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SALT LAKE CITY -- The Mavericks are coming off their highest minutes game across the board of the season with five players logging at least 37 minutes, led by Dirk Nowitzki going 43 and Jason Kidd hitting 39, his first venture of more than 35 minutes.

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"We're a veteran ballclub, so we all, I think, know what we have to do to prepare," Kidd said.

The Mavs initially planned to have a morning shootaround at Salt Lake City because of Sunday's game being played early in the afternoon. The team arrived in Salt Lake City in the early evening, but coach Rick Carlisle opted to forgo the shootaround and give the club a few extra hours of rest.

After Sunday's overtime loss to the Lakers, Kidd said he would expect to play tonight against what will be a desperate Jazz team that is 21-8 at home and could find itself out of the playoff mix with its next loss. Kidd sat out Friday's game at Portland, the second of a back-to-back, two games into his return from a strained right groin.

The Mavs enter tonight's game tied with Denver in the loss column and with one fewer loss than Houston. The Nuggets and Rockets face off tonight in Houston and then the Rockets go to Dallas on Wednesday. The Mavs hold the tiebreaker over both teams, as well as hard-charging Phoenix, which is just one game back of the Rockets.

Kidd said he's not overly concerned about the club's playoff position.

"What do we have, five games left?" he said. "We win all five, we’re fine."

Records: Mavs (34-27); Jazz (31-30)

When: 8 p.m.

Where: EnergySolutions Arena

TV: FSSW

Radio: ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM/1270 AM (Spanish)

What to watch: Rebounding. The Jazz rank third in the NBA in offensive rebounding, grabbing on average 13 a game, and they're fourth overall in total rebounding. The Mavs' weak link for some time now has been defensive rebounding and giving up way too many second-chance points. The Lakers grabbed 15 offensive boards Sunday and outscored Dallas 18-9 on second-chance points.

Key matchup: Paul Millsap vs. Dirk Nowitzki
Millsap is always a rugged matchup and he's posted some big numbers in recent games. As they did against the Lakers, the Mavs must use their starting center to defend a high-scoring opposing center. Al Jefferson is averaging 19.4 points and that helps Millsap create in other areas. Nowitzki is coming off a 9-of-28 shooting performance at L.A. on Sunday and is lugging around a sub-40 shooting percentage in the past five games.

Injuries: Mavs -- G Rodrigue Beaubois (right calf strain) is questionable. Jazz -- G Raja Bell (left knee) is out; F Josh Howard (left knee) is out; G/F C.J. Miles (left calf strain) is out; G Earl Watson (right knee) is out; F Jeremy Evans (right ankle sprain) is questionable; F DeMarre Carroll (mild concussion) is questionable.

Up next: Houston Rockets at Mavs, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday

DALLAS – Jason Terry doesn’t agree with the theory that he found his jump shot when he arrived home from the road trip.

Never mind the ridiculous disparity in his home and road splits this season. In Terry’s mind, he’s always one shot away from a hot streak.

Jet thought that was the case during Friday night’s loss to the Hornets, when he finished with two points on 1-of-9 shooting. And it actually was the case during Saturday night’s win over the Jazz, when Terry rebounded with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting.

“For me, it’s all about opportunity,” Terry said. “The other night, I go 1-for-9 and everybody looks at me all crazy. But if I take six more shots, I think I’m going to make all six. That’s just the way my mentality is. With the opportunity’s given, I’m here to do my job.”

This was only Terry’s fifth 20-point performance of the season. He had 20 last regular season, with the Mavs winning 17 of those games, plus they went 7-1 when he scored at least 20 in the playoffs.

“It’s no secret,” Terry said. “If I put the ball in the hole, we’re going to be in position to win a lot of games.”

A few more notes from the Mavs’ streak-stopping win:

1. Rodrigue Beaubois back to the bench: A terrific 25-point performance Friday night in New Orleans didn’t earn him another start. Rick Carlisle put Vince Carter back in the starting lineup. The decision was made in part because of a concern about Beaubois wearing down with a heavy workload, but primarily to get the regular starting lineup on the floor together.

