Mavs' Josh Howard on the rise

[MavsFanFinley]

Mavs' Josh Howard on the rise

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

SAN ANTONIO – One great moment does not define what a player is, but in Josh Howard's case, it may have redefined what he can be.

Coach Don Nelson on Tuesday took aside his fast-improving second-year swingman and said performances like Monday's against Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves should convince everybody – most of all Howard – that he's more than a complementary player.

"I told Josh he ought to move his bar a little higher," Nelson said. "Whatever he thinks of himself ... I'm here to tell you that he's a major player. He's just scratching the surface. He's an All-Star caliber talent. And he ought to put that on his wall."

Howard clearly thrives on that sort of motivation. He went face-to-face with Garnett and not only outscored him 22-21 but pulled off a dazzling move for a high-arching left-handed layup over Garnett's arm in the fourth quarter.

"I had to let him know I'm young and I can still move," said the 24-year-old Howard, who is only four years younger than Garnett, but has eight fewer seasons of NBA experience. "That's the MVP of the league. The guy came out of high school 10 years ago. Ten years ago, I was 14. For me to do those things I did, that helps."

Helps the confidence. Helps everything.

"I loved it," Nelson said of Howard's move. "To challenge one of the best and beat him, that ought to do wonders. He's a rare guy because he can guard anybody. And if they can't guard him, then you have a special piece. Right now, they can guard him, but he's getting better every day."

[bernardos70]

Josh Howard has arrived with that play IMO. He's definitely special. He just has to work on his J, but never forget to always attack the rim first. If he can do that, our future looks mighty bright.

[sike]

too many player now days get called special.....are Daniels, Howard, and Harris all "special" players?

[EricaLubarsky]

Sike's "special"

[MavsFanFinley]

I'm thankful Howard has been playing so well as to keep him as our starting small forward. Finley was playing better than Daniels and Stackhouse, but I was afraid Nelson would be tempted to move Finley to small forward and start Daniels at sg as planned over the summer.

[bernardos70]

I don't think Daniels is special, just average, to be completely honest. He can be spectacular at times, and mediocre the rest of the time, making him average. And Harris has a long way to go. The big revelation early this season, if you can call him that with the rookie year he had, IMO is Josh Howard.

[grndmstr_c]

too many player now days get called special.....are Daniels, Howard, and Harris all "special" players?

I hope so. Harris certianly has the pedigree, and Quis and Josh have both shown the ability to play at a very high level, at least some of the time. They're all so new to the league, though, and have all had their share of inconsistencies. The jury's still out and just how good any of them really are, and just how good they are each going to be.

[Turkey]

J. hO is the best player on this team.

[Ninkobei]

I'm assuming that the line you forgot to write after that is: "Besides Dirk."
J.Ho is very talented but I don't see how you can compare him to a player of a different type. Comparing a SG to a C is like comparing apricots and lemons! You seem to enjoy a good argument (no matter whether right or wrong) so I will give one to you. shows how bored I am.

[fin4life]

Originally posted by: Turkey
J. hO is the best player on this team.

I really hope that you are joking about that

[grndmstr_c]

Hey, at least he changed his sig pic.

[mavsfanforever]

If he continues to play at this level, he should get the most improved player award.

[The Miles]

too many player now days get called special.....are Daniels, Howard, and Harris all "special" players?

Harris and Josh yes.

I don't see anything in Marquis that leads me to think that he can be more than just a good part of an 8 man rotation. Which is fine. Quis really reminds me of Doug Christie in his early days, I hope he turns out like Christie.

[dude1394]

If jho can improve his spot up shooting he is really going to be extra special.

[DubOverdose]

Originally posted by: dude1394
If jho can improve his spot up shooting he is really going to be extra special.

He has!

[grndmstr_c]

I don't see anything in Marquis that leads me to think that he can be more than just a good part of an 8 man rotation.

Those efficient thirty point explosions and near triple doubles last year didn't do anything for you?

[The Miles]

Those efficient thirty point explosions and near triple doubles last year didn't do anything for you?

Bob Sura had three triple doubles in a row last year. Not trying to diss Quis, I have the guy on my sig for goodness sakes, but I don't see him becoming an all star type like Devin Harris or Josh Howard. I hope I am wrong, but if we end up with a guy that gets 11 ppg, 5 rpg, 5 apg, and plays pretty darn good defense, provides ball handling skills, and creates mismatches I will be very happy.

Doug Christie is an excellent player in my eyes, I really hope that Quis can become another Christie for our team for the next 10 years.

[grndmstr_c]

Bob Sura had three triple doubles in a row last year.

That would be two, technically[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]. The Sura comparison is fine, but I do think it makes a difference when one guy is putting up noteworthy stats in his 9th year in the league, and the other is doing it in his first year. As for your stat projections, don't you think the point estimate is just a bit low? I mean, I don't think he's going to be in LeBron or Wade's class, but he was putting up considerably more than 11ppg, and doing so very efficiently (far more efficiently than anything we've seen out of Josh or Devin to this point), to close out the year.

