J-Ho

-Remember that Maverick's, may I say, dynasty of the mid-00's? Those team's with Don Nellie and Avery at the helm killing it in the regular and post-season? A nutty run at brilliance with floppy haired Nash, consistently improving/deadly Nowitzki, and a young Mike Finley gave way to a just as scary a team with "future Tony Parker" Wisconsin guard Devin Harris, under-rated but absolutely deadly Jason Terry, Jerry "crunch-time corner three" Stackhouse, and the topic of my discussion, Mr. Unshakeable Josh Howard.



J-Ho was one of those players who you knew, even before Hubie Brown and Mike Fratello started the pre-game show, was going to bring it every game. His all-acc defense, smooth mid-range game, and nose for the ball made him my favorite role-player of this decade. In 2006 him and the squad made it to the finals and not unlike Detroit in '04, and Boston in '08, everyone including myself believed in no way a scrappy Heat team could pose any type of threat to these western gladiators. A few missed free-throws, unavailable time-outs, and a myriad of D-Wade Converse commercials/52 foul calls later, The mav's biggest and best achievement slipped through their fingers...


To be honest I always loathed this perennial play-off team during their run at potential greatness most likely due to just how lethal they were... I feel like comparing the recent Mavs to the Spurs of late would be like pitting the first Terminator vs. Bicentennial Man. Whatever you want to say, the Spurs get it done nearly every year, but in a form that infuriates everyone outside 300 miles from the Alamo. Nelson and Avery's system on the other hand took pleasure in the isolation style of play that just put a dagger in your heart everytime Dirk hit a fall-away 20 footer in Diaw's face, Harris Tony-Parkering it past one of the west's bigs, or J-Ho hitting his bo-legged runners in the lane. They were a smooth bunch of killers, and even though i think a lot of people saw the Warriors as a serious threat, it still made it that much sweeter that W's could knock off such an unstoppable force (mainly due to Lord Baron and the Mastermind).

It may take me 1500 words and a bibliography to make my point, but some GM out there better take advantage of Howard's current circumstances, which motivated primarily by ESPN's anti-cannibi agenda, and obsession with drag-racing tickets, have severly decrease his market value and set him asail on the Sam Cassell "washed-up" express. I forgot where, but the J-Smith fo J-Ho trade would seem like a win-win for both parties, especially if the hawks would have drafted Chris Paul... J-Jo, J-Ho, C-Pau... With this new chip on his shoulder, Howard is going to get it back soon, and no matter what team he is on, it will be scary when he does.