What truly made the Mavericks too tough for the sloppy Timberwolves to handle was the presence of their savvy old point guard, Jason Kidd.

Nowitzki welcomed Kevin Love back from his two-game suspension with a season-high 33 points, winning the matchup of Western Conference all-star power forwards and helping Dallas stave off a Minnesota in a 104-97 victory over on Friday.

“He makes the game so much easier for everyone,” said Jason Terry, the other part of the veteran trio that steadied the Mavericks down the stretch after a 19-5 run spurt by the Wolves brought them within 78-75 on Nikola Pekovic’s putback to open the fourth quarter.

Kidd, playing for the first time in seven games due to a strained right calf muscle, responded by swishing a three-pointer to stretch the lead to six with 10:15 left.

“He’s a big part of our heart and soul. When we’re without him, we can win some games but we’re not the same team,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said.

Terry had nine of his 16 points in the final period. Kidd had eight points, 10 assists and five rebounds. The Mavericks blamed most of his eight turnovers on teammates unprepared for his slick passes, since they hadn’t seen them in a while.

Kidd joked it must’ve been fan appreciation night because of all the balls being thrown into the seats. He didn’t have time to think about his big shot because he was huffing and puffing on the stationary bike behind the bench — riding all the way across the river to St. Paul, he joked — until entering the game 17 seconds before.

“Whatever I can do to help my team,” he said.

Nowitzki topped 24 points for the fourth straight game by shooting 11 for 19 from the floor, including 4 of 7 from three-point range. Love finished with 32 points and 12 rebounds, going 14 for 14 from the free-throw line, but the Wolves missed a chance to sweep the season series from a Western Conference foe since beating the Memphis Grizzlies all three times in 2008-09.

“That is definitely vintage Dirk. He’s a Hall of Fame player and when he decides he wants it, more often than not he’s going to have success,” Love said.

The Wolves had a season-high 28 turnovers and shot just 6 for 23 from three-point range.

“Just being a youthful team, we’re going to have lapses like that and unfortunately it was against a team that we beat a couple of times,” Love said.

Love was punished for stepping on Luis Scola’s face against the Houston Rockets last weekend. He was by far Minnesota’s most productive player in his return, but his was still a rather quiet performance. He made nine of 12 shots from three-point range over the Wolves’ two previous wins over the Mavericks, but he went 0 for 3 behind the arc in this one.

Nowitzki, named to his 11th straight all-star game despite a relatively slow start to his 13th season, has clearly worked himself back into shape. After averaging less than 10 points over the three games prior to this spurt, Nowitzki is averaging 28 points in the last four games while shooting 60.5 per cent. Though he lost his touch late, he seemed to have an extra edge against Love. The two of them bumped elbows and torsos in the post all night.

“He’s been fun to watch. He’s an animal on the glass. We all know that. He’s tough to play,” Nowitzki said.

The Wolves (13-14) still haven’t had a record this good this late in a season in six years. The Mavericks (16-11) didn’t have to be convinced. They were blown out in both of the first two meetings.

But the league’s oldest team still has plenty of pride — and championship rings on their fingers. They showed the Wolves, who were the second-youngest team in the NBA when this lockout-sliced season began, that they’re still a team to be reckoned with in the top-heavy West.

The Wolves made only two baskets outside the lane in the first quarter and fell behind 29-16; Love and Wes Johnson combined to shoot 1 for 8 in that frame. Nowitzki’s first 3-pointer made it 11-6 Mavericks, and the Wolves didn’t get back within five again until a flying putback dunk by Derrick Williams at the end of the third.

“We threw passes away when we worked hard defensively and got the ball back. We just threw it away like there was no value to the ball,” coach Rick Adelman said, lamenting what he called a lack of concentration.

The Mavericks took advantage of the small Wolves backcourt by posting up Vince Carter often, and Nowitzki made them pay when they switched to a zone.

“His presence opens so much up for everyone else. That’s called an all-star presence, to me. It’s not always about the numbers,” said Mavericks backup Delonte West, who had 10 points.

