ESPN

LOS ANGELES -- Sunday could be the last game Dwight Howard plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The question is: Should it be?

The Lakers have already made their intentions clear. They want Howard back.

"Dwight is our future," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said back in February to debunk all the trade rumors that were swirling.

"It's hard to get talent in this league, and to have a talent like Dwight Howard, we have no intention of trading Dwight Howard," Kupchak continued. "He belongs to have his name on the wall [as a retired uniform] and a statue in front of Staples [Center] at some point in time."

They certainly won't be erecting a statue based on Howard's 2012-13 alone. In a season that started with Howard coming off of spinal surgery -- later admitting that his back could have feasibly kept him out of the lineup until March -- and included Howard missing six games because of a torn labrum in his right shoulder, Howard never lived up to the "Superman" reputation that preceded his arrival here.

The nine-year veteran made his seventh All-Star team, but his 17.1 points per game were his lowest average since his second season in the league, his 12.4 rebounds were his lowest since his third season, and his 49.2 percent mark from the foul line represented the second straight season he's shot less than 50 percent from the charity stripe. Not to mention the former three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner finished tied for 14th in the voting for the award this season.

With Kobe Bryant going down with a season-ending Achilles tear, Howard's numbers have increased to 20.6 points, 14.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks on 55.7 percent shooting from the floor in five games as the No. 1 option with Bryant gone. But the Lakers have gone just 2-3, including 0-3 to open up their first round series against the San Antonio Spurs.

All year long, when asked about his future plans after this season, Howard's go-to response was that he was only concentrating on winning a championship in L.A. in 2013.

Barring the Lakers becoming the first team in NBA history to come back from an 0-3 deficit to win their series against the Spurs, and then somehow going on to win three more series without Bryant on the court, Howard's championship goal will go unfulfilled this season.

So, what will he decide to do?

While the Lakers have been forthright with their plan to build around Howard, the 27-year-old has been evasive as to whether he sees his future including L.A.

When asked about what the offseason could bring following Saturday's practice, Howard said, "I haven't thought about it."

Even if Howard wasn't telling the truth, he can't act on any decision he would make for more than two months; he becomes a free agent July 1.

At that point, Howard can sign a five-year, $118 million contract to stay with the Lakers, or a four-year, $87.6 million deal with another team.

While the extra $31 million in guaranteed money might not seem like as big a deal for a player who is on a career track to warrant yet another max contract when his next one is up, Howard learned that he isn't as indestructible as he thought this season, after only missing seven games total in his first seven seasons in Orlando.

According to several sources familiar with Howard's thinking, Howard will likely explore free agency before reaching his final decision. In today's media landscape, that means there will be a circus in July while Howard hears pitches from the likes of the Dallas Mavericks and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Even if it is merely Howard doing his due diligence before making a major life decision, the frenzy it is sure to create will give Howard a taste of the backlash he could face if he ultimately decides to uproot from L.A. just one year removed from the "Dwightmare" that surrounded his exit from Orlando.

As bad as Howard's first season in Los Angeles went -- from a coaching change, to myriad injuries, to the death of the Lakers' legendary owner Dr. Jerry Buss, a media spotlight that criticized him for everything from his free throws to lack of effort to the headband and arm sleeve he wore -- L.A. is still set up to be a place for his career to blossom.

The things that could give him pause, mainly his relationship with Bryant and his belief in Mike D'Antoni, can be worked on, and if Howard indeed signs a five-year deal, odds are he'll outlast both of those guys in L.A. anyway.

While Howard has been tight-lipped when it comes to answers about his future plans all season long, maybe his true intention has been on his Twitter profile all this time.

Howard's avatar shows him in a gold Lakers uniform staring down at a basketball that he holds in both of his big hands. Behind him hang the uniforms of legendary Lakers big men: George Mikan's No. 99, Wilt Chamberlain's No. 13, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's No. 33 and Shaquille O'Neal's No. 34.

His Twitter bio is three words: "After the ring!"

We'll find out sometime in the coming months after the season whether he'll continue to seek that ring with the Lakers, or if he'll have to change that avatar of his.

NEW ORLEANS -- Elton Brand, who never returned to peak form after tearing his left Achilles tendon during his prime, is betting on Kobe Bryant.

Brand believes the 34-year-old Bryant will regain his Hall of Fame form after going through the grueling rehabilitation process that will follow Saturday’s surgery to repair his torn left Achilles tendon.

“Everybody knows his work ethic,” Brand told ESPNDallas.com before the Mavericks’ Sunday game against the New Orleans Hornets. “I think he’ll be fine. I know they said there’s no way to come back to 100 percent from it, but if there’s anybody that could come close, he can.”

Brand knows firsthand that Bryant will be in good hands during his rehab. Brand credits Judy Seto, a physical therapist who now works for the Los Angeles Lakers, for helping him come back strong eight months after he tore his Achilles during a workout in August 2007.

Brand regrets not continuing to work with Seto the following summer, when he returned to his East Coast home instead of staying in Los Angeles after averaging 17.6 points and 8.0 rebounds for the Clippers in eight late games that season, giving him confidence that he had successfully completed his comeback. In hindsight, Brand wishes he also would have worked that summer with Tim Grover, a renowned personal trainer whose NBA clients include Bryant.

