The 2003 NBA draft was held and for the 3rd year in a row Dallas had a pretty straight forward draft. With the #29 pick of the draft Dallas selected Josh Howard, a 6-6 203 swing man (shooting guard, small forward) senior from Wake Forest. With the #57 pick, Dallas selected Xue Yuyang from China - but that pick was made for Denver as Dallas had made a trade with Denver for a 2nd round draft pick in 2004. The 2004 pick originally comes from Houston and Denver received the pick as part of the James Posey trade. After the #29 pick was made, Mark Cuban came out to talk to the media [he also addressed the media after the #57 pick - surprisingly Don nor Donn Nelson never came out to talk to the media] and said that the Mavs were really happy to get Howard and had actually been trying hard to trade up as they expected Howard to go earlier. Dallas expected him to go at #21 and worked the phones up until San Antonio made their pick at #28. Cuban described Howard as a defender and rebounder with really long arms - 7-2.5 wingspan. Cuban said Howard can get in the paint and finish and has a nice little push shot to get over the taller players. Cuban said that both Nelsons were really excited with the pick and that "Nellie was bouncing off the walls." Even though Dallas never brought him in for a workout, the Mavs had seen a lot of him via game tape and TV and their scouts had attended a number of his games. Howard did workout for 9 other teams. Howard averaged 19.5 points on 47.7% FG, 37.3% 3-pointers, and 83.3% FT, 8.3 rebounds including 3.3 offensive, 1.9 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.5 blocks in his senior year. He dramatically improved his free throw shooting his senior year after shooting just 64.4% FT for his 1st 3 years. But he was consistent from the floor in shooting 48.5% FG for the 4 years. An American, went 4 years in college, about 3.5 grade point average, easily pronouncable name, good shooting and rebounding numbers - Dallas went old-school with this pick. [I've included Howard's stats and bio at the end.] As a 1st round draft pick, Howard is guaranteed [well, Dallas could renounce him now, but that won't happen] a 3 year contract with a 4th year at Dallas' option. The #29 pick salary is set at a scale that can be 20% more or less than a specific amount - I'm just giving the high end as that is what most rookies are signed to. Howard will likely be signed to a 3 year, $2,590,920 contract (03-04: $803,400; 04-05: $863,640; 05-06: $923,880) with a 4th year worth $1,667,603 at the team's option. He'll likely be signed in the next few weeks as Dallas wants him to play in the summer league. Howard spent the draft night at his mom's house in Winston-Salem with about 20 to 30 friends and family. When asked about his strengths, Howard mentioned his defense and offensive rebounding. When asked about what he improved on during college, he said his attitude and outside shooting. On staying in college all 4 years: "My maturity went up as far as staying calm in certain situations." On being drafted by Dallas: "I kind of broke down in tears. I'm so happy." Howard (from the Wake Forest web site): "I'm blessed. I'm happy. I'm excited. The last week has really been nerve-racking. I was surprised to be taken by Dallas, only because I did not work out for them and really had not contact with them prior to the draft. But I am very pleased to go to a team, a championship caliber team, that has great players, a great coach, and great fan support. This is going to be a learning experience for me. I'm going to have my ups and downs." "I like the way they play. They get up and down the court, just like we did in Coach Prosser's system. I'm used to that style. But like I said, this is going to be a learning experience for me. I can learn a lot from great players like Michael Finley." Donn Nelson (on the radio this morning) on Howard: "We were as happy as punch." "Howard was our guy. There was no if, ands, or buts." "Howard was just the perfect guy for us. It allows us to play Finley at the 2. ..." As for the rest of the draft, Cuban said that they were working the phones all night (both making and receiving calls), but nothing came to it besides the Denver trade. And they