He’s five foot nine. He wasn’t drafted. His 11 catches couldn’t prevent a Super Bowl loss four years ago. And in the run up to Sunday’s rematch against the New York Giants, the New England Patriots wide receiver is getting little attention.

Welker’s NFL-leading 122 receptions were in the shadow of the spotlight-filling injured ankle of six-foot-six tight end Rob Gronkowski. So does the small receiver feel he needs a big game to raise his profile?

“I don’t think I am really worried about that too much,” Welker said. “I just try to go out there and do my job to the best of my ability. I really just focus on whatever I have to do to help the team win the game.”

He could have a larger role with Gronkowski at less than full strength. His high left ankle sprain could keep him from tacking on plenty of yards, as he often does, after catching passes.

Tom Brady certainly relies on Welker, whose 554 receptions since 2007 lead the NFL, 80 more than Brandon Marshall’s second highest total.

“Wes Welker would make any quarterback better with his ability to get open and catch the ball,” Brady said. “He’s a very smart player who has a great feel for the game, who has a great feel for how to get open in man-to-man (coverage), where to find the spots in zone, great body language.”

That body language and Welker’s ability to confuse defensive backs are keys to his success. He also knows that reading what the safeties are doing is a key to how the defence will handle a play.

He usually lines up in the slot and tries to start his patterns the same way so a defender doesn’t know what’s coming.

Then the sure-handed receiver will plant his foot, cut sharply to the left or right or head downfield and latch onto Brady’s pass after eluding a defender.

“I think you go off and react to what they do,” Welker said. “However they decide to play you, you attack it. A lot of it is reaction and being quick and in and out of breaks and doing different things to get open.”

Deion Branch usually lines up on the outside and tight end Aaron Hernandez sometimes starts there, too. Gronkowski and Welker are at their best over the middle.

“I just think that they have a good system,” Giants cornerback Corey Webster said. “How they use (Welker) inside the system is wonderful. You can’t have a system without players inside of it as well.”

When Welker was at Texas Tech, he couldn’t imagine being so successful in the NFL, let alone making it to his second Super Bowl in four years.

“I didn’t really have any big expectations,” he said. “I really just wanted a job. I wanted to go out there and do the best I can to try to get that job.”

He signed as a free agent with San Diego. The Chargers waived him after the first game in 2004 and the Miami Dolphins signed him after the second. As a rookie, he returned kickoffs and punts but didn’t catch a single pass.

In seven seasons since then — five with the Patriots — he has 650 receptions. With 123 in 2009 and 122 this season, he joined Cris Carter as the only players with two seasons of more than 120.

“He’s a very decisive player,” Brady said. “When you watch him run routes, he makes very swift decisions. That gives me a lot of confidence.”

But the 30-year-old Welker doesn’t take time to think about how far he’s come — from a lightly-regarded college player to Brady’s passing partner in two title games.

In the 2008 championship game, his 11 catches tied a Super Bowl record, but the Giants won 17-14.

Still, not bad for a little guy who visited the Chicago Bears before the draft but drew little interest elsewhere.

“I just try to focus on the here and now, and what I have to do now to get ready for a game,” he said. “I don’t think you can really sit back and look back too much. You have just got to continue to get better, continue to try to learn and do what you can to try to help the team win.”

Tubby Smith’s fifth season at Minnesota has been a mixed bag. The talented Golden Gophers come into this contest with a 12-5 record, but since going 12-1 in non-conference play, UM has dropped four straight to begin Big Ten play, including last weekend’s 79-66 home game against Purdue.

Tom Crean’s Hoosiers are ready to vie for a conference crown. Indiana is an impressive 15-1 on the season, with the lone loss coming at red-hot Michigan State. The team does have a couple of marquee wins to its credit, topping both Kentucky (73-72) and Ohio State (74-70) and is coming off a shootout win over Penn State (88-82) to move to 3-1 in the Big Ten.