Working out on his own, Brand regressed, losing some of the strength and explosiveness in his left leg that he had worked so hard to regain. After scoring at least 20 points per game in the four seasons before his injury, Brand never averaged more than 15.0 points per game in a full season. He remained a productive player, but his rebounding and shot-blocking numbers also dipped significantly.

“I don’t think it had to, but it did because I lost the explosiveness,” said Brand, whose left calf is still noticeably smaller than his right. “I wasn’t the most explosive guy, but I lost some explosion, especially jumping off my left leg.

“But like I said, I don’t think he has to worry about that because of the people he’s working with. I think they’re going to have all the machines and all the technological advances to know how to get it solid. When I left, I was more on my own and didn’t have their expertise to fall back on.”

The word Brand uses most to describe the rehab process from a torn Achilles tendon is “tedious.” He describes it as a grind with a lot of two-a-day sessions, a lot of stretching, a lot of working to build back up muscles in the lower leg and a lot of pain.

Brand firmly believes that Bryant, one of the most ruthless competitors in NBA history, will be up to the challenge.

“Just be himself and attack it like he attacks life and sports,” Brand said. “He doesn’t need any advice. He’s driven from within. He’ll be fine.”

LOS ANGELES – Coach Rick Carlisle cited “embracing our imperfections” as one of the keys to the Mavericks’ 11-5 March.

Perhaps their biggest flaw bit the Mavs hard as they opened April with a lopsided loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Mavs, who rank third to last in the league in rebounding differential, got absolutely dominated on the glass by the longer, more athletic Lakers. L.A. had a 57-37 rebounding edge and grabbed 10 offensive rebounds.

“That’s really the game,” Carlisle said. “I know they’re big, but our persistence has to make up for our lack of size.”

That definitely wasn’t the case in Tuesday night’s critical loss. NBA rebounding leader Dwight Howard grabbed a dozen boards in addition to his game-high 24 points, and he was one of four Lakers to post double-doubles. Actually, Kobe Bryant (24-11-11) had a triple-double, with Earl Clark (17-12) and Pau Gasol (14-10) contributing to the Lakers’ paint domination.

“Ain’t no excuses” said Shawn Marion, who led the Mavs with seven rebounds. “If you really want it, you’re going to get it done. All the loose balls went to them. All the 50/50 balls went to them. It’s frustrating, man.”

Added Vince Carter, who grabbed just a lone rebound in 27 minutes: “We had our moments where we just let them take advantage of us.”

A few more notes from the Mavs’ crushing loss:

1. Dirk’s dud: Coming off his best week of the season, Dirk Nowitzki couldn’t keep it going against the Lakers.

The Mavs’ superstar was held to 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting. He even looked like Dwight Howard from the free throw line, making only 2-of-6 attempts.

The Lakers simply never let Nowitzki, who had 33- and 35-point performances last week and scored 30 in the Mavs’ last meeting with L.A., establish a rhythm. He was more effective as a distributor (six assists) than a scorer.

“They had long bodies on him. They were physical with him,” Carlisle said. “When we got him a lot of touches, a lot of times he was forced to pass. Unfortunately, we were unable to hit a lot of the shots where he kicked out. Getting him quality shots is always going to be tougher against better teams and experienced teams.”

Added Nowitzki: “I didn’t have a lot of easy ones tonight. I had to work for it. The ones I did have, I’ve just got to knock down.”

2. Kaman’s contributions: Chris Kaman, the 7-footer with the $8 million salary, led the Mavs in scoring with 14 points after making his first start since March 20.

Kaman, who refused to speak to reporters after the game, made 7-of-10 shots from the floor and grabbed six rebounds in 20 minutes. That came on the heels of playing a total of 12 minutes in the Mavs’ previous four games, including two DNP-CDs.

“I think Kaman is a good player and he’s a guy we need,” Carlisle said. “I thought coming into tonight, our best chance to get something out of him was to start him because he can get open looks, he’s a big body, he can use some of his fouls on Howard early. I thought he did a really solid job out there.”

The Mavs didn’t get much out of their two big men who had been playing the vast majority of the minutes. Brandan Wright and Elton Brand combined for only six points and six rebounds in 30 minutes.

3. Love for Shaq: The Lakers retired Shaquille O’Neal’s number at halftime, giving Mark Cuban an opportunity to reminisce about his days as verbal sparring partner with the legendary big man.

“He was a beast,” Cuban said. “But forget the player. Everybody knows who he was as a player. He's just a great guy. He brought so much fun and attitude and energy to the game. That's what makes Shaq special then and now.

“Plus he was a nice foil. He would come at me and I think when he realized I wouldn't back down from him, that I'd come right back at him, then it got fun for both of us. And we've stayed friends. We're good friends now.”

LOS ANGELES -- Full of optimism after Saturday’s phenomenal comeback win, Dirk Nowitzki compared that stunning rally against the Chicago Bulls to the story of the Mavericks’ season.

Just when you think you can count them out ...

Unfortunately, Nowitzki’s comparison was probably a few days premature. Their 101-81 loss in Tuesday night’s critical game against the Los Angeles Lakers truly sums up the Mavs this season:

They manage to beat the odds by making things interesting, but this patchwork roster is just not good enough to get the job done.

