Injured players begin trickling back to lineupVan Horn plays against Atlanta; Howard plans to Tuesday in Detroit11:21 PM CST on Saturday, March 25, 2006By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning NewsATLANTA ? Keith Van Horn was back Saturday night.Next up for a return: Josh Howard.Van Horn, out since March 3 with a strained left knee, returned against Atlanta, albeit for short stretches to prevent any setbacks, coach Avery Johnson said."My knee felt good, but my timing was off," said Van Horn, who played 12 minutes. "I haven't played 5-on-5 in three weeks and I just didn't have any rhythm. Hopefully, I'll have that by Tuesday."Howard, recovering from a strained left hamstring, said he's going to practice with the team Monday in Detroit. Assuming all goes well, he could be in uniform Tuesday against the Pistons."We'll see where it goes," Johnson said. "But Josh is looking really good."Said Howard: "It stinks to be sitting. There's definitely a light at the end of the tunnel."Adrian Griffin (hamstring) will be the next player back after Howard, with Devin Harris (thigh) due back in April.Withdrawal symptoms: Mavericks' radio play-by-play announcer Chuck Cooperstein is spending his first spring in 15 years without calling any NCAA Tournament games.In his first season as the Mavericks' radio voice, Cooperstein had to give up his run of calling March Madness games."I miss it," he said. "There's no doubt if you do something for 15 years, it doesn't immediately leave you. Having said that, I'm having the time of my life doing the Mavericks."Having the Texas Longhorns playing in the Atlanta Region, just a few alley-oop passes from Philips Arena where the Mavericks played Saturday night, was particularly tough for Cooperstein."I'm a little jealous because this is the [NBA] regular season and that's the be-all, end-all," he said. "A month from now, things will be reversed."Living, learning: The fallout from Thursday's loss to Golden State was still resonating through the locker room."Everything that happened last game, happened for a reason," Johnson said. "We saw three or four nuggets that, as a staff, we think are going to be beneficial for us. Sometimes, you can't really see it until you get your heart broken."Big contingent: The Mavericks have numerous players who are from areas within driving distance of Atlanta. That led to the team needing a combined 218 tickets.The friends and family were part of the Hawks' first sellout since opening night against the Los Angeles Lakers.E-mail esefko@dallasnews.com[url="http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/032606dnspomavsdate.32a7c4b.html"]http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...te.32a7c4b.html[/url]
Good Van Horns back, I didnt expect him to do any thing big aginst Hawks, but I thought he would atleast score, lol. Were gonna need every little bit of Howard and Harris when they come back, we still have a chance to pass Spurs, we need both of them to contribute. And Griffs d
Yeah I'm a big fan of Harris's game. I especially like the Harris and Terry combo. Harris does the dishing and Terry hits the 3's or the open shot available.
Yeah, man, and then once Harris and Terry got it going, give Dirk Nowitzki the ball for long stretches and watch him score 30.
I think Harris is important against SA and Tony Parker...but I'm more a fan of Howard than I am of Harris or Daniels, although I like all three players.All three are important and we have needs for them all, but I think Howard will be more important in us getting deep in the playoffs this year.
If Dallas was against San Antonio in a series...Dirk would guard MohammedDiop/Damp would guard Tim DuncanHoward would take on GinobliTerry would guard BowenGriffin would take on Parker
Yeah, Harris's ability, or not, to stay in front of Tony P, will be a major factor for us in the playoffs.
WHAT, J-Ho BACK!?!?!?Dirk with J-Ho: 24.5 PPGDirk without J-Ho: 29.? PPG I hope J-Ho passes to Dirk a lot.