Indiana holds a 93-65 lead in the all-time series with Minnesota, but the two squads have split the season series the last two years. with all four games won by the home team.

The loss of star forward Trevor Mbakwe (14.0 ppg, 9.1 rpg) has certainly aided in Minnesota’s decline in play of late. Mbakwe went down with a knee injury a couple of weeks ago and the team has struggled to fill the void. Rodney Williams has done his best to assuage the loss with averages of 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Williams is averaging a near double-double in league play at 12.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. He is joined in double- figure scoring this year by Julian Welch at 10.2 ppg. However, the scoring pool dries up fast after that, as Ralph Sampson III ranks third on the team at 8.8 ppg, although he has upped his play in league action to 10.5 ppg. Minnesota fell victim to a hot-shooting Purdue squad that connected on 10 three-pointers in the first half and then held on for a 13-point win in Minneapolis on Sunday. Williams led the charge in defeat with a double-double of 19 points and 14 rebounds. Joe Coleman added 14 points, while Chip Armelin finished with 12 points off the bench.

The Hoosiers are one of those teams that can win games at either end of the floor, as evidenced by its impressive +18.6 scoring margin. The real strength is at the offensive end, as Indiana is netting 82.4 ppg, while shooting .505 from the floor overall (fourth nationally), including a scorching .476 from three-point range (first nationally). Freshman forward Cody Zeller has made an immediate impact in Bloomington, pacing the team in both scoring (14.2 ppg) and rebounding (6.4 rpg). Zeller leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth nationally in field-goal percentage at an impressive .661 clip. There is plenty of scoring depth to back Zeller up, as Christian Watford (13.5 ppg), Jordan Hulls (12.3 ppg), Victor Oladipo (11.4 ppg) and Will Sheehey (10.7 ppg) have all had their moments, although Sheehey, one of the best sixth-men in the nation, is currently shelved with a leg injury. It was Indiana’s long-range acumen that led to the win over Penn State last time out, as the Hoosiers drained 16-of-24 from behind the arc. Hulls was responsible for seven of those long range bombs, en route to a game-high 28 points. Matt Roth hit five three-pointers off the bench and poured in 22 points in the win. Zeller and Watford added 10 points each.

“We are looking forward to having Robert (Prince) direct our offense,” Petersen said. “He has been working for many years to become an offensive coordinator and I know he’ll do an outstanding job for us. I’m looking forward to what type of spin he’ll put on the offense.”

Prince, who returned to Boise State last season after a seven-year hiatus, served as the team’s wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator in 2011. He will continue to coach the wide receivers.

“My family and I are excited,” Prince said. “We love Boise, and we are looking forward to the opportunity. Offensively, we have a great staff and I’m looking forward to working with them in a new capacity.”

The promotion comes a few days after former offensive coordinator Brent Pease left the Broncos to become the offensive coordinator at Florida.

Prior to rejoining the Boise State staff this past season, Prince spent six of the last seven years in the NFL.

He was an offensive assistant for tight ends and running backs for Atlanta from 2004-2005 and was an assistant quarterbacks coach for the Falcons in 2006. Prince moved on and was the assistant receivers coach for Jacksonville from 2007-2008 and spent 2009 as the receivers coach for Seattle.

Colorado hired Prince to become the Buffaloes’ passing game coordinator and receivers coach in 2010.

Prince originally joined the Broncos in 2001, and served as the wide receivers coach from 2001-2003. He also spent the 2003 season as the passing game coordinator.

“You could kind of tell after about halfway through, he took three alley-oop lobs and a 360. I think without even talking to him that kind of spoke to us in volume that he was ready to go,” Erik Spoelstra said.

That was during the morning shootaround.

Then James did roughly the same thing against the New Jersey Nets.

James returned to the lineup and scored 22 of his 32 points in the first quarter, and the Miami Heat rolled to a 101-90 victory on Saturday night despite playing without Dwyane Wade.

