"It's been nearly 50 weeks since Josh Howard arrived in Washington but his desire to help elevate the Wizards and return to something close to his all-star form continues to be suspended by his balky left knee. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee last season, had surgery, rehabilitated, came back to play a few games this season and returned to the sideline after developing more complications.

Though he had hoped to be back on the court and contributing when the Wizards faced the Dallas Mavericks for the first time since the teams made a blockbuster deal at the trade deadline last February, Howard has placed the situation in perspective. He is looking beyond a one-game opportunity to "stick it to the Mavs" in the arena he called home for 6½ seasons.

"It's the last thing I'm worried about right now," Howard said as the Wizards (13-33) attempt to snap their string of 24 consecutive road losses at American Airlines Center. "I've got to get my knee right, first and foremost."

Howard appeared in only 12 of the 78 games that the Wizards have played since they acquired him from Dallas in exchange for Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson. He suffered his terrible knee injury after leading the Wizards to three wins in their first four games after the trade, and enjoyed his brief time in Washington so much that he passed up suitors with playoff aspirations - such as Boston, Chicago and Miami - to return.

"I've seen a lot of talent on this team and I still see a lot of talent," Howard said, explaining why he came back. "Got young guys that want to win, still in the process of learning the game. Overall upside of guys that want to win and play hard. I see it in them. I know it's just a matter of time for good things to come."

Howard made his season debut on Dec. 18, the day Gilbert Arenas was traded, and nearly helped the Wizards pull off an upset of the Miami Heat. But after playing eight games, Howard said he had to shut himself down when tendinitis prohibited him from doing any squats without discomfort. Two weeks ago, Howard elected to have a platelet-rich plasma injection to help promote a healthier, more natural recovery process. He is expected to return some time in the next week or two. "