# Keeping J-Ho



## t1no (Jul 10, 2005)

http://www.dallasbasketball.com/fullColumn.php?id=483

*Keeping J-Ho*
Donnie: 'Our Big 3 Ranks With Anybody's'

Maybe Donnie Nelson is a Slurpee-running-through-his-veins poker player. But while the rest of the NBA is willing to definitively say that the Mavs’ mercurial Josh Howard is “on the block,’’ Dallas' GM insists he sees J-Ho in another light: As a member of a Mavs’ “Big 3’’ that is in a class with the newly-crowned Celtics’ celebrated trio.

“We have a ‘Big 3’ that ranks with anybody’s,’’ Donnie tells DallasBasketball.com.

“Look at the two teams in the Finals. In LA, there’s Kobe and a nice supporting cast. In Boston, they have their Big 3. We think there is not a huge or significant difference or gap in talent between our top players and theirs.

(Sidebar: Dirk/Kidd/Josh in a class with KG/Pierce/Allen and Kobe/Odom/Gasol? How about Duncan/Manu/Parker? Hmmm. Discuss. ...)

“Dirk is like a Woodbine geyser,’’ says the Mavs GM (no, I didn’t ask him what the hell a ‘Woodbine geyser’ is.) “Jason (Kidd)? He never got a chance to get untracked here. We’re going to see the real J-Kidd next year. And then there’s Josh. …’’

I interrupt Donnie, wanting to back up. I suggest that Nowitzki and the way he’ll be used under new coach Rick Carlisle is “Job 1.’’

“No, Josh is Job 1,’’ Nelson says. “Listen, he had a very difficult end of the season. It was tough on him emotionally. We’ve got to get him to get beyond that. We’ve got to get him back to where he belongs, which is as an All-Star, or as an All-Star-caliber player.’’

Howard’s issues are well-documented: The passing of people close to him, the departure of Devin Harris. The marijuana thing. The defiant birthday party. Donnie believes the proper way to handle Howard is to figuratively “sit him down at the kitchen table and talk about issues like a family.’’

Cynics might call that a “Father Knows Best’’ approach that seems outdated. But Nelson believes in it – and I believe players generally respond favorably to him and his style. Donnie, meanwhile, believes that Josh is responding favorably to Carlisle’s approach.

“Rick and Josh have gotten together, and it’s gone very well,’’ Nelson reports. “There are ways to maximize all of Josh’s talents – which are unique – and Rick is going to do that.’’

“Gotten together’’? Yes. From what I can gather, during the week starting on May 18, Carlisle and Howard either “bumped into each other,’’ sat down for scheduled talks or took to the practice court for one-on-one tutelage at least five times.

Nelson tells me he is “unaware’’ of the specific trade rumors that are being floated about by the media. One unorthodox example comes from the fine work of the Dallas Morning News’ Eddie Sefko, who took the unusual MSM approach of tossing more than a dozen “what-if’’ trade ideas up against the wall to see if they’d stick. Probably as a result of that, ESPN.com’s Chad Ford feels comfortable with his “Howard is on the block’’ declaration. And, in a chain reaction, that causes one website (via LoneMavsFan) to create a five-team trade that goes something like this:

The Timberwolves could end up with the 6th overall pick from New York, a future first from the Mavericks and their second round pick from the Pistons returned(Ronald Dupree trade), the Knicks get Jason Maxiell, Rasheed Wallace and the 29th overall pick from the Pistons, the Suns get Tayshaun Prince, the Bobcats get Josh Howard and the 15th overall pick, the Mavericks get Diaw, Barbosa and the 3rd overall pick and the Pistons get Gerald Wallace, Zach Randolph and the 9th overall pick.

The Mavs trade Josh and a future first and get Boris Diaw, Leandro Barbosa and the right to draft, say, O.J. Mayo? Well, yes, I would do that. Or how about J-Ho and Stack for Milwaukee’s Michael Redd? Well, yes, I’d do that, too. How about Josh to Miami for Udonis Haslem? (No.) For Shawn Marion? (Maybe.) All based on the idea, as one paper puts it, that Dallas “finds itself backed into a corner’’? (No.) And that Howard is a “stupid weasel,’’ to quote one Randy Galloway? (A weasel? That's a little rough.)

Donnie certainly doesn’t see it that way. These trades are website inventions; they aren’t really being dangled. And -- taking into full consideration Donnie's potential poker face -- neither is Josh.

There is a theory whispered at Mavs HQ that Howard will be a better player under Carlisle because he won’t feel obliged to “get his shots’’ early in games. The theory goes like this: Mavs players knew that under Avery Johnson, there would be a free flow early in games, but that as the game tightened, so would the coach’s playcalling – and that the from-the-bench calls down the stretch would usually go to Dirk in the post or to Jason Terry as a shooter. Therefore, Howard exploded and excelled early. … but often disappeared and maybe pouted late.

There is another theory, popularized in these parts by yours truly, that the worst time to trade a player is when he’s experiencing his worst times. In other words, the market is bearish on Josh Howard. So you sit tight with his stock and hope it rebounds.

Donnie won’t comment on those concepts, except to say that he believes Howard’s faith in the new coach will result in the re-emergence of the “real’’ J-Ho. “The slasher, the defender, the gritty player that he is,’’ Donnie says. “Those things are what make him All-Star-caliber.’’