Wade missed his third straight game with a bruised left foot, but James had the game under control by the time his all-star teammate arrived at his seat on the bench.

James made his first seven shots, leaping high for dunks, lobs and blocked shots and showing no effects from the sprained left ankle that forced him to miss a game. The NBA’s leading scorer added nine assists and seven rebounds.

“If I feel like I’m good to go, then I’m going to go out and play my game,” James said. “I’m not going to give no restriction, just try to do the things I do out on the court and I was able to get a couple of breakaways, some easy points, get to the free throw line and I was able to test the ankle out in the first quarter.”

Chris Bosh added 16 points after a slow start for the Heat, who won their third straight and ran the NBA’s best record to 8-1. They hope to have Wade back when they move to the West for the final three games of a five-game trip.

Kris Humphries tied a career high with 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Nets, who shot just 33.7 per cent in front of a sellout crowd of 18,711. Deron Williams had 10 points and 10 assists but was just 4 of 16 from the field.

James took part in the morning shootaround, but the Heat didn’t decide he would play until shortly before tipoff in order to see how he felt after warming up. And he denied his dunk show in the morning was designed to get Spoelstra’s attention.

“No, I don’t need to show no coaches what I can do,” he said, laughing. “I’ve been in this league long enough. Just trying to test it out this morning, try to get it warm, get it loose and see what I could do, what I couldn’t do.”

Once the game started, he did it all.

James took a hit but converted the basket for a three-point play barely a minute into the game during the Heat’s 10-0 start. He hung on the rim as the backboard shook for a couple of seconds after one dunk, appearing to motion to someone near the court.

Wade also worked out prior to the game before the Heat decided to give him additional rest. He arrived at the Heat bench near the end of the first quarter, just in time to see James throw down a fast-break dunk in the final minute and later hit a 19-foot jumper with 0.2 seconds left for a 31-18 lead.

“Mainly we turned the ball over and he’s gone,” said Nets coach Avery Johnson, whose team’s 22 turnovers led to 26 points. “He’s a combination of a wide receiver, tight end, running back once he gets two or three steps on you.”

James finally missed after returning from a second-quarter rest, off on an attempted bank shot, but made his final shot of the half and Miami took a 57-35 lead into halftime.

Bosh, who had 33 points and 14 rebounds Thursday in the Heat’s triple-overtime victory in Atlanta without the other two-thirds of the Big Three, shot 1 for 6 in the first half.

The Nets were 15 of 31 behind the arc in Friday’s 97-85 victory over Toronto, and Johnson said the 3-ball needed to be a weapon because his team has no post game with starting centre Brook Lopez out with a broken right foot. But the Nets missed 18 of their first 21 Saturday before finishing 10 of 33.

Williams criticized his play and the team’s.

“I like the offence. I like the system. I just think we’re not executing good,” he said. “We’re not finishing. We’re not hitting shots. You know we’re messing up plays. We’re not on the right spots. Yesterday we were. Today we weren’t. It’s a night and day frame you know where we were yesterday.”

Still, the Nets cut it to 10 on Williams’ 3-pointer with 4:27 left in the third, and had a chance to get closer on their next possession when rookie MarShon Brooks drove for a layup. But James blocked the shot to trigger a fast break that led to Shane Battier’s 3-pointer, and rookie Norris Cole followed with one to make it 72-56.

Udonis Haslem had 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat.

Things sure are rollin’ on the river.

Brees led an unstoppable offence by throwing for 466 yards and three touchdowns, and New Orleans dominated the second half for a 45-28 NFC wild-card victory over the Detroit Lions on Saturday night.

New Orleans broke the post-season mark for total yards with 626, beating the record set 49 years ago.

“We were pulling out all the stops,” Brees said. “We play aggressive. We’re not going to apologize for that. That gives guys in the huddle a lot of confidence. We’re not going to pull the reins back. It’s pedal to the medal.”

Brees hit on 33-of-43 passes while throwing for the most yards in a regulation playoff game. He highlighted his night with three completions of at least 40 yards.