“I love the way Beaubois played last night, but I was concerned tonight about the minutes that he ran up last night and the fact that this is the fourth game in five nights and he’s coming off basically a week off where he didn’t do much,” Carlisle said. “I wanted him to give us some energy off the bench and I wanted to facilitate that group being together at least some. If we start him, it makes it more difficult to get to that group.”

The lineup of Jason Kidd, Carter, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki and Brendan Haywood was plus-64 for the season entering Saturday night, 11 points better than the next best Mavs lineup.

2. 41 in the fourth?! Carlisle planned to rest Nowitzki and Kidd for the entire fourth quarter, but a defensive meltdown prevented the Mavs from having that luxury. The Jazz scored 41 points in the fourth quarter, making a game that should have been a blowout tight down the stretch.

“They made a run and it got ugly for us,” Carlisle said. “Fortunately, our closers closed the game out and now we’ve got to move on to the next game. And I’m not going to spend a lot of time regurgitating the things bad that made it tougher. We’ve got to move on.”

3. Party on, Josh Howard: It was like a flashback to the 2008 playoffs. Ex-Maverick Josh Howard hosted a birthday party after a loss at the American Airlines Center. This one was for Devin Harris, his Jazz teammate and good buddy dating to their days together in Dallas, at the nightclub Posh. Jazz coach Ty Corbin reminded his team that the bus would leave without them in the morning if they weren’t on time.

A six-pack of statistical nuggets to help get you reacquainted with the Mavericks as they return to work after All-Star Weekend:

*Steve Nash was back at Dirk Nowitzki’s side during Sunday night’s All-Star Game, but Nash is no longer in the top five in terms of regular-season games played as a Dirk teammate. Jason Terry has played 559 regular-season games alongside Nowitzki for the Mavs, followed by Michael Finley (471), Shawn Bradley (467), Erick Dampier (412) and Josh Howard (411).

*Nowitzki’s run of 11 consecutive All-Star selections is the second-longest active streak in the league. After Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan saw their respective runs of 14 and 13 end over the weekend, Dirk trails only Kobe Bryant’s 14 straight All-Star trips among active players. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James are next in line with eight straight All-Star trips.

*The Mavericks shot 46 percent from the 3-point line in their four-game playoff sweep of the Lakers. In this season’s two meetings? Dallas is shooting just 20.7 percent from long range against L.A.

*The loss to the Lakers in their final game before the All-Star break was the Mavs’ first this season in which they held a fourth-quarter lead at home. That leaves Chicago, Indiana and Oklahoma City as the only teams that haven’t lost at home after leading in the fourth quarter this season.

*Last Wednesday’s game was Kobe Bryant’s 52nd regular-season appearance against Dallas, breaking Bryant’s tie with James Worthy (51) for the most games against Dallas for any Laker.

*The Mavs still narrowly rank as the league’s second-oldest team with an average age of 30.0 … just behind Atlanta’s average age of 30.2.

Here it comes: Nine in 12.

"We've got 32 left and this stretch right after the break is critical obviously -- nine games in 12 days," Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM's Galloway & Co. on Friday. "I don't know if that kind of stretch has ever happened. It's happened some this year with teams and this will be the first for this franchise and it's going to be tough, but it's a challenge I'm looking forward to."

Heading into the break Carlisle said he would tell his troops to enjoy the time off and come back ready to roll.

This week starts the much-talked-about nine-in-12 sequence that ends next week with the lone back-to-back-to-back of the season. As for this week, it includes four games in seven nights packed into two home-road back-to-backs.

Here's a look:

Tuesday: vs. New Jersey Nets (10-25), 7:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: FSSW/ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: Welcome back Avery Johnson. Welcome home Deron Williams? The Colony native is high on the Mavs' wish list this summer. And wondering whether Williams will address his pending free agency and his desires is about all the intrigue that the Nets' visit should provide. Now, if the Mavs come out of the break sluggish, they could be dealt an ugly setback coming off Wednesday's home loss to the Lakers. Seven of New Jersey's 10 wins have come on the road, including recent victories at Chicago (without Derrick Rose) and at the Knicks. Still, these guys are 2-8 in their last 10.

