Star power

DALLAS – Upon arriving at American Airlines Arena on Thursday, every member of the media received a one-page handout entitled "Why J-Ho Must Go."

My first thought was that the Dallas Mavericks' P.R. department should do away with Josh Howard's nickname. (I would have voted for that immediately. Is there a worse nickname in the NBA?)

But the handout was actually a carefully thought-out, full-page argument as to why Howard should earn a trip to the All-Star game next month. It included stats, comparisons to other players around the league and a nice story about Howard's meteoric rise to stardom in his first three years in the league.

Had the P.R. people waited until after the Mavs game against the Lakers that night, though, they probably would have decided to scrap the promotion. Because Howard's play was so smooth and efficiently dominant that the media all left the building wondering how he could not be an All-Star.

Howard scored 29 points, grabbed 11 rebounds (four of them at the offensive end), dished out five assists, made two steals and blocked a shot in the Mavericks' 114-95 victory. Oh, he was also one of many Mavs to hound Kobe Bryant into an 8-for-18 shooting night that included six turnovers. It was the type of complete performance normally reserved for names like Kidd, James, Bryant or Wade. But it was also something the Dallas fans have come to expect.

Howard's play this season is really a microcosm of the direction the NBA is headed. Four years ago, he might have been known as a "tweener" – somewhere in between a guard and a forward. In other words, he was too small to play the four, not a good enough ball handler to play the two and not sure enough with his shooting stroke to play the three. How else do you explain the ACC player of the year from Wake Forest lasting until the 29th pick of the 2003 draft?

Now, with the up-tempo style that has evolved in the league, one-dimensional players are out and versatile athletes are in. If you can guard three different positions – as Howard can – you're a valuable commodity. When you can do that and make outside shots, put the ball on the floor and use your speed to grab offensive rebounds, you're an all-star.

It's a testament to Howard that he has developed his outside game through hard work and patience. When he arrived in Dallas, he knew his only chance to get on the floor was to rebound and defend, so that's what he did. All the while, he worked on his offensive skills, as he was determined to prove he deserved to be drafted ahead of some of the players taken before him, such as Zoran Planinic, Troy Bell, Travis Outlaw, Ndudi Ebi and Zarko Cabarkapa, among others. (Think anyone is kicking themselves over letting Howard slip?)

Howard's dedication has paid off, and he's now the Mavericks' No. 2 option behind Dirk Nowitzki. He also might be the most versatile defender in the NBA. He guards anyone from Bryant to LeBron James to Steve Nash to Chris Bosh.

Howard's many contributions have helped make Dallas the league's most flexible, dominant team, and the Mavs' 33-8 record is the best in the NBA. Nowitzki is obviously a lock to make the All-Star team, but it would be a travesty if a team as good as Dallas only had one player make it to Las Vegas.

Howard has absolutely earned his way there, but in the ridiculously deep Western Conference, he just might get left out. He's ninth among forwards in the voting, so he'll have to be a coach's selection to make the team. The problem is that he's got plenty of competition for that spot, too.

Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett appear to be on their way via the fans' votes, but there is a glut of forwards right behind them: Nowitzki, Carmelo Anthony, Shawn Marion, Elton Brand, Carlos Boozer, Zach Randolph and Ron Artest. Several deserving players will be left out in what is basically a high-stakes game of musical chairs.

If Howard is somehow left out, he will have one final chance to make the team, and that would be as a replacement for Yao Ming. Yao is a lock to be voted in as the starting center, but his injured knee will prevent him from playing. That means David Stern will select a replacement for Yao. If Howard isn't in already, the commissioner should put him in. He's the second-best player on the best team in the NBA. He deserves to go.

And I don't need a P.R. campaign to tell me that.