Maybe you can’t count the Mavs out quite yet, but the math sure as heck looks hellacious as far as their playoff hopes go. They now trail the Lakers and Utah Jazz by 2½ games and don’t have tiebreakers against either of their competitors in a three-team fight for the West’s final playoff seed.

“We knew we were behind the eight ball all season,” said Nowitzki, whose bushy beard will keep growing after the 36-38 Mavs failed to seize an opportunity to hit .500 again. “We were battling, battling back. To think we were going to win them all down the stretch is tough, but this is a game we needed to have if we really wanted to make it interesting.”

For a few moments in the third quarter, it appeared that the Mavs might pull off another comeback, kind of like Game 1 in the 2011 West semifinals, a shocker that set the tone for that Dallas team of destiny’s sweep of the two-time defending champion Lakers and title run.

Alas, fate doesn’t smile on a team this flawed.

It took one possession for the Mavs’ momentum to disintegrate after they went on an 11-0 run to trim L.A.’s lead to five. Lakers reserve forward Earl Clark scored five points in the possession after a timeout, making a layup despite being fouled, missing the free throw and canning a corner 3 after Pau Gasol pulled down one of the Lakers’ 19 offensive rebounds.

“We never could get back over the hump,” said Shawn Marion, who joins Nowitzki as the lone Mavs on the active roster who remain from the title team.

We never could get back over the hump. That sentence seems destined to sum up this disappointing Dallas season, which will snap a dozen-year postseason streak for the Mavs, barring a miracle.

The Mavs, a team comprised primarily of temporary pieces, surprised a lot of people just by having hope as the calendar flipped to April. After all, it’s been 16 years since a team battled back from 10 games below .500 to punch a postseason ticket.

It’ll be at least one more year before that happens again, barring a miracle.

The Mavs landed in L.A. with legitimate hope. They boarded their flight to Denver, the toughest place in the West for NBA visitors, with the baggage of harsh reality after being thoroughly dominated on the boards (57-37 Lakers edge), struggling to get good shots (42.0 field goal percentage) and allowing Kobe Bryant to post a triple-double (23 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists) and three other Lakers to record double-doubles.

“We have to win out,” Vince Carter said, “and hope that it’s good enough.”

The Mavs will keep hoping to get over the hump, but it looks more like a mountain after losing to the Lakers.

A preseason guarantee that the Dallas Mavericks would be only a game and a half behind the Los Angeles Lakers when they left for this late-season trip to L.A. would have certainly pleased Dirk Nowitzki.

The Mavs’ superstar just didn’t imagine that scenario would play out like this.

PODCAST
Marc Stein joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to discuss the Mavericks-Lakers game Tuesday night. If the Mavs lose, are their playoff hopes over? Listen

“I was hoping it would be for a number two or three seed, not for nine,” Nowitzki said with a sheepish grin. “Yeah, it’s been, I guess, a tough season for both teams.”

That’s an understatement. As Nowitzki noted, the Lakers’ cluster of stars (Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol), have all dealt with significant injuries this season, with Kobe currently bothered by a bone spur in his foot and Nash doubtful to play against Dallas due to hamstring and hip issues. It’s also been a season-long soap opera in L.A., with the Kobe-Dwight dynamic as the main storyline with subplots such as firing the head coach after five games and snubbing the brother-in-law with 11 championship rings.

For the Mavs, it’s been more like a long series of Survivor, except the guys who get voted off the island keep getting replaced. Dallas has used 22 players – remember Eddy Curry playing a significant role in the season-opening win over the Lakers?! – and 22 starting lineups.

Oh, and Nowitzki missed three times as many games as he did in any of the previous 14 seasons of his Hall of Fame career and struggled mightily upon his return, the primary reason the Mavs are in the position of “trying to be the greatest comeback since Lazarus,” as coach Rick Carlisle says. (Or at least since the 1996-97 Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns, the last two teams to make the playoffs after digging out of a 10-games-under-.500 hole.)

Call them excuses if you want, but there are legitimate reasons that two of the league’s proudest franchises have been reduced to fighting with the Utah Jazz for the West’s final playoff spot. Not that the rest of the NBA feels any sympathy for teams that have combined to win three of the last four titles.

The playoffs will go on without at least one of these teams. Maybe both.

If the Lakers miss the playoffs, they’d go down as one of the biggest disappointments in pro sports history. It’d be stunning to see such a star-studded roster flop for a franchise that has failed to qualify for the playoffs only twice since 1976, winning 10 titles in that span.

If the Mavs miss the playoffs, the league’s second longest postseason streak would be snapped at a dozen seasons. It’d mean the Mavs went from a championship parade to a lottery pick in a span of only two years.

Those would be miserable fates for two franchises that frankly have grown so accustomed to qualifying for the postseason that it feels more like a prerequisite than an accomplishment.

The ruthless competitors who serve as faces of their respective franchises aren’t going to go down without a fight. That makes Tuesday night’s matchups must-watch TV, must like their nationally televised duel the last time these teams met, when Kobe’s “Amnesty THAT” performance one-upped Dirk’s 30-point, 13-rebound outing.

“Hey, both [teams] have a lot of pride, a lot of fight in them,” said Nowitzki, who has led the Mavs to a 23-14 record since the season’s low point, including an 11-5 March. “It should be a fun matchup [Tuesday] night. It’s national TV. Staples Center. Jack Nicholson courtside. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

Well, it’s been better. But it doesn’t get much more pressure packed.