Wednesday: at Memphis Grizzlies (19-15), 7 p.m.
TV/Radio: FSSW/ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: This is where things should get interesting. Once upon a time, the Grizzlies couldn't beat the Mavs, never, ever. The tables have turned recently and the young Grizz are a bona fide threat in the West. When (if?) Zach Randolph returns they'll be downright dangerous. The Mavs come into town on the second night of a back-to-back while the Grizzlies will be waiting to resume their season following the All-Star break. They're 13-5 at FedEx Forum and have won seven of 10 overall. None were of landmark quality, but confidence is brimming.

Friday: at New Orleans (8-25), 7 p.m.
TV/Radio: FSSW/ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: The Hornets can jump up and sting, just ask Jeremy Lin. New Orleans went into the break having won four of six games with the victory at Madison Square Garden being the feather in their cap. They don't score much, but they don't give up much either, and the Mavs' big men better keep an eye on Chris Kaman (17.7 ppg, 9.0 rpg last seven games). The Hornets are actually better on the road than at home (3-14), so the Mavs, after a day of rest, need to bear down and make sure they pad their record against a team they should beat.

Saturday: vs. Utah Jazz (15-17), 7:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: FSSW/ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM; 1270 AM (Spanish)
What to watch: The wayward Jazz will make their way to Dallas after two home games against Houston and Miami. They face the Mavs the night after playing the Heat. A Utah team that lost 10 of 13 heading into the All-Star break has plummeted out of the playoff mix. The reunion of Devin Harris and Josh Howard just hasn't clicked. With both teams on the second night of a back-to-back and both traveling, this is one in which the Mavs must defend their turf against a spiraling club that is 3-11 on the road.

Brendan Haywood just can't catch a break around here. When he showed up in the Josh Howard trade with Caron Butler and DeShawn Stevenson, he quickly caught everyone's eye with some impressive play.

Then Erick Dampier got healthy, got his starting job back and Haywood was perceived to have sulked. That summer, with Dampier on his way out, Haywood thought he had the starting job sewn up, and why not, coach Rick Carlisle promised it to him. Along comes Tyson Chandler, who goes on to change everything we always thought we knew about the Mavs.

Now Chandler's gone and this 6-foot-11, energetic French kid is stealing the spotlight.

But Haywood isn't letting Ian Mahinmi's surprise rise get him down. The 7-foot veteran is just going about his business and getting the job done on the defensive end, a significant reason why the Mavs are the third-ranked defensive team in the league.

Haywood, bouncing back from tough night against skilled Lakers center Andrew Bynum, logged two of his higher-minute games in the back-to-back set against the Clippers and Jazz, and for good reason.

Wednesday night in L.A., coach Rick Carlisle tried to give Dirk Nowitzki a break by putting him against offensively limited center DeAndre Jordan while the 7-foot Haywood took on athletic and rugged power forward Blake Griffin, who averages 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Haywood, playing 26 minutes, used his size effectively and held Griffin to 14 points on 6-of-15 shooting (Griffin did miss some point-blank attempts and he did get to the free-throw line eight times, making just two). And what happened with Jordan, who averages 7.8 points a game? He went off for a season-high 19.

In the big win Thursday at Utah, Haywood logged 29 minutes -- nine more than his season average -- and made smooth-scoring center Al Jefferson work for his 22 points on 18 shots. Haywood also supplied three assists and he was a perfect 4-of-4 -- no kidding -- from the free-throw line.

Carlisle called Haywood's game against Jefferson and the Jazz probably his best work of the season.

On the surface, Haywood's 4.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in the first three games of the road trip don't leap off the screen, but he's been a steady presence in the paint, the area of top concern entering the season.

Our weekly look at how coach Rick Carlisle is managing the minutes of Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd during this 66-game schedule:

Obviously, Jason Kidd's lower back injury has taken him out of the lineup all week and perhaps surprisingly, the Dallas Mavericks have put together three consecutive wins without their 38-year-old floor general. Delonte West has filled in nicely -- he might want to find the 7-foot blond guy a bit more often -- switching from starting shooting guard to the point.

Kidd has not had a great start with numbers (including 30.8 percent field-goal shooting) far below his standards across the board. Across with Kidd, it's his intangibles that are so highly counted on by this veteran team than his stat line.