[bloodyhell]

What would be nice is if we could get some regular steadiness out of them all.

[dude1394]

Yes he has but not enough. He's shooting the 3 at 35% and actually in-between worse. He needs to get to a point where he can square himself on his open outside shots. He's still drifting on it. Sometimes forward sometimes both forward and too the side.

As it is nellie can't keep him off the court. Yesterday he had the toughest assignment on the court and Randalph couldn't stay with him at all. He was my grown-ass man of the game for sure. Boy what a front-line play last night huh...
Rebs/Pts.
Center.......11...11
PF..............14...23
SF..............10...20..

Tot............35...54... That's getting it done brotha'....

[The Miles]

That is beautiful to look at.

[sike]

Originally posted by: grndmstr_c
Hey, at least he changed his sig pic.

baby steps [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

It will be interesting to see how these three young guns (and Dirk and Damp) come together over the next two years...now that could be something "special"

[V]

Scouts missed Howard's potential

Ex-Wake star won't say `I told you so', but I will

RICK BONNELL


Now that ESPN has replayed the Pistons-Pacers brawl 2,479 times, we're all worn out watching bad people do bad things.

So instead, let's consider Josh Howard.

I was lucky enough to cover Howard at Wake Forest. He and Vlade Divac are the classiest, kindest athletes I know. It disturbed me in the spring of 2003 that so many NBA teams dismissed Howard as a mediocre talent, probably unworthy of a first-round pick.

Here's what's telling about Howard: This disturbed him less than it did me. When I interviewed him at the pre-draft camp, he said high-first round, low-first round or no-first round, he'd figure it out.

There wasn't a hint of malice in his tone. He wasn't being "dissed" by scouts, they just didn't know what he knew -- that he'd figure out how to excel.

The Dallas Mavericks took him with the 29th pick, the last selection of the first round. And now, 17 months later, he's the greatest bargain that draft offered.

"He's an All-Star-caliber player and he ought to put that on his wall," Mavericks coach Don Nelson said, after Howard collected 22 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals against the Minnesota Timberwolves. That meant going head-to-head much of the night against reigning most valuable player Kevin Garnett.

"I told Josh he ought to move his bar a little higher," Nelson said. "Whatever he thinks of himself, ladies and gentlemen, I'm here to tell you that he is a major player.

"He plays both ends of the floor, he has offensive tools now that he's expanding on, and I feel comfortable now playing a little point -- Josh (as in point-forward) where he can get us into a play."

In other words, the same do-it-all, figure-it-out way Howard functioned throughout his senior season at Wake Forest.

I scanned through the 2003 first round to consider where Howard would go now if those selections were redrawn. Obviously he should have gone ahead of Troy Bell, the 16th pick, who was already cut by the Memphis Grizzlies.

He at least should have gone 10th, since he's more productive than Jarvis Hayes is in Washington. There are only three players I'd definitely choose ahead of him -- LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony. You could justify taking Chris Bosh and Darko Milicic before him, on the logic that they're big guys with huge potential. But who else is a better bet? No one.

Josh is too nice a kid to gloat over scouts' stupidity in this matter.

So I'll gloat for him; I'm not that nice.

Around the league

• Obligatory malice-in-the-Palace Note 1: Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley says he'll call in the law to avoid something similar happening in Memphis.

"I want to send an emphatic message. If somebody throws something on the court, I want to prosecute them, and I want to take them to court," Heisley said. "If players get up in the stands, I want to prosecute them, too."

• Obligatory malice-in-the-Pacer Note 2: Remember what jerks we thought Philadelphians were, after last season's NFC Championship Game? Spurs forward Malik Rose draws the line between Philly and Detroit: "We may boo Santa Claus and throw frozen batteries in the end zone, but we don't throw $7 beers (at players). We don't waste those."

• The NBA can't head off brawls between players and fans, but they sure will make the world safe from iPod. The league demanded Vince Carter and Tim Duncan stop wearing their high-tech music boxes during pregame warm-ups.

So you can shoot off fireworks and roll motorcycles onto the court during player introductions, but you can't let players listen to what they want on their headsets?

Incredible.

-- WRITERS IN OTHER NBA CITIES PROVIDED SOME OF THIS MATERIAL.

-- RICK BONNELL: (704) 358- 5129; RBONNELL@CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.COM. Rick

[dude1394]

Josh really is showing some really shifty handles. I guess it's his long arms but going to his right he's just about unstoppable with that sweeping shot off the glass.

[flyslow]

Originally posted by: mavsfanforever
If he continues to play at this level, he should get the most improved player award.

I've been following Dallas pro basketball since the Dallas Chaps. I've never seen a Dallas player more worthy.

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] [img]i/expressions/beer.gif[/img]

Flyslow

[#41]

Originally posted by: mavsfanforever
If he continues to play at this level, he should get the most improved player award.

I guess that one's reserved for Dwayne Wade or Bobby Simmons!