It's time for team owners to stand up for their players.

The off season is the off season.... He shouldn't have to lie to his fans. Dave


DALLAS - Hours before the Dallas Mavericks’ biggest game of the season, forward Josh Howard went on the radio Friday to talk about something else — his fondness for marijuana.

It was quite a follow-up to teammate Jerry Stackhouse calling opposing coach Byron Scott “a sucker in my book” on local airwaves.

Howard’s comments are more serious because marijuana use is illegal and eligible for punishment from the NBA. It’s a topic he’s addressed before, but never so publicly, so close to tipping off such an important game, as the Mavericks were down 0-2 in their first-round series against the New Orleans Hornets.

“Most of the players in the league use marijuana and I have and do partake in smoking weed in the offseason sometimes,” Howard told The Michael Irvin Show on the local ESPN affiliate. “I mean, that’s my personal choice and my personal opinion, but I don’t think that’s stopping me from doing my job.”(more)