What's the first thing you notice when you see ESPN's Fred Carter on NBA 2Night or SportsCenter? Of course, he points at you. It's his way of saying hello. So we've asked NBA expert Fred to greet us and make some points for ESPN.com each week. Enjoy.

	Howard

1. Juwan Howard has been demoted to a reserve role. Does he have a right to be unhappy about the change and do you see the Dallas Mavericks trading him this season?
I don't think he has a right to be unhappy about being put in a reserve role. In the games I've watched him play, he's not playing as well as he did last year offensively or defensively. And it would do the Mavs well to see if they can move him and get something in return. The problem is that his salary is too high. So for the time being, he needs to pick it up, suck it up and play hard.

2. Grant Hill is back on the injured list. How worried should the Orlando Magic be about his ability to contribute this season?
Orlando should be scared to death about his foot injury because he had all summer to heal. He played in 14 of the Magic's first 15 games. But is his injury going to be a continuing problem? Will he play four games in a row and then go down with a foot injury again? This team was constructed around Hill and Tracy McGrady to get to the NBA Finals. With Hill, they can possibly reach their goal. Now they have to hold tight until Hill is ready. Then they can be a quiet assassin. With a healthy Hill, the Magic are built for the playoffs.

3. Other than the other-worldly Lakers, one of the hottest teams around has been the Phoenix Suns. The Suns' winning ways have coincided with the Bo Outlaw trade. Coincidence?
That sounds like a hockey statement, where they do plus-minus ratings for players when they are playing while something good happens. Since the arrival of Outlaw, the Suns have played good basketball. The bigger question, though, is whether or not they can play on the road. Before Friday's game in Boston, they had played two more home games than road games, winning seven of 11. They have been beneficiaries of scheduling. Let's wait and see. With or without Outlaw, the jury is still out on the Suns.

4. The Boston Celtics won road games at Orlando, Toronto and New Jersey. This clearly isn't the same team that couldn't win on the road last season, right?
It's the same team Rick Pitino had, yet for some reason they are doing a great job under Jim O'Brien. The primary reason is that Paul Pierce is playing some of the best basketball in the NBA. He should be a first-team All-Star. Antoine Walker is also at the top of his game. People seem to not like his game, but he comes out and plays hard every night. Pierce and Walker are carrying the Celtics. A lot of teams are scared of them because they come to play and they can score.

5. Antawn Jamison recently had a 0-for-11 shooting game and seems to be regressing, as well as the Warriors, although they beat a shorthanded 76ers team. How bad can it get in Golden State?
I haven't been able to figure out the Warriors' problems. They are the league's best rebounding team, but they play poor defense and are out of sync. For some reason they are not playing basketball together. They are not sharing the basketball; everyone seems to want the limelight. It's like trying to lead an orchestra -- everyone wants to play louder than the other, and that means no one is in tune. The Warriors are out of tune.