Dirk Nowitzki, meanwhile, added another game-winning bucket to his ledger Wednesday night at Boston with a strong drive and finish for a three-point play with 5.1 seconds to left. He struggled for the better part of the game after going 9-of-10 in Detroit, which followed a 5-of-22 stretch in the previous two games. Such is life in the post-lockout NBA.

It's simply going to take time for players to get in shape and find a consistent rhythm. Dirk included.

Here's a look at how Carlisle is handling his two most important players through the first seven games.

J-Kidd
Season averages: 28.1 mpg, 4.9 ppg, 4.7 apg, 3.8 rpg
The breakdown: Since last week's report, Kidd played 11:32 of the first quarter at the San Antonio Spurs and then headed to the locker room holding his lower back. He later described the injury as back spasms, caused when big man DeJuan Blair leaned on Kidd as the two battled for rebound position. Kidd attended Monday's White House ceremony and then returned to Dallas to resume treatments. He will be re-evaluated today. The hope was that he would be ready for Friday's game against Milwaukee, the first of a home back-to-back, but that could be pushing things. His availability will be determined closer to game time.

Dirk
Season averages: 31.6 mpg, 18.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.7 apg
The breakdown: Dirk's scoring (including 19.0 percent from 3-point range) and rebounds continue to be well below his career marks, but coach Rick Carlisle said he's not worried, pointing out that his playing time is also well below normal levels. That's due to several reasons that include Carlisle being mindful of his minutes with so games lumped together, Dirk still working his way into shape and the fact that four of the first 11 games have been blowouts, limiting him to just a few minutes or no minutes in those fourth quarters. Finally on Tuesday he was on the right side of a rout at Detroit and it kept his minutes down to 28, helping him to go 38 in Boston, one minute shy of his season-high in that stunning road loss at Oklahoma City. Even with the 38 minutes, Dirk averaged just 30.0 minutes in the four games played in the past seven days.

What's ahead: We'll just have to wait and see if Kidd's back has bounced back enough for the home back-to-back or if it is a better idea for him to take the weekend off and get ready for two big games in Los Angeles -- Monday against the Lakers and Wednesday against the remodeled Clippers. Dirk, coming off a very manageable week minutes-wise, should be in fine shape for this stretch of five games in seven nights that starts Friday and ends next Thursday at a suddenly resurgent Utah team that features former Mavs Devin Harris and Josh Howard.

Now we know NBA players are getting really bored -- they're taking their talents to -- Waco?

No offense, Waco, of course.

Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant, who made one trip to Baylor during his lone season with the Texas Longhorns is returning with his pals LaMarcus Aldridge, Josh Howard, John Wall, Jason Terry, Tracy McGrady and others for what's being called the Celebrity All-Star Basketball Game, according to a release sent out by the Baylor Bears basketball media relations office.

The game is scheduled for Dec. 1 at the Ferrell Center, the home of the Big 12's Bears, who sent Ekpe Udoh to the NBA last season as a top-six pick (he's not on the list of players expected to participate) and this season boast future first-round pick in sophomore Perry Jones III.

The release was distributed on the same day the NBPA walked away from the owners' latest proposal, leaving the state of the 2011-12 season in limbo.

The participants are mostly the same that were in Dallas on Saturday night for a game organized by Howard.

Tickets, which can be purchased for as low as $14 each, are available at the Baylor athletic ticket office.

Proceeds from the game will be donated to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and to Coach Carter’s Impact Academy.

For more information call 713-397-9618.

DALLAS -- Corey Brewer, at a slender 188 pounds, can launch his 6-foot-9 projectile of a frame practically through the roof of any arena. Leaping has never been the downside of his game. It's putting the basketball through the basket from 15 feet and deeper that failed to develop during three-plus seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

That's why Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle relentlessly went one-on-one with the mid-season acquisition, putting the young pogo stick through stiffer workouts after practices and shootarounds than Brewer saw in most games.

"We were shooting a lot trying to get my jump shot to be consistent," Brewer said Saturday before playing in Josh Howard's charity exhibition game at which Brewer unleashed several gravity-defying dunks. "All the other things I do well, but I need to be a consistent jump-shooter, especially in our offense. The way we pass the ball you get a lot of open shots."