The eighth-place Utah Jazz own the tiebreaker over both the Mavs and Lakers, so the loser of Tuesday night’s late TNT game is in huge trouble. That’s especially true if it’s the Mavs, who would need the Lakers and Jazz to choke down the stretch to have a chance.

“We’ve had must-win games since January,” coach Rick Carlisle said, “so this is nothing new for us.”

Missing the playoffs would be something new. The Mavs – and the Lakers, for that matter – are fighting to keep their flames from being extinguished.

If Dirk Nowitzki put up his post-All-Star break numbers all season long, he probably wouldn’t have been able to take a midseason vacation on a Mexican beach.

PODCAST
ESPN Insider Marc Stein joins Fitzsimmons & Durrett to talk about the Mavericks' big win and if Rick Carlisle should be considered for NBA Coach of the Year. Listen

Since his 11-year streak of All-Star appearances was snapped, Nowitzki has averaged 18.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, shooting 49.5 percent from the floor and 50 percent from 3-point range.

“What we’re seeing now with Dirk is what we can expect to see next year and the year after, if he stays healthy,” Mark Cuban said. “And the year after that.”

Three more years of All-Star caliber play from a power forward who turns 35 this summer?

"At least," Cuban said.

“I’m not sure about all that,” Nowitzki said. “We’ll just have to wait and see. Hopefully I can finish this season strong and have a good summer like I basically did last year with a lot of lifting and running and hopefully not have a setback with a surgery. We’ll see how consistent I can be again next season.”

It’s only been a couple of months since Nowitzki was wondering whether he wanted to keep playing after his contract expires next summer. He recently declared that he’d stick around through at least the 2015-16 season, but Nowitzki openly discussed making a transition from go-to guy to a role player in the years to come.

But Cuban can’t see Nowitzki as a role player, not even if the Mavs succeed in their year-old mission to acquire a legitimate star to pair with him, if not remove the burden of the franchise from the future Hall of Famer’s shoulders. Not for the next few years, at least.

“Is Kevin Garnett a role player? Is Tim Duncan a role player?” Cuban asked rhetorically. “Do you think Tim Duncan is going to be a role player next year? You think Kevin Garnett is going to be a role player next year? And those guys are based more on athleticism than Dirk is, you know?”

Cuban’s point: If Dirk’s peers as legendary power forwards of this generation can be All-Stars at 36, as Duncan and Garnett were this season, why can’t Nowitzki?

Duncan and Garnett both returned to the All-Star Game this season, a year after their decade-plus-long streaks of appearances were snapped at least in part due to knee problems that tend to pop up a decade and a half into a heavy-minute NBA career.

Garnett’s production has dipped in recent years, but he’s still a force for a perennial playoff team. Duncan’s numbers are down, too, but that’s primarily because his playing time has decreased. On a per-minute basis, there’s not much difference between Duncan’s production now and in his prime, and his Spurs are still contenders.

The talent and work ethic of players such as Duncan, Garnett, Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce and Steve Nash gives them a chance to keep playing at a high level deep into their thirties. Advances in fields such as sports medicine, nutrition and strength and conditioning increase their odds to enjoy success as NBA old-timers.

“Just because of the technology, guys can stay healthy longer,” Cuban said. “The science of dieting and health is just completely different than when we let Nash walk nine years ago. I think it’s just a different animal.”

That’s why Cuban is counting on at least a few more years of the same, ol’ Dirk.

SAN ANTONIO – Rick Carlisle claims he hasn’t seen the play that caused Kobe Bryant’s severe ankle injury, perhaps opening a window for the Mavericks to make the playoffs.

PODCAST
Marc Stein joins Galloway & Company to discuss Kobe Bryant's injury and its potential impact on the Mavericks' playoff chances. Listen

That’s Carlisle’s story and he’s sticking with it.

“I didn’t see the play and I’m not going to get involved with anything having to do with saying anything happening with Kobe Bryant,” Carlisle said. “I think our owner showed what could happen with that 10 days ago.”

That, of course, is a reference to Mark Cuban’s hypothetical suggestion that the Lakers could consider using the amnesty clause on Bryant, who responded by torching the Mavs two days later and rubbing it in with an “Amnesty THAT” tweet.

Carlisle will wisely allow others to offer their opinions about whether a dirty play by ex-Mav Dahntay Jones caused Bryant’s injury. It can only do harm for Carlisle to provide commentary on that situation.

Besides, Bryant being sidelined indefinitely is irrelevant to the Mavs if they don’t keep winning. Even after winning four in a row, the Mavs trail the eighth-place Lakers by 2 ½ games in the West standings.

“We really have got to just focus on our own thing,” Carlisle said. “Whatever happens externally is going to happen. We control our situation by putting the force and the attitude and the effort into it at as much of a high level as we can. We’ve got to try to take care of our own games.

“At the end, if we’ve done our job, we’ll give ourselves a chance.”

DALLAS – Mark Cuban has insisted since their arrival this summer that he’s looking for reasons to commit to Darren Collison and O.J. Mayo as the backcourt of the Mavericks’ future.

The film from Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers certainly won’t help make a case for locking up the 25-year-old guards to long-term deals this offseason.

