Josh Howard to Get 1-yr Deal with Wizards

By JOSEPH WHITE (AP)

WASHINGTON — A person familiar with the deal says Josh Howard has agreed to a one-year contract to return to the Washington Wizards.

The person told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Howard is set to come back after playing only four games with the team last season. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn't been signed.

Howard was acquired in a seven-player trade with the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 13, but he tore a ligament in his left knee on Feb. 22. The Wizards declined to pick up their option on his contract at the end of the season but left open the possibility of re-signing him.

Howard had surgery in mid-March, with an expected recovery time of six to eight months. He has averaged 15.3 points over seven NBA seasons.

Game 26: Mavericks vs. Wizards

My goodness, did the Nets hand it to the Mavericks? Slaughtered by 24 points. Yep. That hurts. Thank goodness for the Wizards. They are currently 4-20 and are only better than the Timberwolves and the Thunder (that team in Oklahoma City) concerning winning percentage. They are the worst team in the Eastern Conference. The Mavs have slipped to 9th in the Western Conference and have a record of 14-11. This game is to be played in DC... not that being away is going to be a factor in this particular game...

Dallas Mavericks Player Stats 08-09

Name	Dirk Nowitzki	Jason Terry	Josh Howard	Jason Kidd
Points Per Game	26.3	21.1	18.5	9.6
Rebounds Per Game	9.1	3.0	6.5	6.3
Assists Per Game	2.6	3.9	1.5	8.1
Blocks Per Game	0.9	0.3	0.5	0.5

Dampier has 1.1 blocked shots per game and leads the team in that category. The Mavs as a team average only 5 blocked shots a game.

Washington Wizards Player Stats 08-09

Name	Caron Butler	Antawn Jamison	Nick Young	Andray Blatche
Points Per Game	21.3	20.0	9.8	9.3
Rebounds Per Game	6.6	9.7	2.0	4.8
Assists Per Game	4.3	2.2	1.5	1.4
Blocks Per Game	0.3	0.5	0.3	0.8

I would think that the reason the Wizards are not winning much of anything these days is due to Gilbert Arenas being out for an injury (3 months, actually). And speaking of blocks, the Wizards average less per game than the Mavericks at 4.3. Their team leader is JaVale McGee, who averages 1.2 per game.


Forecast: Wow. I really can see why the Wizards are struggling to win games. After you see the first two players and what they contribute, everybody else is just, well, just taking up space on the court. They contribute very little. The Mavericks do not need to play like champions to win this game. In fact, they don't have to really do too much to beat the Wizards at all... it simply appears that the Wizards go out there and beat themselves. Score: 97-86, Mavericks.

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