Brewer started 63 percent of the 232 games he played on those downtrodden Wolves teams. When he chose to sign with veteran-laden Dallas after being traded to the New York Knicks as part of the Carmelo Anthony deal and then being waived by New York, Brewer mostly sat at the end of the Mavs' bench or was inactive.

He had the one brilliant eight-minute performance off the bench in Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers that sparked the Mavs to a second-half double-digit comeback. He played 11 total minutes during the rest of the championship run.

"I always felt like this was a good move for my future. We have a lot of guys that are aging and I feel like I’d get a chance to come here and help," Brewer said, smiling wide, which is something of a trademark for the affable 25-year-old. "I was happy to be on the team last year and I helped as much as I could, but I knew I wasn’t going to get much time. But now, it’s a new year."

And it will be interesting to see what's in store for Brewer, who has split his prolonged offseason between Dallas and his native Tennessee, whenever the 2011-12 season begins. Much depends on which players return to the Dallas roster. Will free agent Caron Butler be the starting small forward with Shawn Marion coming off the bench? Or will Marion become the starter with Brewer sliding into the backup role?

Will Rudy Fernandez work out as the starting two-guard? Does DeShawn Stevenson return? Can Brewer eke out a few minutes at shooting guard?

After all, for all the shooting work Brewer put in behind the scenes, his numbers suggest it was working. In 13 regular-season games with the Mavs, Brewer shot 49.0 percent from the field (and was 4-of-9 in the playoffs), well above the 38.4 percent he shot last season in Minnesota and better than his career-best mark of 43.1 percent two seasons ago.

"I feel I’m going to get a chance to play this season," Brewer said. "That’s what it’s all about. I just want to help the team win. It’s all about winning right now."

Actually, right now it's all about waiting until the labor situation is rectified and the lockout is lifted. Then, we'll finally get some answers.

DALLAS -- A crowd of about 2,000 watched from wooden bleachers as 18 NBA players got together at the old-school P.C. Cobb Complex in Fair Park for a little fun during this frustratingly long lockout.

As expected, defense was left at the door and players like Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge, Howard and others put on a high-flying show complete with every requisite dunk and long-distance 3-pointer. The final five minutes turned into a dunk-a-thon with each possession basically going up against no defense to see which side could come up with a better dunk.

The Blue Team, headlined by Aldridge, Mavs forward Corey Brewer and Nick Young outscored Howard's White Team that featured Durant and shot-happy Damon Jones, 139-128.

No stats were kept at the game, unlike at some of these exhibition games where the scores have reached the 160s. So there was no way to tell if Durant actually did set a career-high in assists as he claimed when seeking out a nonexistent official box score.

If there was one disappointing aspect to the night was that exciting Washington Wizards point guard John Wall was in the building, but did not suit up.

It was a fun and semi-entertaining event, but it also revealed just how much everyone is yearning for the NBA to get back on the court.

The NBPA will meet Monday in New York. Perhaps then, the 2011-12 season will gain some traction.

DALLAS -- Jason Terry has his hands full coaching the White Team tonight in Josh Howard's charity event, but as soon as this little bit of fun is over, it's back to the business of the lockout.

Terry returns to New York Sunday for the second time in as many weeks to be briefed on the league's latest labor proposal along with the 29 other player representatives.

Terry, who on Friday said players will be ready to walk if the deal is not to their liking, said he is at least hopeful that the two sides can reach an accord.

"With what happened last week," Terry said, referencing two 12-hour meetings in which some gaps were closed, "you have to hope this proposal is decent and fair."

Many of Terry's colleague's don't necessarily agree, as you can read here.

Terry said the basketball related income portion of negotiations has probably been blown out of proportion, with the system being the critical area of disagreement. Various restrictions on teams that spend in the luxury tax is at the heart of the issue. Owners want harsh penalties for those teams, while players, obviously, do not because it would great restrict player movement.

For instance, Mavs owner Mark Cuban has spent beyond the luxury tax threshold every year since its existence, but a more punitive system would make Cuban less likely to to want to pay the increased taxes.

"We feel like the concessions we have made, we've given a lot," Terry said. "The system has to be right. That's not just me saying that, that's all 400 players saying that."

