The Mavericks Haven’t Lost Confidence In Josh Howard
Amazingly, Josh isn’t on bad terms in Big DAfter Josh Howard admitted to smoking weed on public radio and then threw a birthday party for himself days later, on the night before game three of the first round of the playoffs, Mavericks ticket holders seemed ready to buy him a one-way ticket out of town. If that wasn’t enough, he added an arrest to his record over the summer for going 94 mph in a 55 mph zone.
But wait, there’s more.
Howard held a charity softball game in DeSoto on Saturday and a local TV crew showed up and asked an easy question about being a role model. Howard was irritated and complained that he should not have been asked such a question at a charity event. He provided audio and video that did not make him look good.
Even so, the Mavericks brass isn’t looking at these off-court issues as reason enough to ship him off. Howard is coming off of the best season of his career, a 19.9-point, 7.0-board year. The Mavericks had the opportunity to send him to Sacramento earlier this summer as part of a deal for Ron Artest. But Mark Cuban didn’t pull the trigger then. And he’s not ready to pull it now.
“While others might have run away from responsibility when they get hit with negative media,” Cuban wrote, “Josh not only followed through with all of his camps, he expanded the camps, increasing the number of scholarships [in his foundation]. In addition to the camps he has in Dallas and in Winston-Salem, in addition to his annual bowling tournament, this summer he added a charity softball game.”
Howard has made himself the focal point of criticism, and he had a poor playoff series against the Hornets. But Cuban said that as a basketball player, “I have complete confidence in Josh.”
Source: Dallas Star-Telegram
August 21st, 2008 at 11:08 am
Celts Fan says:
so smoking, celebrating his bday, and an exaggerated speeding ticket are his problems? come on… smart move by the Mavs. don’t ship him out cuz of some minor issues. As long as what he’s smoking is only green and his arrest is something like driving too fast, he’s doing what 90% of young people do, he just happened to get caught…
August 21st, 2008 at 11:12 am
G says:
co-sign. when are we gonna stop looking at these guys like politicians?
August 21st, 2008 at 11:16 am
doc says:
These bullshit ass problems and they were ready to ship him out of town.Send him to Philly we’ll make good use out of him.At least Mark Cuban aint no dickhead and dont go for what some idiots think.
August 21st, 2008 at 11:38 am
MBE18 says:
If Dallas fans want to rid themselves of Josh Howard, as a Knick fan I’ll take him. I’d trade Stephon Marbury, Zach Randolph and David Lee for Josh Howard and Jason Kidd.
August 21st, 2008 at 11:40 am
Coop says:
that trade doesnt work under cap rules, old chap
agree with all posts so far; these arent real problems. not like he’s actually insane like ron ron haha.
p.s i love ron ron
August 21st, 2008 at 11:47 am
justice says:
i actually used to do all of those things at once on lunch break,and would come back to work and preform even better…
granted i wans’t making millions but still
August 21st, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Big Shot BOB says:
LOL @ Justice!!!
August 21st, 2008 at 1:08 pm
MBE18 says:
Coop, old chap, according to realgm trade checker, the trade does work, check for yourself
August 21st, 2008 at 1:19 pm
sans says:
Yeah, Juatice, you have to drive fast to air out before walking back in.
August 21st, 2008 at 1:19 pm
sans says:
Yeah, Justice, you have to drive fast to air out before walking back in.
August 21st, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Dagomar says:
What bothers me far more than these minor issues is how Howard has faded in every playoffs I can remember. He’s lucky Dirk takes more of the blame - it’s allowed him to keep those struggles under the radar. But one reason Dirk has sometimes failed to perform is because nobody’s helping him at all, and he can be double/triple teamed. Here’s looking at you, Josh.
August 21st, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Michorizo says:
Nothing wrong with smoking weed. Now if he was getting drunk before games or showing up with hangovers for a game then it would be a huge problem … Ask Charles Barkley if you don’t believe me .
August 21st, 2008 at 3:28 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Doo’s talented but i still would have shot him for Artest.. better defender than Howard and wouldve made a more fluent second option.. Josh’s game fits more of a 3rd option type.. Clean up the boards, make hard cuts and finish, hit the occasional 3 but until people realize that his teams wont be successful.. Hes got talent no doubt but his game seems shaky to me.. Maybe cuz i got their last couple of games in my head.. dude just looked discombobulated.. i think thats the hardest word in the world to spell..
August 21st, 2008 at 3:37 pm
LakeShow84 says:
@ Dagomar
And i think its because in the playoffs everything is put under a microscope.. Teams try to account for 2, 3 and even 4th options.. If you try to stop a 2nd option and he is stopping himself then you can double and triple team the first option and not worry too much..
Dirk is “soft” in the sense he would get beasted by heavier forwards and murdered by centers but when people say hes soft all around that makes me laugh cuz i seen Dirk do some clean s#$t that takes nothin but heart.. He got as much heart as the next player..
That GS playoff series was a big setback though.. in the medias eyes.. and you dont want the media to get on you.. they’ll dig you a new a$$hole.. but to me a rabid hoop fan i just saw a player who ran into the man who basically created him (Nellie) and was allowed to be D’d up on pretty hard by S-jack considering how they call fouls nowadays..
August 21st, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Coop says:
MBE, my error. I thought Z-Bo was on 16mil not 13. Good call.