decided to trade away the #57 pick as they could get others who went undrafted and bring them in as free agents for the summer league (a little flimsy reason, but they got another pick next season while knowing that their own 2nd round pick in 2004 goes to Miami to complete the Tim Hardaway trade). The Mavs have been working the phones since the draft ended to contact undrafted players they are interested in to invite them to the summer camp. Cuban also poo-pooed the weak Finley trade rumor as "Never happened. Those were the fools in Chicago [media] making it up." Chicago (especially Sam Smith) has been floating Finley to Chicago trade fantasies ever since Finley arrived in Dallas. The other interesting, but probably irrelevant, thing that came out from the draft was we again heard that Dallas is one of the teams that free agent Jason Kidd is interested in looking at. Reporter Jim Gray said that Kidd told him that New Jersey, San Antonio, Dallas, and Denver are the 4 teams that Kidd is interested in. Gray reported that Kidd would be interested in Dallas if they signed Alonzo Mourning as a free agent. Mostly likely Kidd will re-sign with New Jersey or sign with San Antonio. To come to Dallas, there would have to be a sign-and-trade with New Jersey that would probably involve Steve Nash [I wouldn't do it for the #1 reason that Nash is Dirk Nowitzki's big brother; plus Kidd's lack of a consistent offense can cost games (yes, Kidd is definitely the better player, but I think Nash is the better fit for this team)]. Denver isn't likely to happen either and is probably being mentioned purely because Denver has enough salary cap room to offer Kidd a maximum contract. All this is one-way talk right now - the teams can't comment on Kidd right now as he is still technically under contract with New Jersey. The free agent date (when 02-03 officially ends) is July 1. As of July 1, teams can start talking and recruiting veteran free agents - but they can't start signing veteran free agents until July 16. Don Nelson and Mark Cuban have reportedly reached a general agreement for a new 3 year contract where Nelson will continue his coaching and GM duties. I say reportedly as the lawyers _still_ are working on ironing out the details and we keep waiting for them to finish so the deal can be finalized. Nelson had completed the coaching part of his old contract (with 3 more years left on the contract as GM only), but wanted to continue coaching. Donn Nelson's Global Games starts Sunday and goes through July 5 at Moody Coliseum at SMU. The Global Games feature basketball teams from around the world, including 2 from the US, with players under 22 year olds. #2 draft pick Darko Milicic [though he didn't play much] and #4 draft pick Chris Bosh played in last year's games. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids per day or $35 for adults and $15 for an event pass. patricia ---- Josh Howard - ?? Position: Guard-Forward Height: 6-6 Weight: 203 Birthday: April 28, 1980 Birthplace: Winston-Salem, North Carolina High School: Glenn High School (Winston-Salem, NC) College: Wake Forest'03 2003 Dallas draft pick, 1st round (#29) Year GP-GS MIN AVG FGM-FGA PCT 3PM-3PA PCT FTM-FTA PCT 99-00 36-34 ?? ?? 130-278 0.468 12-42 0.286 63-108 0.583 00-01 29-28 ?? ?? 143-292 0.490 18-46 0.391 89-130 0.685 01-02 31-26 ?? ?? 170-337 0.504 26-79 0.329 65-99 0.657 02-03 31-31 1002 32.3 204-428 0.477 53-142 0.373 145-174 0.833 Total 127-119 ?? ?? 647-1335 0.485 109-309 0.353 362-511 0.708 | Rebounds | Year OFF DEF TOT AVG AST AVG PF-D STL TO BLK PTS AVG HI 99-00 ?? ?? 168 4.7 64 1.8 ??-? 44 ?? 33 335 9.3 19 00-01 ?? ?? 171 5.9 52 1.8 ??-? 58 ?? 32 393 13.6 24 01-02 ?? ?? 240 7.7 64 2.1 ??-? 49 ?? 30 431 13.9 23 02-03 102 155 257 8.3 59 1.9 89-? 64 82 48 606 19.5 32 Total ?? ?? 836 6.6 239 1.9 ??-? 215 ?? 