“We’ve got a long way to go to get our roster where we want it,’’ says Nelson, acknowledging the Mavs’ half-a-roster worth of vacancies. “But getting there starts with Dirk, Kidd and Josh. That’s a darn good foundation for a contending team. They know how to win. They know how to play together. Internally – no matter what anybody else says – we’re excited about those guys as our version of a ‘Big 3.’’’


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## croco (Feb 14, 2005)

> “But getting there starts with Dirk, Kidd and Josh. That’s a darn good foundation for a contending team. They know how to win. They know how to play together. Internally – no matter what anybody else says – we’re excited about those guys as our version of a ‘Big 3.’’


If this is really what he thinks, say goodbye to another season. At least they aren't giving us any reason to get our hopes up again.


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## southeasy (Jun 11, 2003)

Josh Howard;

still my favourite player in the NBA


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## VeN (May 10, 2005)

croco said:


> If this is really what he thinks, say goodbye to another season. At least they aren't giving us any reason to get our hopes up again.


that quote and:
"“We have a ‘Big 3’ that ranks with anybody’s,’’ Donnie tells DallasBasketball.com."

made me spit out my root beer. is he fa-kidding me? lol


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## VeN (May 10, 2005)

t1no said:


> There is a theory whispered at Mavs HQ that Howard will be a better player under Carlisle because he won’t feel obliged to “get his shots’’ early in games. The theory goes like this: Mavs players knew that under Avery Johnson, there would be a free flow early in games, but that as the game tightened, so would the coach’s playcalling – and that the from-the-bench calls down the stretch would usually go to Dirk in the post or to Jason Terry as a shooter. Therefore, Howard exploded and excelled early. … but often disappeared and maybe pouted late.




naw... really?


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## croco (Feb 14, 2005)

I mean Brandon Bass has played better than Kidd in the playoffs this year and it's not like Kidd is not going to decline even more.


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

I can never understand why an organization thinks so highly of itself when in reality they're subpar.


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## LionOfJudah (May 27, 2003)

I still think we're better off with Josh than any of the other bs trade ideas thrown out there. Unless we're trading Josh Howard and Jason Kidd for Deng, Wallace, and the 1st over all or something else that ridiculous it's not worth moving Howard. 

I've said it a hundred times he's a nice piece to any team when not asked to do too much. Poor mans Shawn Marion. We might replace him with a player who shoots better or does something else better but its going to be hard to land a player as well rounded as Josh. If he does leave what are we doing starting Stackhouse at the 3? Pass on that.


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## croco (Feb 14, 2005)

If there is no good deal, we have to keep him. Making moves just for the sake of not standing pat isn't doing us any favor either. It's going to be a difficult summer for Donnie Nelson ...


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## Spaceman Spiff (Aug 2, 2006)

Yes. It should be your top priority to keep Juwan Howard


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## Jet (Jul 1, 2005)

Spaceman Spiff said:


> Yes. It should be your top priority to keep Juwan Howard


That's a scary thought.

Juwan = No, never never never.
Josh = Yes, if nothing better comes along.


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## southeasy (Jun 11, 2003)

you boys in the D are spoiled

what are you coming off of a 63 win year before the year of the Kidd fiasco, my team in Toronto does not have even a secondary player nearly as good as J.Hustle, and he's considered your 3rd option?

he's honestly better off in the D, knowing the casualties behind part of his struggle makes me understand. everything was blown out of proportion, he got away from his game, that you all know he's capable of, which also gives me understanding why some of you are underrating him. i'd be frusterated too, but you have to take the good with the bad. IMO he does far more good for the team then bad.. 

part of me thinks he needs a fresh start, but this is where he spend his whole career, i think '09 he's really going to turn it around & bring it back to the beginning. when me, and alot of the guys on this board considered him the most underrated, underappreciated player in Basketball.


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## croco (Feb 14, 2005)

southeasy said:


> you boys in the D are spoiled
> 
> what are you coming off of a 63 win year before the year of the Kidd fiasco, my team in Toronto does not have even a secondary player nearly as good as J.Hustle, and he's considered your 3rd option?
> 
> ...


When you have been through 8 consecutive seasons with at least 50 wins you get tired of winning in the regular season just to have another failure in the playoffs. It's either championship or bust with this core and it's still looking like bust unless something major happens in the summer. If we can't contend for a title the decision to blow it up needs to be made. I mean there is no reason to stay with this group to crush out in the first round.


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## t1no (Jul 10, 2005)

Let's give JHo another chance with the new coach, if he doesn't step it up then we can trade him before the deadline.
I loved his game when he played lock down D, slashed to the basket, low post, and just an aggressive game inside the paint. I want that old JHo back and a more focused JHo.


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## croco (Feb 14, 2005)

t1no said:


> Let's give JHo another chance with the new coach, if he doesn't step it up then we can trade him before the deadline.
> I loved his game when he played lock down D, slashed to the basket, low post, and just an aggressive game inside the paint. I want that old JHo back and a more focused JHo.


I don't think he ever played lockdown D although he was a much better defender when he had to earn his minutes. His role has gone from creating havoc on defense and slashing on offense to being a lesser version of a jumpshooting Dirk. I hope part of that was also Avery's system and not just Josh.


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## NewAgeBaller (Jan 8, 2007)

> “We have a ‘Big 3’ that ranks with anybody’s,’’ Donnie tells DallasBasketball.com.


:sigh:


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