Putting Jo-Ho back in the lineup

It's funny how things work. If you had told me that Josh Howard would have one the the best starts of his career, but the Mavs would start 4-7, then he would be hurt while the Mavs go 7-2 in his absence I would have called you crazy.

But that's the situation we find ourselves in.

Now, after a week or so of toying with the idea of Howard playing the Mavericks have come out and said that Jo-Ho will be out indefinitely.

Given the record Dallas has compiled in his absence, I'm not too broken up about that. While I'm a huge Howard fan, I'd rather he get all the way healthy, especially with the Mavs winning without him.

We've all seen (Arenas and Wade) what can happen if an athletic player rushes back too quick.

But unlike Agent Zero, the Mavs will surely benefit from getting their most athletic player back on the floor.

But how exactly? After all, the Mavs have had pretty good success with their three-PG lineup, and that leaves Howard as the odd man out.

So how will Josh Howard fit into the way the Mavs are playing?

First of all, his defense will be crucial. We all saw last night how Kidd/Barea/Terry were decimated by Tony Parker last night, even after he started slow.

In the playoffs, you're going to have Parker, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, an underrated Rafer Alston, as well as people like Fisher and Roy.

Howard should be able to guard those guys. Luckily, there aren't many teams with both a quick, penetrating PG and a long, athletic two-guard.

Kobe has Fisher, who is good, but isn't known for his penetration. The closest thing the Mavs should see is the Alston/McGrady combo, and that depends on McGrady's health.

So if Howard gets put on the other teams best athlete, that leaves Terry or even Barea to go after the person Howard is giving up. I love the way Kidd plays, and I think he plays better defense than ge gets credit for, but I just don't trust him.

So then what happens to the three-PG lineup when Howard returns?

You can't lose Kidd. His ball movement and ability to hit the open shot can't be lost.

It's tough to lose Barea. His heart, defense, speed and ability to penetrate are something that the Mavs have lacked for a while.

It's also tough to lose Terry. While he is a streaky shooter, he is great about hitting the open looks (which he is getting more and more of, thanks to the Mavs' vastly improved ball movement), and he's no slouch on the defensive end.

But you can't sacrifice any more size by taking Bass or Dirk out of there, so gun to my head, I think you have to drop Barea.

I love the way Barea has been playing as of late, but he tends to push things too far, often getting facialed by a forward when he tries to go over him. In a close game against a good team, you can't give away possessions like that.

But the problem is this: The lineup of Kidd, Terry, Howard, Dirk and Bass is nothing new, and it hasn't done all that much.

But it really hasn't been around too much with Carlisle, and not after they've had some time to get familiar with his offense.

The way Dallas is moving the ball now, Howard should be able to get looks. The Spurs game highlighted the ability to get out of the double team, and with Howard in there, the Mavs are way too dangerous to double team.

Here's what I would like to see from Josh Howard on his return:

Play exactly like J.J. Barea has been playing.

It's not as ludicrous as it sounds. Barea has been incredibly aggressive, only resorting to the jump shot when he has tons of space around him.

There's no way Barea is as athletic as Howard, so there's no reason he can't do the same things. Howard has eight inches on Barea, so he shouldn't have as much trouble scoring in the paint.

Howard also has a better jumper, though Barea might be better with the three-ball.

If Josh Howard can play like Barea, the Mavs will be a real force.

In crunch time, you can put out Dirk, Terry, Kidd, Howard and Bass/Damp (depending on the size of the opponents).

That gives you four legit shooters (five if Bass is there), plus an inside presence. You've got speed and passing with Terry and Kidd.

Most importantly, you've got that combo that has helped the Spurs so much: people who can penetrate and kick it out to shooters on the perimeter.

The Spurs bread and butter has been setting up Parker in the halfcourt offense, then when he drives, he can score, give it to a low post threat in Duncan, or kick it out to a perimeter threat like Mason, Ginobili, Bowen, Finley or Bonner.

Now the Mavs have a setup like that. With Barea in at the PG, and Howard at the three, you have two legit guys who can get into the paint. With Damp/Diop/Bass as your low post threat, and Dirk, Terry, George (whose outside shooting is picking up), or Wright in there, those are legit threats.

Sure, Damp/Diop/Bass is no Tim Duncan. Sure, Devin Harris can penetrate better. And you can argue that Ginobili, Bowen and Finley are more lights out than Terry, Dirk and Devean George.

But if the looks are there, good shooters will get them. That's why Jason Terry has had such a resurgence as of late. Due to the Mavs' good ball movements, he has gotten great looks, and he's too good of a shooter not to capitalize on those.

I just hope that Mavs fans aren't using the latest streak as a "We can win with out Howard" platform.

While the Mavs have looked good, they have played some pretty dreadful teams (and barely escaped, mind you), but there's no reason that inserting someone as athletic and talented as Josh Howard in the mix won't push them to another level.