143 1765 13.9 32 NBA Media Draft Guide writeup: Career Highlights: Named 1st Team All-America by AP as a senior. Earned unanimous Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year award (the 1st unanimous pick since David Thompson in 1975). Led Wake Forest to its 1st out right ACC regular season title in 41 seasons. Is one of only 2 ACC players in history (Shane Battier is the other) to amass 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, 200 steals, 100 blocks, and 100 3-pointers. Ranks 2nd in school history in steals, 3rd in games started, 5th in blocks, 6th in double-doubles (22) and games played, 7th in rebounds, and 10th in scoring. Senior: Unanimous choice to All-ACC 1st Team. Top vote getter for ACC All-Defense Team. Topped conference in scoring and ranked in top 10 in 7 other categories. Scored career high 32 points and added 10 rebounds in win at North Carolina. Tallied 31 points and 9 rebounds in win at Wisconsin. Notched 30 points vs Georgia Tech. Snared career high 14 rebounds at Duke. Posted 24 points and 12 rebounds in win vs North Carolina State. Junior: Was an All-Acc 3rd Team pick and an NABC All-District 1st Team selection despite missing 3 games with a high ankle sprain. Led team in steals and ranked 2nd in scoring, rebounding, and blocked shots. Posted 6 double-doubles. Finished 3rd in the ACC in offensive rebounds, 6th in field goal percentage, 7th in rebounds, 8th in blocks, and 9th in steals. Scored 23 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, dished out 4 assists, and had 4 steals in ACC Tournament vs Georgia Tech. Sophomore: Earned All-ACC 2nd Team honors as he topped Demon Deacons in scoring and finished 5th in the league in steals. Registered 4 double-doubles. Blocked 32 shots in 29 games. Recorded 21 points and 7 rebounds vs #3 Kansas. Scored season high 24 points in loss at Maryland. Freshman: Rookie guided team to NIT Championship. Topped Wake in steals and ranked 2nd in blocks. Scored season-high 19 points in ACC Tournament semi-final vs Duke. Contributed 11 points and 10 rebounds vs Georgia Tech. Scored 18 points at Florida State. Strengths: Very quick player who can guard big guards and small forwards. Improved his offensive game as a senior, particularly his free throw shooting. Personal: Was a hometown recruit for Wake Forest as he played at Glenn High School in nearby Kernersvill, NC before spending a post-graduate year at Hargrave Academy in Virginia. usbasket.com Outlook: Possesses excellent quickness, leaping ability, and defensive skills... excels in the open court game. an underrated shooter on the perimeter... has the ability to take the ball to the basket and score off the dribble... has sound ballhandling skills for a player of his size and is a capable passer who creates opportunities for other players. All around player who does a lot of things well; needs to improve 3-point shooting. ESPN profile: Scouting Report: Throwback who does a bit of everything... Patient, calculating in his actions... Average outside shooter from the far perimeter, but likes the mid-rand J... Boasts a good looking stroke, he just needs to better align his shooting elbow with his knee and shoot more so from his legs... Can do a little wheeling-and-dealing in the post, featuring a fine drop step into a hook... Stays well-collected on his penetrations, rarely over-penetrating or losing control of himself... Smooth, highly adept ball-handler... Above average passer... Considering his body strength, he's a smart and effective rebounding... One of the nation's better offensive rebounds... Reliable as a perimeter defender, he sticks his man and stays in front of him, though he does have the bad habit of using his hands too much. Professional Outlook: There is no doubt Howard will be playing in an NBA arena next season. He has all the versatility and tools that you look for in a small forward. The only question is, how good can he be. Pencil Howard in as a 2nd round pick. If he had more explosiveness, he would be a sure-fire 1st rounder. Hoopville.net The Skinny: Howard always was the type of player who would thrive under Skip Prosser, and once he stayed healthy playing for Prosser, he exploded with a tremendous senior year. He fills the stat sheet, being active at both ends of the floor, around the ball often, and able to score in several ways offensively. He improved throughout his college career, especially in shooting the ball, and he has the tools to be a good defender. Howard's undoing might be that he doesn't do any one thing exceedingly well, but he projects as a borderline 1st round pick and will spend some years in the NBA.