PODCAST
After battling it out against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, Dirk Nowitzki said he doesn't like the idea of consecutive seasons where the Mavericks have to scratch and claw for the No. 8 seed and also addressed his future. Fitzsimmons and Durrett discuss. Listen

Frankly, Mayo and Collison got dominated by a pair of future Hall of Famers. Kobe Bryant was brilliant, lighting up the Mavs for 38 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Steve Nash made the Mavs pay when they did double Bryant, hitting 4-of-5 3-pointers during a 20-point performance.

Mayo and Collison, on the other hand, combined for only 15 points on 5-of-20 shooting and six assists.

“It was a tough one for our backcourt today in a big game like that on a big stage,” said Dirk Nowitzki, whose 30 points and 13 rebounds were wasted by the Mavs.

Mayo, the Mavs’ leading scorer this season, had more turnovers (three) than buckets (2-of-9 from the floor) and allowed his frustration to get the best of him when he picked up a critical technical foul with 3:04 remaining. Mayo, who missed a contested 3 that could have tied the game with 4.9 seconds remaining, uncharacteristically avoided the media after the loss.

Collison, whose improvement has been a major reason the Mavs won 12 of 18 games entering Sunday, was only 3-of-11 from the floor. He sat all but 2:04 of the fourth quarter, when coach Rick Carlisle opted to play 37-year-old journeyman Mike James at point guard.

“You wish all our games could be perfect and we all play well,” Collison said. “But this (wasn’t) one of those games. We understand that. We’re taking it hard right now. We just got to continue to get better.”

The message from veterans such as Nowitzki and Vince Carter: The young guards have to learn from this loss and get over it immediately.

“Stay with it,” Carter said. “You’re going to have ups and downs. That’s just the way it goes.

“They know and understand their importance to this team. They’ve done great things for us. Of course, you want everybody to have a great game each and every night. That’s just not going to happen. That’s not the way it goes. We’ve just got to fight through it.”

A few more notes from the Mavs’ frustrating loss:

1. Kobe schools Crowder: Matchups don’t get much more lopsided than a second-round rookie defending the fifth-leading scorer in NBA history. Kobe Bryant vs. Jae Crowder went about as anticipated.

And that was despite smothering defense by Crowder.

Bryant’s 38-point performance was highlighted by hitting high degree-of-difficulty jumpers over Crowder on three consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter. That spree featured with a 26-foot 3-pointer, a midrange jumper after several moves and a heat-check turnaround 20-footer.

“What could I have done to make him not hit that shot?” Crowder recalled thinking. “I’m giving him all I’ve got. He’s giving you multiple moves and hitting tough fadeaway shots, and it’s hard to guard that. At the same time, I’m trying to make it difficult before the shot goes up. I felt like I did, but he had it going.”

2. T’d off: Two technical fouls in the final 5:48 played a critical role in the four-point loss.

Nowitzki got hit with a technical after angrily punching the air in protest of a no-call with 5:48 remaining. He had missed a jumper on a possession that featured a lot of contact from Metta World Peace, whom Nowitzki accused of “having me in a bear hug” for much of the fourth quarter.

“I got fouled and on top of it they hit me with a T,” Nowitzki said, “so that was a tough sequence there.”

Mayo was called for a technical after expressing his displeasure with a foul called on him with 3:04 remaining. He felt he successfully challenged Bryant’s missed fast-break layup without fouling.

Coach Rick Carlisle understands his players’ frustration, but he doesn’t excuse their technical.

“We’ve got to avoid them. Simple as that,” Carlisle said. “Our guys know it. But those are things we’ll continue to talk about because we’re going to be in those positions again.”

3. Kaman contributes: Center Chris Kaman gave the Mavs eight quality minutes in his return after missing the previous 10 games with a concussion. He scored four points and grabbed four rebounds, and the Mavs outscored the Lakers by eight with Kaman on the floor.

“I just felt a little out of sorts in there,” said Kaman, who played most of his minutes matched up against Dwight Howard in the fourth quarter. “I felt like, what am I doing? I haven’t played in so long. It was kind of weird. But as it went on a little, I started feeling a little more comfortable.

“Just trying to get back in the flow is difficult. Guys almost forget about who you are and what you can do. I just feel like I was out there trying to get back through the motions in the swing of things and get more comfortable on the floor.”

DALLAS -- Be careful what you wish for, Mark Cuban.

You say you miss the days of witty repartee with Phil Jackson and Shaquille O’Neal? Want another high-profile Laker with whom to go back-and-forth?

OK, Kobe Bryant is game. But the Black Mamba doesn’t play nice. And he’s hell to deal with when he’s mad, a mode he promises to be in throughout the rest of the season and what he predicts will be a long Lakers playoff run, picking up motivational ammunition from Cuban’s mouth this week.

“Amnesty THAT,” Kobe tweeted Sunday afternoon.

Doesn’t sound like Kobe wanted to hear about hypotheticals, huh?

What more needed to be said after the living legend put up 38 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 103-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks in a game that was critical to both proud franchises’ playoff hopes?

Those actions spoke loudly, especially while Bryant scored 14 points with a high-degree-of-difficulty, including 5-of-5 shooting in the fourth quarter to allow the Lakers to pull out the win.

