Full-Court Press

Howard apologizes, stands tall

Mavericks forward Josh Howard took the podium during media day and immediately delivered a genuine apology for a string of recent, image-tarnishing transgressions that started at the end of last season and extended through the summer.

"I'd like to state that I truly and really am sorry for everything that's happened in the past five months with me," Howard said to open his 10-minute press conference. "This is not the way I carry myself. This is not how I want to be portrayed, and I really and truly am sorry to everybody that I offended. I'm upset with myself and the way I've acted the past months. I truly and really am sorry."

Howard continually said he wasn't "being Josh Howard," during those times when he got himself into hot water. He blamed his own poor judgment and said he lost focus on and off the court in the final months of the season. He said the criticism he's endured the last few months has hurt and he said he sincerely hopes he can win back fans. "I will," he said. He said he was upset with himself for not putting an end to his self-destructive behavior before it could snowball into a realm of negativity.

"Off the bat I realized it was wrong and I really didn't do nothing to correct anything, I just let a lot of stuff go. It just wasn't me," Howard said. "I'm really, really upset about it and I'm trying to move forward."

Howard's strange twists and turns included admitting he smokes marijuana, followed by a late-night birthday party during the playoffs, an arrest for speeding in North Carolina and then the distasteful remarks about the national anthem caught on a cell phone video camera during a charity flag football game in July. The video was released on YouTube in August and it triggered a firestorm of anger and resentment toward Howard.

Howard said in no way did his remarks about not celebrating the national anthem because he is black reflect his true feelings about the anthem or his country.

"I just wasn't using my head. I guess the lesson I learned from this is words really do hurt and you're held accountable for what you say...I went to military school, I have friends that served in the military, I know how it is to wake up and salute the flag. And the national anthem every game, I have my hand over my heart every time. It's nothing new to me. It was just me not thinking, up there acting crazy."

Howard answered questions for 10 minutes, mostly about his summer of trouble and then about the upcoming season.

"The best way to put it is I have the biggest block on my shoulder that I plan on knocking off," he said. "Just letting everybody know that this is the same Josh Howard that came into this league and helped the Dallas Mavericks achieve a lot. That's where I want to get back to." 

-- Jeff Caplan

E. Jones ailing already

So much for starting off training camp as healthy as you want to be, well, that is if you're veteran swingman Eddie Jones. Dogged by injuries last season, Jones will start tomorrow's training camp hurting with a mild strain of the left hamstring, the team announced.

-- Jeff Caplan

The J-Ho Show hits town today

The Mavs get things started today with media day at 3 p.m., an event that gathers all media of the universe to descend upon the American Airlines Center to talk to Mavs players and coaches before training camp gets started in earnest at SMU on Tuesday.

Of course, you know what's coming. The Josh Howard Circus is coming to town. Every media type known to man, and maybe some that aren't, will be waiting to stick their microphone or tape recorder in front of Howard's mouth in anticipation of what will come out once he opens it.

Owner Mark Cuban surely won't be far away, watching with great interest at how Howard handles this initial blitz. If he's calm, doesn't get defensive and answers questions with simple, straight-forward responses, then he'll be fine. But, if he lets himself get caught up in questions such as: How much dope did you burn this offseason? Or: Why do you hate America? then things could get rough and the controversies will just continue to linger. Cuban, who is Mr. Media, has talked with Howard in great detail about how to handle the situation.

Hopefully, he won't go Rasheed Wallace on us. Hopefully, he'll act responsibly, answer questions, hold no grudges, show no bitterness, maybe even apologize to his teammates and organization for causing so much flak, but mostly talk about how he plans to have one hell of a season.

We'll see.

-- Jeff Caplan

Stackhouse makes major assist

Mavs swingman Jerry Stackhouse today presented a check from his Triple Threat Foundation for $50,000 to the Lenoir Memorial Foundation to benefit the Diabetes Program at the Minges Wellness Center in the Lenoir Hospital in his hometown on Kinston, N.C.

The donation will create an endowment that will provide three nursing scholarships in honor of his two sisters who passed away from diabetes related complications). The diabetes program will be renamed after his mother (Minnie Stackhouse), who also suffers from diabetes.

Stackouse founded the Triple Threat Foundation in 2002 to increase funding for diabetes-related research, patient care and prevention and the promotion of exercise and diet to lessen the risk of the disease.

Stack's foundation is one where you know an athlete's foundation is giving back and making a difference. Now that's an assist.

-- Jeff Caplan

Carlisle on Howard

From the moment he got to town, new Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle has talked up Josh Howard's game. He knows the wiry, 6-foot-7 swingman needs to play a significant role if the Mavericks are to launch a successful fast-break attack with point guard Jason Kidd.

And, frankly, without Howard, the team would possess even less athleticism than it's had on the roster the last few seasons, a key need and reason why the club signed young swingman Gerald Green and re-signed fourth-year swingman Antoine Wright. The Mavs have been reluctant to trade Howard through this rash of strange behavior that started in last season's playoffs and has culminated -- for now -- with the release of a video shot in July showing Howard verbally disparaging the National Anthem.

Mavs owner Mark Cuban again stood up for Howard, calling him a good guy and a friend who made mistakes. Cuban has refused to trade Howard, believing he is a cornerstone of the franchise as he heads into his sixth season, all with the Mavs. On Friday, Cuban inflamed the situation more when he chose to open up his email bag and post on his blog, blogmaverick.com, multitudes of vicious, rascist emails directed at Howard and Cuban that he's received in recent days.