DALLAS -- Not surprisingly, the NBA players in town to play in the Josh Howard Celebrity All-Star Basketball Game stood together in their belief that if the owners' latest labor proposal is not palatable, they won't be afraid to walk away.

"I think so," New Orleans Hornets guard Jarrett Jack said. "If we were going to fold we would have folded a month or two ago."

Commissioner David Stern delivered a revised proposal to the union late Thursday night after two days of 12-hour meetings. The NBPA brass will meet with team player representatives Monday morning in New York to digest the deal and decide if it is worthy of taking back to the some 450 NBA players for a vote.

Kevin Durant, the biggest star at the game, said he doesn't believe the new proposal will meet the players' needs.

"From the vibe I'm getting, I don't think it's a deal we want," Durant said. "We can't take 50/50 and a bad system."

Since Stern offered the new deal, pessimism has seemed to be most prevalent among the players.

"We've given a lot," said Portland Trail Blazers star and player rep LaMarcus Aldridge, who grew up in nearby Seagoville before attending the University of Texas. "Both sides have to give now."

Aldridge will be in New York Monday morning along with Jason Terry, the Mavs' player rep who is coaching Howard's team in this charity event being held at the Cobb Athletic Complex in Fair Park. Terry was running late, but showed up just in time for player introductions.

On Friday, Terry also strongly stated that players will be ready to walk away from the proposal, knowing it could send this process into even murkier waters, including the owners reverting to a more punitive offer and the players taking the next step in a potential quest to decertify the union.

Other players, such as Washington Wizards guard John Wall, say they are trying to make arrangements to get to New York to hear the details for themselves. The owners' deal would get a 72-game season started on Dec. 15.

Overall, the players here were well-schooled in sticking to a uniform script, saying they will allow the 30 player reps to decide which direction they should go once briefed on the latest proposal.

In his own way, Josh Howard enjoyed a measure of redemption with former teammates Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry, the last remaining Mavs from the 2006 Finals flop.

Howard, who called the controversial timeout in Game 5 of the 2006 Finals in Miami, was in Dallas throughout the 2011 Finals and although he didn't attend any games at the American Airlines Center, he said he was rooting for the Mavs to knock off the Heat.

"To see those guys do that was great, especially for Dirk," Howard said. "Ultimately, I’m a fan of the game. I was happy for them."

Terry, who will serve as coach of Howard's White Team in Saturday's Josh Howard Celebrity All-Star Game at the Cobb Athletic Complex at Fair Park, celebrated with Howard after the Finals, and assistant coach Darrell Armstrong visited Howard as his Dallas home.

Howard's career in Dallas turned into a love-hate scenario with the organization and the fans. A young, burgeoning All-Star became unhinged and a string of strange behavior off the court mixed with injuries on it finally led Mavs owner Mark Cuban, who defended Howard to the end, trade him to the Washington Wizards in February 2010.

Now 31 and a free-agent, Howard is seeking a fresh start with another team.

"That stuff that happened back then is in the past," Howard said. "You can’t change it. You have to learn from it. Shoot, it’s life, you have to just keep moving forward."

And Howard keeps coming back to Dallas. In many ways, he never left. He still lives in Dallas to be close to his 3-year-old son Bryson, whom Howard said looks more like he's 5 or 6 and is a definite southpaw. Howard has continued to hold events for his Josh Howard Foundation in Dallas, of which Saturday's game is one.

On the roster and expected to play is Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge, a Seagoville native.

"I have such good memories here and it’s just a blessing to still come back here and people love me for who I am," Howard said. "I never considered Dallas a place that I would stop coming to after I got traded. I still love it here.

"And," he said, "the weather’s great."

Hold onto your hats because Kevin Durant is coming to town. The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar is a surprise late entrant for the Josh Howard Celebrity All-Star Game on Saturday night at the P.C. Cobb Center in Fair Park.

Durant adds considerable star power to a roster of players that includes LaMarcus Aldridge and John Wall.

Not so surprising is that Durant was added to Howard's White Team, which also includes Wall. Aldridge headlines the Blue Team, which will have to match up with a cast that includes Corey Brewer, Nick Young and Jarrett Jack.