PODCAST
After battling it out against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, Dirk Nowitzki said he doesn't like the idea of consecutive seasons where the Mavericks have to scratch and claw for the No. 8 seed and also addressed his future. Fitzsimmons and Durrett discuss. Listen

“They should have listened to Cuban and amnestied him this morning,” Dirk Nowitzki kidded after his 30-point, 13-rebound performance was overshadowed by a Kobe classic.

Oh, Kobe did throw one verbal jab at Cuban after his dominant performance in Dallas.

“We've always kind of marched to the beat of our own drum, but I'm sure if [Cuban] wants to amnesty Dirk, that's something we'll entertain,” Kobe said, essentially offering his fellow future Hall of Famer a spot on the Lakers’ roster next season.


Of course, the thought of Cuban using the amnesty clause to cut ties with Dirk is preposterous (and impossible after the Mavs used the one-time clause to dump Brendan Haywood last offseason). Just like it’s laughable to even imagine the Lakers avoiding a massive luxury-tax bill by slashing Kobe’s $30.5 million salary this summer.

But there was Cuban making that hypothetical suggestion during a Friday appearance on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM. He claimed Sunday that he simply used the league’s highest payroll and highest-paid player as an example in a discussion about the collective bargaining agreement, but that comment came in response to a question about whether Cuban was surprised by the state of the Lakers.

Gee whiz, it’s such a stretch to think Cuban just wanted to get under the skin of the NBA’s glamour franchise, right?

The Mavs’ brash billionaire owner readily admits that verbal sparring ranks among his favorite pastimes. And high-profile Lakers have been among his favorite sparring partners over the years.

This falls right in line with the “Shaq Albert” video and referring to Jackson as Jeanie Buss’ “boy toy.”

Well, it’s on a much higher intellectual level than those digs -- just try calculating the luxury tax that kicks in next season -- but it’s another classic Cuban shot at the Lakers.

And this one backfired.

“Nice to know there is a least one team and their players, outside of the Mavs, that listen to everything I say,” Cuban wrote in one tweet Sunday evening.

He then added another: “But I do have to give props to @kobebryant for a great tweet. #Welldone.”

How it happened: Dirk Nowitzki was dominant. Kobe Bryant was even better.

The two legends put on a phenomenal show as two proud franchises fought for ninth place in the Western Conference.

Nowitzki had season highs in points (30) and rebounds (13) while making 11 of 19 shots from the floor. However, while the Mavs’ offense sputtered down the stretch, Bryant was at his best.

Bryant scored 14 of his game-high 38 points in the fourth quarter, including eight in the final 3:04. Bryant also finished with 12 rebounds and seven assists, a spectacular showing a couple of days after Mavs owner Mark Cuban hypothetically suggested the Lakers use the amnesty clause on the legend this summer.

The Mavs led by 3 after Nowitzki finished a fast break with a two-hand dunk with 6:41 remaining. That was Dallas’ last score until Vince Carter hit a jumper with 2:49 remaining.

Two technical fouls –- one on Nowitzki, one on O.J. Mayo –- for expressing their displeasure with the officiating also hurt the Mavs in the final minutes.

Dallas still had a chance to tie it up with four seconds remaining when Mayo’s 3 from the corner hit the rim and bounced out.

What it means: The Mavs’ playoff hopes took a major hit with a loss to one of their prime competitors for the West’s final seed. The Lakers (28-29), who have won 11 of their past 15 games, are two games up on the Mavs (25-30) and 2 1/2 games behind the Houston Rockets. This adds to the long list of heartbreaking losses this season for the Mavs, who had won five of their past six games. The Lakers have won two of three meetings with the Mavs this season and can claim the tie-breaker with a win in L.A. on April 2.

Play of the game: Bryant took two dribbles to his left, pump-faked to get Vince Carter off his feet and drained a midrange jumper with 42.6 seconds remaining. Bryant’s final bucket of a phenomenal performance made it a two-possession game again.

Stat of the day: Nowitzki’s double-double was his first of the season and the 370th of his career. He hadn’t had a double-double since March 19 of last season.

Mark Cuban predicted this summer that there would be chemistry problems for the loaded Los Angeles Lakers and pretty much openly prayed to the basketball gods that the NBA's glamour team would "suck."

However, if you had promised Cuban before the season started that his Dallas Mavericks would be only one game behind L.A. when the Lakers came to town Sunday, he surely would have been pleased.

Well, that is indeed the situation with the Lakers arriving at the American Airlines Center for an ABC afternoon matinee (noon CT; ESPN Radio pregame show at 11 a.m. CT). Ninth place in the Western Conference is at stake!

That's right -- the two franchises that have combined to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy three of the past four summers are fighting for the spot that would get the fewest ping pong ball combinations in the draft lottery. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Of course, the Lakers and Mavs still harbor much bigger hopes. They're both planning to make a playoff push, with the eighth-seeded Houston Rockets 3 games ahead of the Lakers and 4 up on the Mavs.

If the Lakers and Mavs both fail, this would be the first postseason not to feature either franchise since 1993-94, when Dallas won a grand total of 13 games and L.A. went through three coaches.

That ain't happening, according to Kobe Bryant. The five-time champion recently issued a guarantee that the Lakers would be busy in late April -- and perhaps beyond.

"It's not a question of if we make the playoffs," Bryant insisted to Sports Illustrated. "We will. And when we get there, I have no fear of anyone."