Speaking by phone on Friday, Carlisle said he couldn't defend Howard's actions or his words and he knows Howard will have to face the music upon his return to Dallas.

"It's something he's going to have to address before training camp," Carlisle said. "I can talk to you about his summer of basketball, which has been great. This other thing is something that he's going to have to address when he's back here."

Carlisle happened to be with Howard in the player's hometown of Winston-Salem, N.C., shortly after the National Anthem firestorm erupted. Carlisle was on an unrelated trip that took him to North Carolina so he had planned to visit Howard, work him out and meet some of his family. He and Howard talked in length about this latest ordeal, and so has Cuban and president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson.

It's fair to say that Howard will be walking a tight rope when he checks in for training camp on Sept. 29. By all accounts, he's been a tenacious worker this offseason, but it's clear that the Mavs' brass is not pleased with one crisis after another and they want it to stop.

It's hard to believe that just seven months ago, Howard was a fan favorite, a guy people loved for the way he played the game and the tenacity he brought to a team that's often been labeled as soft. Now he's quickly becoming reviled.

Carlisle is no stranger to messy situations or controversial players. He coached Ron Artest at Indiana during the brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Still, this can't be the way Carlisle hoped to kick off his first training camp with the Mavs.

"At Indiana we dealt with some difficult distractions," Carlisle said. "We'll get through it."

The distractions will surely start in earnest during Media Day on the 29th. It will assuredly attract outlets that would never show up under normal circumstances, but will now after Howard's infamous string of transgressions, which include a pot-smoking admission, a late-night birthday party after a playoff game, an arrest for driving 94 mph and now his unpopular video-camera take on the National Anthem at Allen Iverson's charity flag football game in July when he said: "The Star-Spangled Banner is playing. I don't celebrate that [expletive]. I'm black."

-- Jeff Caplan

Mavs to host blood drive

Get your arms ready. The Mavs and Carter BloodCare are hosting a blood drive on Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. at the Irving Mall (southeast side adjacent to Fuddruckers). Special guests will be none other than the Mavs Street Team.

More good news: Everyone in attendance will receive Mavs goodies, and all donors will be entered into a drawing to win two pairs of tickets to a game this season.

Get out there early before Hurricane Ike takes that right turn and heads for North Texas, which, according to the latest updates shouldn't get here until at least late Saturday night. So go donate your blood. You'll feel good about yourself.

-- Jeff Caplan

Some insight into Carlisle's past

A few days ago, Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom sat down with Hall-of-Fame-bound and longtime Pistons owner Bill Davidson and discussed a variety of subjects. Davidson, 85, has long been an intensely private individual, in fact, Albom mentioned that this hour-long conversation was their first of any great length through all these years. The topics ranged from Isiah Thomas to refs to players to coaches.

Coaches, that's where Davidson talked about something Mavs fans might find interesting -- Rick Carlisle. Carlisle took over a bad Pistons team before the 2001-02 season and immediately turned the franchise around. In his two short seasons there, Carlisle led Detroit to the Eastern Conference finals. But he was fired and replaced with Larry Brown.

Here's Albom's questions and Davidson's answers about Carlisle's stint as head coach of the Detroit Pistons. At this point in the conversation, Albom was asking if firing coaches was solely Davidson's decision or general manager Joe Dumar's decision. Davidson basically said it was both through discussions with Davidson formulating his own reasoning while also leaning on Dumars' basketball knowledge.

Q: Rick Carlisle -- was that your call? Or had he lost the players?

A: Yeah, he had lost the players. He had a certain style, which wore off after a certain amount of time. But he was a good coach, on kind of a short-term basis. He knows the game, did all the right things, but he didn't have that personal touch with players.

Q: The whispers were that you didn't like his style or personality.

A: No, definitely not true.

Q: He wasn't fired because he had words with members of your staff?

A: No.

Q: Why was he fired?

A: Players. A player will never come out and say it, but because I'm close to them, I know what they're thinking.

Q: So you can tell when the coach has lost the players just by talking with the players?

A: No, it comes back around. Somebody will say something to somebody, and then that person will say something to me. And if that happens enough times, then you realize what it is.

-- Jeff Caplan

Rewind: Mavs likely to train at SMU

Hold the phone just a minute on that Mavericks training camp at SMU's $13 million Crum Basketball Center. Just got word that the deal ain't exactly done yet and that the higher-ups at SMU might not be thrilled to read quite yet that the Mavs will take over the sparkling new complex for six days.

Assuming the Mavs "Pony" up, it shouldn't be a problem for the club to hold training camp on the SMU campus beginning Sept. 30. The team and school are in discussions and the Mavs are indeed expected to begin work under coach Rick Carlisle on two full-length courts at Crum -- barring any snags, of course.

-- Jeff Caplan

Mavs to hold camp at SMU

The Dallas Mavericks will open training camp on Sept. 30 on the home turf of the SMU Mustangs.

The team will begin their first work under new coach Rick Carlisle at the 1-year-old, 43,000-square-foot Crum Basketball Center which features two full-size practice courts that will better accomodate the 17 to 19 players Carlisle said he expects to have in camp.

The Mavs typically hold training camp at their basement practice facility inside the American Airlines Center, but with just one court space be limiting. Former coach Avery Johnson moved camp to the more spacious facilities at the University of North Texas in Denton two years ago.

The Mavs currently have 14 players signed to guaranteed contracts, plus veteran journeyman guard Keith McLeod signed to a non-guaranteed contract. NBA teams can have up to 15 players on the roster.

-- Jeff Caplan