Nov. 22, 2005

Essentials: Howard's stock rising along with Mavs'

By Tony Mejia | CBS SportsLine.com Staff Writer

In blowing away the Pistons 119-82 Saturday night, the Dallas Mavericks flexed some impressive muscle.

Detroit, the lone remaining unbeaten came in and got embarrassed, opening eyes all around the league. After all, the whispers had already begun that these Pistons were even better than the Larry Brown versions that made a pair of Finals appearances.

Josh Howard began to heat up with a 25-point performance vs. Atlanta on Nov. 17. (AP)

Howard has been the difference in why this team has been gone from good to great. Dirk Nowitzki has been Dirk Nowitzki, Erick Dampier remains plagued by foul trouble and Jason Terry is as steady as he was a year ago. But Howard has taken his game to another level, and the Mavericks have followed suit.

His climb thus far has been similar to how he transformed himself in between his junior and senior seasons at Wake Forest, where he went from steady performer to first-team All-American and ACC player of the year.

In the pros, his production was remarkably similar to what he did in his first three years of college. He'd hustle, defend vigorously, bang the boards, keep the ball alive and score through his athleticism. This year, the player who told CBS SportsLine.com that the difference between him and most of his peers is that he actually enjoys playing defense, has become a focal point in the offense.

Last week, the third-year small forward shot nearly 64 percent and averaged 25.5 points in victories over the Pistons and Hawks. For the season, he's scoring at a career-high 13.8 clip, a figure that is sure to go up now that it appears he has found his niche.

The Mavericks have an opportunity to send a message to Southwest favorite San Antonio and the rest of the league this week, playing host to divisional rivals Houston and Memphis while squeezing in a visit to Miami. Howard in particular gets to show his stuff, likely matching up with Tracy McGrady on Tuesday if the superstar is back is up to speed. Howard's other tests could range from Antoine Walker or Dwyane Wade to Mike Miller and Shane Battier.

He has always been counted upon to contain those type players and has done so successfully, but now that that he's making those guys work on the defensive end, he's all the more effective.

That makes Dallas a significant threat -- a fact the Pistons would no doubt attest to.

Emerging presence

David West gobbled up Orlando on Saturday, scoring a career-high 32 points on a vast array of post moves, spot-up jumpers and trips to the free-throw line. His emergence is a pleasant development for New Orleans/Oklahoma City, considering P.J. Brown missed time to attend a funeral and J.R. Smith has been sidelined by a sore ankle.

Chris Paul is flourishing while running the offense, so the rebuilding Hornets will have formed a nice, young nucleus to work with if West can be a consistent threat. Before missing time, Brown was dominating both offensively and on the boards in his positional switch to center; having two players Paul can consistently feed in the post gives the Hornets a mighty leg to stand on in the Western Conference's toughest division.

Considering Oklahoma City is going to be such a tough venue because of the rabid fan base and lack of familiarity opponents have with the arena, expect the Hornets to play spoiler all season. They'll play host to the hot Timberwolves on Wednesday, looking to end their two-game winning streak. That means there's a good chance West will have plenty of opportunities to test his mettle against Kevin Garnett.

From outhouse to penthouse?

Everyone knows the LeBron James-led Cavaliers have failed to make the playoffs in each of his first two seasons, one of the few knocks one can lay on the 20-year-old prodigy. That shouldn't be a problem this year.

With plenty of reinforcements brought in thanks to the deep purse new GM Danny Ferry had to work with, the Cavaliers have opened the season winning seven of nine, many of them coming in lopsided fashion. They've not only been good, they've been dominant.

James ranks third in the league in scoring and has already had a few Jordan-like unconscious performances from beyond 3-point range. Larry Hughes has shaken off a sluggish offensive start and is actually hitting 50 percent of his 3-pointers (11-for-22) entering the week. That certainly makes missing out on coveted outside threat Michael Redd much easier to swallow.

The Cavs have been so good that slick 7-foot-3 big man Zydrunas Ilgauskas has become the third option despite averaging 17 points a game last season, while newcomers Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones have been outstanding from the perimeter. Inside, outside, anyway you want it, Cleveland is potent.

How potent? We'll get to see this weekend in a nationally televised showdown on Thanksgiving night. Indiana, a preseason favorite for many, against Cleveland, emerging powerhouse.

Toke down on turkey, stuff yourself on stuffing, and then catch Ron Artest and LeBron James going at each other. For holiday's sake, Rick Carlisle has to make that happen.

What to monitor

Big week for point guards

Washington and Orlando square off Wednesday, which means we get to see if Steve Francis can resist the urge to go back at Gilbert Arenas, who will no doubt go at him relentlessly. Friday, he gets young buck Sebastian Telfair, who will likely do the same.

Allen Iverson and T.J. Ford will try to outquick each other Wednesday in a rematch of the exciting season opener in which Ford had his comeback party and Redd forced overtime with a shot just before the buzzer.

Jason Kidd and Steve Nash, two of the best passers with the finest court vision in league history, lock horns Friday.

Earlier in the week, also on Wednesday, New Jersey visits Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who they courted and then shunned, when they make their annual visit to Sacramento.