Dirk Nowitzki, the 11-time All-Star and (currently hairy) face of the Mavs' franchise, isn't nearly as bold with his forecast of Dallas' immediate future. The Mavs have a much more modest goal at the moment: Get back to .500 so they can finally shave those bushy beards Dirk and a handful of teammates have been growing since they made a pact last month.

"We're gonna keep pushing, gonna keep fighting," Nowitzki often says, which has more or less become the Mavs' mantra.

Frankly, the Mavs' struggles can't be considered a surprise. Nowitzki and Shawn Marion are the only pieces remaining from the cast that swept Phil Jackson into retirement in 2011, roaring past the two-time defending champ Lakers in the West semifinals en route to a long-awaited championship parade in downtown Dallas. There hasn't been much joy in Mavs-land since that glorious run.

After studying the new collective bargaining agreement, Cuban opted for the unpopular tactic of letting key championship pieces such as Tyson Chandler leave in free agency, making financial flexibility a priority over keeping an aging team together.

(That dastardly CBA prompted Cuban, who loves to prick the purple-and-gold, to oh-so-helpfully, hypothetically suggest Friday that the Lakers use the amnesty clause on Kobe this summer to avoid the large luxury-tax spikes that loom next season. That was received in Southern California about as well as a monsoon.)

Dallas' title-team leftovers were swept in the first round last spring, and the Mavs settled for putting together a potluck supporting cast consisting of one-year deals and expiring contracts after whiffing on Deron Williams while Cuban filmed "Shark Tank" this summer. The Mavs were expected to have to scrap for a playoff spot even before Nowitzki needed his right knee scoped in October, an operation that ended up sidelining him for the season's first 27 games, putting Dallas' dozen-year postseason streak in serious jeopardy.

But the Mavs will have enough cap space this summer to make Dwight Howard the face of the franchise's future should the perennial All-NBA big man decide the Lakers life isn't for him -- and picks Dallas over other potential destinations such as Houston and his hometown Atlanta. That actually seems like a distinct possibility after all the Kobe-Dwight drama during the Lakers' sorry first half of the season.

Aside from Cuban's snarky comments about potential chemistry issues, it was widely assumed that the Lakers would be a West power after they won the summer, pulling off deals to land a pair of future Hall of Famers in Howard and Steve Nash. The fact that the Lakers have been a $100-million mess has stunned folks around the league.

"They've had some issues -- everybody's following them -- but I still think they're so talented," Nowitzki said. "I still think they're going to make a run at it."

Maybe the Lakers' run has already started, as L.A. has won 10 of its past 14 games, providing some positivity to the ongoing soap opera.

The Mavs, meanwhile, have had a nice little run in relative anonymity, going 12-6 since their 13-23 start.

Two proud franchises meet Sunday with ninth place at stake and they've had to make recent progress to make this game that meaningful.

LOS ANGELES Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on Friday suggested the Los Angeles Lakers should amnesty Kobe Bryant in the offseason.

The Lakers heard Cuban's advice and didn't appreciate it.

"We're aware of Mark Cuban's comments and feel they are inappropriate," Lakers spokesman John Black said in a statement. "As to the issue itself, we will not comment publicly on the amnesty issue as it relates to any of our players."

For the full story, click this link.

Mark Cuban loves messing with the Los Angeles Lakers and hates the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement.

PODCAST
The day after the NBA trade deadline, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban joins The Ben & Skin Show to talk about the trades made and the Mavericks' future. Listen

Those two passions intersected when Cuban made a suggestion Friday morning that a purple-and-gold fan base might consider blasphemous.

“If you look at their payroll, even if Dwight (Howard) comes back, you’ve got to ask the question: Should they amnesty Kobe?” Cuban said during an appearance on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM’s “Ben and Skin Show.”

Cut ties with Kobe Bryant to cut costs?!

That sounds crazy, but the Lakers are looking at ridiculous luxury tax bills if they don’t do something drastic to reduce their payroll, which is slightly more than $100 million this season and will probably be in that same range next season if Howard re-signs.

PODCAST
Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson joins Galloway & Company to discuss the team's recent trade for Anthony Morrow and push for the playoffs. Listen

This is the last season of a dollar-for-dollar penalty for teams over the luxury tax limit ($70.307 this season). Beginning next season, the luxury tax starts at $1.50 per dollar and escalates for every $5 million a team is over.

If the Lakers are $30 million over, their luxury tax bill would be a whopping $85 million next season. If L.A. trims the payroll down to $20 million over the tax, the Lakers would still get hit with a $45 million bill. And they’d be subject to the even heavier repeater rate in 2014-15, although Steve Nash's $9.7 million salary is the only contract currently on the Lakers' books for that year.

Bryant is on the books for a league-high $30.45 million salary next season, the last year of his contract.

“You just don’t know, right?” said Cuban, whose Mavs avoided the luxury tax the last two years despite Dirk Nowitzki's $20-plus million salary by letting Tyson Chandler and other key pieces of the 2011 title team leave in free agency. “It’s the same reason I wouldn’t get rid of Dirk. I’ll take a hit for a season rather than get rid of Dirk. That’s just it. I’ve made that commitment to him over the years and he’s returned that commitment. Maybe that’s selfish, but that’s just the way it is.

“So I’m just saying that hypothetically. When I say amnesty Kobe, I don’t think they’d do it, but they’ve got some choices to make. Now, they’re in a big market, but they’re still limited. The Knicks, the same thing. Boston, same thing.”