Apparently some tickets are still available for the 6 p.m. tip. For ticket information go to joshhowardfoundation.com.

Josh Howard is bringing basketball to Fair Park on Saturday night with his Celebrity All-Star Game at the Cobb Athletic Center (6 p.m.). At least there he knows he'll play for the White Team and his coach will be Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry.

That's about all that's clear with Howard's basketball future -- and that of other NBA free agents -- as the lockout grinds on (although perhaps crawling toward resolution).

"I’m just hoping to get the opportunity to continue where I left off at when I left Dallas, and that’s starting and contributing to whatever team and whatever they need me to do," Howard said in a phone conversation earlier this week. "I haven’t really thought about who I would fit in well with. I’m just going out there for the love of the game and, hopefully, I’ll get on the right team with the right players that will accept me."

Josh Howard sounds like a man -- and he is 31 now and he turns giddy talking about his 3-year-old son Bryson, aka B.J. -- who gained a measure of perspective during a difficult year-and-a-half dominated by rehabbing from an ACL injury. In fact, he said he did broaden his outlook during that time as he prepares for a comeback in his -- believe it -- ninth NBA season.

Here's one bit of perspective that Howard shared:

"For me, it’s just about playing the game and having fun. The money is not an aspect for me," said Howard, who still resides in Dallas when not in his native North Carolina. "I’ve been blessed. [Mavs owner Mark] Cuban signed a deal for me, so that was just a blessing in itself, so now I just want to go out there and have fun with the game and get back to that point we were at in ’06 when I was here, just try to get to the Finals."

That is one form of perspective.

But so was his juvenile final two seasons with the Mavs, followed by a career-changing injury. The Mavs finally traded Howard in February 2010 to the Washington Wizards for Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson. Four games into his Washington stint, Howard blew out his left knee and missed the rest of the season.

He didn't return until December of last season, missed a month, and then never could get things going. He played just 18 games last season and 53 in the last two seasons. Along with his rehab, Howard did a lot of watching from the bench and he began to analyze the game more and take an interest in talented, young Wizards, two which -- John Wall and Nick Young -- will be in action Saturday night.

"It was just frustrating knowing I couldn’t contribute like I wanted to," Howard said. "Overall, it helped me out just thinking the game mentally, from a coach’s aspect. I’ve been watching a lot of the young guys that are going to be the next talents in the NBA and coaching those guys, actually using some advice that I got from the guys when I first got to Dallas from like Dirk [Nowitzki], [Michael] Finley, [Steve] Nash and even Jason Kidd before I left.

"It helped me grow, I guess as a player-coach and even venture off into things I want to do after basketball, which is coaching. I had the opportunity to expand and it was cool, even though the season wasn’t as great as I would have liked it to be."

If that's the case, good for Josh Howard.

The NBA lockout might be grinding to an uncertain place as commissioner David Stern's deadline for players to accept the league's latest proposal looms later today, but Josh Howard has finalized the rosters for his self-titled Celebrity All-Star Game that is set for 6 p.m. Saturday night at the Cobb Athletic Complex at Fair Park in Dallas.

Surely it will be a fun-filled evening for all and proceeds will benefit the Josh Howard Foundation. However, with the exception of Seagoville's own LaMarcus Aldridge, the victim of a serious All-Star snub this past season, the rosters are rather thin of such pedigrees.

Nonetheless, there are some exciting, young guns coming to town.

Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry will coach Howard's squad -- the White team -- which, barring any late cancellations, will include: John Wall, Reggie Evans, Marquis Daniels, Quinton Ross, DeSagana Diop, Anthony Randolph, Damon Jones and Jeremy Evans.

The other squad -- the Blue team -- will be coached by Trevor Booker, and will include: Aldridge, Andray Blatche, Hamady N'diaye, Nick Young, Corey Brewer, Damion James, Isaiah Thomas, Jarrett Jack, Jason Maxiell and Damien Wilkins.

Tickets are available at JoshHowardFoundation.com,The Fade Shop and Ten Sports Grill. Ticket prices are $15 in advance, $25 on-site and $50 for floor seats.

And, if you can't be there, but are starving for some hoops, fans can watch the game via web-stream on TheBasketballChannel.net for $1.99.