."

This isn't about basketball. This is about a former All-Star small forward getting his priorities back in order and trying to repair a shattered image. Howard may act as if he doesn't care what people think, a carefree persona often mistaken for indifference, but he does internalize what happens around him and doesn't forget.

Howard hadn't discussed the birth of his son publicly until now for his own reasons. For one, no one has asked. Mostly, though, the attention he's received lately has largely been unflattering. Not that Howard didn't deserve the scrutiny.

He ended last season having to answer for marijuana use and an ill-timed birthday bash thrown during Dallas' first-round loss to New Orleans. The summer followed with a scrape with the law for drag-racing in North Carolina and a YouTube-inspired frenzy over some flippant national anthem remarks.

Howard's behavior warranted a backlash. And he admits he was in a bad place.

"Things were going in the wrong direction," he said. "It's so hard to point at people because at the end of the day it's going to come back on me. I'm the one that's going to have to deal with it, even though I know what happened.

"At the end of the day it wasn't the Josh Howard that everybody knows. It's just tough to see how people judge you off some bad things with all the good I've done."

Howard's heart has always been in the right place when it comes to giving back. His charity work back in his hometown of Winston-Salem, N.C. has touched the lives of countless kids from lesser means. The Wake Forest grad has been just as active around Dallas.

But after everything that went down, he wasn't sure if Dallas would be his NBA home for his sixth season. Had the Mavs traded him, Howard wouldn't have been surprised.

"It's crossed my mind every season," said Howard, currently out with an injured wrist. "You never know. It's a business. I'm fortunate enough to have a great owner in Cuban and he trusts in me.

"He was the first person I called when all this stuff went down. I respect him and he respects me. That's the best part about all this."

Howard's relationship with Mark Cuban has remained rock solid. New Mavs coach Rick Carlisle made it a point to reach out to Howard early, and the two have kept the lines of communication open.

"I was just excited to come back to play, regardless of what happens off the court," said Howard, adding he's never lost his joy for basketball.

Last season wasn't easy on Howard, even though he chooses not to discuss whatever problems he had with former coach Avery Johnson. He also dealt with the sudden death of his college coach Skip Prosser and a beloved family member.

"I've always kept my personal life to myself," said Howard, who asked to keep many of the details of his new son private. "I've always let stuff build up until things pop."

Or in this case explode. Howard is going to make mistakes again, just like the rest of us. It's now about how he deals with those mistakes. His attitude moving forward is emblazoned with a new tattoo running down his spine: "Let it roll."

Considering his recent run, those words can be taken many ways. Howard chooses to focus on the positive. That's why the birth of his son proved so poignant. The pride in Howard's eyes goes beyond words, as Dad beamed when talking about spending all day with his son before the game.

"It was a blessing," Howard said.

He sure needed one ... or two. Howard has a second child on the way next month.
Layups

• The once-dreaded Texas Triangle is looking more like the Lone Star Letdown. The Mavs and Spurs are bringing up the rear in the Southwest Division, while the Rockets have looked just ordinary.

Barely a week into the season, Rick Carlisle is already calling for a sense of "urgency." After a loss at the winless L.A. Clippers, a frustrated Dirk Nowitzki questioned the team's effort.

"If you don't compete hard, it's not about Xs and Os," he said. "You can run whatever play you want. You can have all the schemes you want defensively. We've just got to push ourselves to play harder.

"I don't know what it is. I don't know what's going on. We don't leave it all out there, and that's what you've got to do."

Nowitzki then proceeded to shoot 5 for 17 in the loss to the Lakers, dropping the Mavs to 0-3 at American Airlines Center. It's the worst home start since the Quinn Buckner era.

The Spurs, already off to their worst start in 35 years, were hit with the sobering thought of Tony Parker being sidelined for a month. That comes on top of Manu Ginobili being out until mid-December.

Tim Duncan can't do it alone. A member of the supporting cast, Bruce Bowen, actually went Biblical when discussing San Antonio's woes.

"This is a time where you really have to trust in the coaching staff," he said. "It's kind of like the Israelites traveling through the wilderness. We know where we're trying to get, but if you start to have people second-guessing, is starts to get disruptive."

• The Thunder's three leading scorers through seven games were Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and rookie Russell Westbrook. In fact, the lottery-pick trio were the only ones on the team averaging double figures.

Though they represent the future, coach P.J. Carlesimo didn't want to put much stock in the early trend.

"There's been so few games and it's been so hard to get any sense of continuity of what's really going on," he said recently. "To be honest, I haven't looked at the cumulative stats yet. I've looked at field-goal percentages and turnovers, a couple of things like that, but I haven't even looked at who's scoring or who's getting what. We just have not settled in to any kind of predictable form yet."

[xraided199]

Originally Posted by Dirkenstien

Give credit where credit is due. Howard has been playing very well this season and this article seems to portray a guy who has his head on straight. His talent and ability were never in question. I think we're going to be okay with him and I'd sure like to see us have success with him here.

freakin thank you. damn it finally someone says somethin good. +100 to you if i could. thank you.

[dirk2003]

if the right direction is 2-10

[cinemablend]

Josh Howard needs to be benched until he learns how to play in the second half.

You cannot win games with Josh Howard.

[xraided199]

Originally Posted by cinemablend

Josh Howard needs to be benched until he learns how to play in the second half.

You cannot win games with Josh Howard.

really tho that far? you cannot win games with josh howard? sorry, but that wasn't the point of this article AT ALL. he is a good player, and this WHOLE TEAM does need to get it together; it's by NO means just howard's fault though.

besides his 5-17 outing, he has been great, and WAY beyond what people thought this pot-smoking, car-racing, whatever-doing-i-don't-care-cause-its-his-life guy would do this year. and this article is not just meant to say "oh he is actually a good player, please respect him, please." i was only putting it up because it shows a damn side of someone that you never see in entertainment, a softer side that has not been revealed.

and no, i know damn well that until we start winning and he stays consistent for a very very long time AND thru the playoffs, minds won't change on his on-the-court play, but that wasn't the point of this at all.

i have already gone on my rants about f-artest love-howard thru the whole summer, and i see how receptive "real Mavs" fans were, so i stopped all that. i really just wanted to be able to show his other side.

GO MAVS

M/F/F/L

[xraided199]

Originally Posted by dirk2003

if the right direction is 2-10

please read the article, has nothing to do with our DISGUSTING team play. it's just another side of him thats all. damn, STOP HATING HOWARD FOR CRYIN OUT LOUD. it's NOT just his fault we are losing horribly and embarrassingly.