DALLAS – Dirk Nowitzki described the Lakers as a “perfect situation” for Dwight Howard earlier this season, which isn’t exactly the best way to begin the recruiting pitch in an attempt to bring the NBA’s best big man to Dallas.

Of course, there’s been a ton of drama in Los Angeles since Dirk made that comment while venting frustration and expressing doubt about the Mavericks’ plan to “build around hope.” With the Lakers on the outside of the playoff picture looking in and Howard continuing to butt heads with Kobe Bryant, there’s legitimate reason to believe that Howard will seriously consider leaving $30-plus million on the table and leaving L.A. this summer.

“I guess you never know,” Nowitzki told ESPNDallas.com this week. “That’s up to Dwight. You never know what’s in a player’s mind. I don’t know him. I guess we just have to wait and see how the season ends for them. That’s something that’s out of our control.

“We’ll have to wait and see what happens there. They’ve had some issues -- everybody’s following them -- but I still think they’re so talented. I still think they’re going to make a run at it.”

For the sake of discussion, let’s say the Lakers don’t make a run at it. Let’s assume that Howard gets so sick of the prima-donna power struggle with Kobe that he walks this summer.

Can the Mavericks convince Howard that Dallas is the best destination for him? Of the teams that can create enough cap space to sign him, the Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets would seem to be the stiffest competition.

PODCAST
Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson joins Galloway & Company to discuss the team's recent trade for Anthony Morrow and push for the playoffs. Listen

The Hawks and Rockets have a key ingredient the Mavs don’t: a franchise cornerstone in his prime who is locked into a long-term deal.

Atlanta’s 26-year-old double-double machine Al Horford could slide over to his natural power forward position and form arguably the NBA’s best 4-5 duo with Howard. Houston’s 23-year-old All-Star shooting guard James Harden and Howard might be the best one-two punch, period, outside of Miami and Oklahoma City.

The Hawks, Howard’s hometown team, also have fellow Atlanta native Lou Williams to provide scoring firepower off the bench for the next two seasons. Atlanta will have enough cap space to sign Howard and make other moves in free agency, perhaps including re-signing point guard Jeff Teague or all-around forward/Howard friend Josh Smith.

PODCAST
The day after the NBA trade deadline, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban joins The Ben & Skin Show to talk about the trades made and the Mavericks' future. Listen

The Rockets have a ready-made supporting cast with Jeremy Lin, Chandler Parsons and several recent first-round picks, plus whatever assets they could get if they move productive center Omer Asik.

What do the Mavs have to sell other than the chance to play next to Dirk, a Hall of Famer in decline, and the opportunity to play for an elite coach in Rick Carlisle?

“Same thing we always sell -- that our focus is winning first, second and last, and that we can go out and get whatever assets on the court and off the court that we need to, hopefully in unique ways that other teams can’t match,” Mark Cuban said, speaking in general about a potential summer pitch to a superstar but not specifically Howard.

Deron Williams didn’t take that bait last summer. He opted to move to Brooklyn with the Nets, swayed in large part by the Nets’ trade for Joe Johnson.

Of course, Cuban wasn’t part of the Mavs’ face-to-face pitch to Williams due to his commitment to film a reality show (“freakin’ Shark Tank,” Dirk calls it) on the West Coast. The Mavs’ billionaire boss told his TV producers months ago that he needed his schedule to be clear for the first couple weeks of July this summer.

Nowitzki, who would love nothing more than to pass the face-of-the-franchise baton to another star this summer, is also ready to play a supporting role in the recruiting process.

“If it gets to the point and Mark and Donnie want to fly somewhere, I’m in,” said Nowitzki, whose contract expires, along with Shawn Marion’s, after the 2013-14 season, making the Mavs potentially major players in that summer market as well. “If they need me, I’ll be here.”

The Mavs are really selling Cuban -- “Mark’s commitment to championships,” Donnie Nelson says -- as much as anything else in free agency. If given the chance, they’ll try to convince Howard that they can build a long-term contender around him, just like they did for a dozen years around Dirk.

“You look at what we’ve done over the years in terms of making the best use of our assets, whether they be players, cap space,” Nelson said. “We’ve been blessed and fortunate enough to make two runs to the Finals, and those teams were completely different in a lot of respects.

“You know when you’re playing for Mark Cuban that he’ll do whatever it takes to punch it into the end zone. I think those things are pretty evident. Players know that. They see. They’ve been around. They see what kind of run we’ve had over the past 13 years or whatever.

“This is a place that people want to come.”

This summer would be a perfect time to prove that to be true. It'd take a heck of a recruiting pitch to make it happen with Howard.

One nugget from the phenomenal Michael Jordan feature written by ESPN’s Wright Thompson will be especially interesting to Mavericks fans.

It’s Jordan’s short list of current stars who could be nearly as successful in his era: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan … and Dirk Nowitzki.

Not that any more evidence was necessary to consider Dirk one of the legends in NBA history, but that’s one heck of a reference.

Remember when Dirk was considered soft? It was a silly stereotype for a long time, and that was proven beyond a shadow of a doubt when he put the Mavs on his shoulders for a championship run.

The soft label seems especially ridiculous after reading such respect for Dirk coming from the most ruthless competitor in NBA history.