Photo from AP.Media Day came and went, and Josh Howard didn't make a complete fool of himself. Shocked? Maybe you shouldn't be. I've probably worn this out by now, but it looks as though Howard has turned a new leaf. From Tim McMahon (via Ballerblogger):
"I'd like to state that I truly and really am sorry for everything that's happened in the past five months with me," he said after stepping up to the podium at the Mavericks' media day. "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...That's not Josh Howard that y'all seen," he said. "That was an idiot."
Mark Cuban also chimed in with some words of wisdom:
Howard is a good player, and this season will likely be a pivotal one in terms of defining his legacy and his future. He's not the ridiculously childish visage that we've seen the last few months, and I'm happy to see Josh grow up a bit, even at 28, this off-season.
"I'd like to state that I truly and really am sorry for everything that's happened in the past five months with me," he said after stepping up to the podium at the Mavericks' media day. "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...That's not Josh Howard that y'all seen," he said. "That was an idiot."
Mark Cuban also chimed in with some words of wisdom:
"I told him, 'If you [screw] up again, I'm going to kick your [rear]," Cuban said.
Howard has been in a slump in all senses of the word, but there may be at least one bright point for Mavs fans. If Howard had been any better in terms of PR or his late-season play, he may be wearing a different uniform this season. Say what you want about his game regressing, but last season's troubles were more anomaly than trend, so don't expect to see a repeat performance. But in spite of the fact that this is an all-star caliber player (remember when he dropped 47 on the Jazz? Remember when there were talks of him being the Mavs real MVP early in the season?) and an elite talent in the league, there were nothing but lowball trade offers to snatch up Howard while the gettin' was good. Buy low, and all. In the desperation of watching the team flounder against the Hornets, Donnie Nelson and Cubes might have been willing to part with Howard (who notably didn't gel all that well with Kidd, although there are certainly extraneous variables ranging from deaths in the family to the departure of Devin Harris, previous starting point and his best friend on the team) simply to shake things up.Howard is a good player, and this season will likely be a pivotal one in terms of defining his legacy and his future. He's not the ridiculously childish visage that we've seen the last few months, and I'm happy to see Josh grow up a bit, even at 28, this off-season.
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