In the land of A-Wad, where $105 million isn't even half what shortstops get, there might actually be a greater richness to Juwan Howard's life.

	Howard is not a bad player, he just is perceived that way due to his contract.

For no longer will it just be Juwan's money that makes headlines.

In Dallas, before they talk about Howard's ever-scrutinized salary, folks are bound to focus on Alex Rodriguez, Mr. Two-Fifty-Two. Or Mark Cuban, Howard's billionaire boss, who's splurging for a weight room and showers on the new team plane.

Down in Big D, Howard won't merely be the fourth-highest paid player in the NBA. Even better, he'll only be asked to shoulder the fourth-heaviest chunk of responsibility with Cuban's Mavericks. Four and a half seasons into the most criticized contract his sport has ever seen, Howard seems to have found true prosperity. He's being paid like a franchise player ... and suddenly not being asked to play like one.

"He's not really a franchise guy," said Mavericks coach/general manager Don Nelson. "But he's a pretty good second piece and a great third piece. Imagine how he'll be as our fourth guy."

Go ahead and picture it, because Nellie -- with his clown nose packed away and those self-deprecating prostate jokes muted -- isn't kidding. What only a week ago seemed unimaginable became reality last Thursday, when Cuban informed Michael Jordan that, yes, the Mavericks were prepared to inherit the remaining two years and $40 million on Howard's pact.

Most of the post-blockbuster praise has gone to Jordan, not too undeservedly, for trading the untradeable and finally providing the Wizards' long-suffering constituency with hope of remaking the roster before yet another Bush administration runs its course. MJ, at last, looks an OK GM.

The implication there, though, is that His Airness snookered the Cuban regime, and it's a poor implication. Nelson has the luxury of working for that rare someone who is quite content to pay luxury tax, so why not move five players who aren't in your nucleus for a former All-Star earning $16.9 million this season, $18.8 million next season and $20.6 million in 2002-03.

	Nash

	Nowitzki

	Finley

True, those are obscene amounts exceeded only in the contracts belonging to Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Garnett and Alonzo Mourning. But it's just as true that Howard will now get considerable help along with those fat checks, playing alongside Michael Finley, Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash.

Some kudos to the Mavericks, then, for partaking in the only trade by a Western Conference representative before Thursday's buzzer, this being a stretch run in which everyone on the Wild Side could use a boost. Resilient as Sacramento has been without the injured Chris Webber, Dallas might have to have Howard just to hold onto the No. 6 seed. Except that Phoenix -- unexpectedly 5-1 almost halfway through a stretch of 14 straight games against teams .500 or better -- had bumped the Mavs to seventh entering Monday's visit to the Clip Joint.

	“	We don't have a low-post player with Juwan's dimensions and his skills. The best thing is, he doesn't duplicate what we already have. ”
		— Nash on Howard

Strange as it sounds, limiting as Howard was for the Wizards' future, he can help the Mavericks now and later. Cuban/Nelson didn't have to part with any of their top six names to get Jordan's best asset, and Howard, while much more solid than spectacular in almost every facet of the game, is an undeniably better post player than anyone else in blue and green. Nelson speaks excitedly about a lineup featuring Finley at guard rather than small forward, which transforms Dallas' lone All-Star from rebounding liability to board force. Of course, knowing Nellie, there will be just as many occasions when Nash and Howard Eisley are the guards, with Finley and Howard in the frontcourt and Nowitzki playing center ahead of Shawn Bradley. "I kind of like Dirk there," admits Nelson, who also managed to retain defensive specialist Greg Buckner.

Going forward, Howard's presence also makes the Mavericks more versatile in the summer, since they would have been over the cap regardless. With Howard added, they have one of the deepest talent reserves to cull from should Dallas emerge as a viable destination in the sign-and-trade sweepstakes for either Webber or Shareef Abdur-Rahim. And if neither of those dreams materialize, they've already upgraded going into next October's training camp.

Maybe happier than anyone is Finley, the free agent-to-be who, even after maxing out this summer, will spend the next two seasons earning half what Howard makes. Nope, not a problem. Finley and Howard are Chicagoans who've been chummy since high school. Finley, in fact, says he's "as close to [Howard] as anyone in this league."

Said Nash: "We don't have a low-post player with Juwan's dimensions and his skills. The best thing is, he doesn't duplicate what we already have."

On the court, Nash meant. Off it, Howard is just another money man on the Dallas sports radar, eager to blend in and help out after all the heckling.

"It's a blessing to come to a team like Dallas," Howard said. "But I still feel there are a lot of pieces of my game that a lot of people haven't seen. I haven't really reached my prime yet."

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