When you think of the Mavericks, you think of Dirk Nowitzki. He is the heart and soul of the franchise. As Dirk goes, so go the Mavs. However, Josh Howard is almost as important to Dallas as Dirk. His numbers aren’t as impressive as Dirk’s in every category except for steals and 3 Point Shooting (he’s shooting the same percentage as Dirk, see for yourself). But Josh Howard is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with. In tonight’s win against the Clippers, he led the Mavs with 23 points. A footnote to the game in the AP Recap paints the picture of Josh Howard’s impact: “Dallas is 16-0 when Howard scores at least 20 points.” He won’t get the national media attention, but Josh Howard has done nothing but get better every year. (What were the 28 teams who passed on him in the draft thinking?)
–UPDATE–
I got done writing this entry and about 20 minutes later ESPN.com’s front page looked like this:
Just a guess, but the other 28 teams probably needed immediate help, and josh howard isn’t an immediate help unless he’s got a solid big man to play behind. And let’s face it, we can all count the solid big men on one hand…i think even a three toed sloth could do it. Maybe he doesn’t have enough drama to be drafted by the late Lakers behind shaq, and the spurs only draft foreigners.