“We just focus on winning. We’re not focused on yards and records,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “I’m serious when I say that.”

As usual, the quarterback had plenty of help from an offence that set an NFL record for yards from scrimmage this season (7,474), outgaining Detroit on the ground 167 yards to 32. The Saints (14-3) will travel to San Francisco (13-3) for next Saturday’s second-round game.

Matthew Stafford threw for 380 yards and three TDs for the Lions (10-7), who simply could not keep pace in their first playoff appearance since the 1999 season. They have lost seven straight post-season games.

“It’s a learning experience for the whole team. We’ll get better. We’ll be back,” Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. “Obviously it hurts right now.”

All-Pro receiver Calvin Johnson had 12 receptions for 211 yards and two touchdowns in his playoff debut for Detroit, but that was not nearly enough as the Saints’ defence responded in the fourth quarter with two interceptions by Jabari Greer.

“We did make the playoffs this year and that’s a great accomplishment,” Johnson said. “We have some things to work on and we will. We know what we have to do to make the next step.”

The teams combined for 1,083 yards, tying an NFL playoff record set by Buffalo and Miami on Dec. 30, 1995. The Superdome will likely host a much different contest on Monday night, when defensive stalwarts LSU and Alabama meet for the BCS national title. Fans in the dome cheered wildly for the LSU band as it played before the game and at halftime, then enjoyed a second half that culminated in what they hope will be the first of two Big Easy celebrations in three nights.

Pierre Thomas finished with 66 yards and one touchdown rushing, while Sproles added 51 yards, two scores and several other clutch plays.

Marques Colston overcame an early fumble with seven catches for 120 yards, including a 40-yarder to set up Jimmy Graham’s short TD grab.

Robert Meachem had four catches for 111 yards, including a 56-yard score. Devery Henderson added a 41-yard touchdown reception.

New Orleans showed guts and got a little good fortune on a decisive 14-play, 80-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter. The Saints ran Sproles around the left end on fourth-and-2 at the Lions 40 and gained three yards. Soon after, Brees’ pass as he was clobbered by Nick Fairley went right through the hands of defensive back Aaron Berry.

Berry would regret that drop two plays later as Sproles bolted 17 yards to make it 31-21.

Stafford tried to get some of that back quickly, throwing deep for Titus Young, but Greer ran under it and picked it off. Four plays later, Brees spotted Meachem behind blown coverage for his long score to make it 38-21.

The Lions became only the second visiting team all year to lead at halftime in the Superdome, where the Saints were unbeaten during the regular season.

“So going into halftime at a deficit, we just realized, ‘Listen, just bear down, one play at a time, one drive at a time,”‘ Brees said, “and I think we scored on every drive in the second half. I guess that’s what you hope for.”

New Orleans has won nine in a row overall.

The Saints opened the second half by driving 78 yards to take their first lead on Brees’ 31-yard pass to Henderson. New Orleans then widened its lead to 24-14 with a 92-yard drive that included what may have been a favourable spot on Colston’s third-down grab at the Saints 18. Later, Brees converted a risky dive over the pile on fourth-and-one at the New Orleans 38 to sustain the drive before finding Colston for a 40-yard gain to the Detroit three. Brees hit Graham for a score on the next play.

“It was fourth and inches and we felt like we had a rhythm going,” Brees said. “Obviously it was a gutsy call but we’ve been known to make those types of calls.”

The Lions fought back with a quick 80-yard scoring drive highlighted by Stafford’s 42-yard completion to Johnson at the Saints two, setting up Stafford’s dive for the pylon on a bootleg that made it 24-21 late in the third quarter.

Detroit could not have planned a much better start to its first playoff game since the ‘99 season.

Stafford completed five of his first six throws for 70 yards, starting with a 22-yard completion to Johnson on the second play from scrimmage. A 10-yard strike to reserve tight end Will Heller gave the Lions a 7-0 lead.

New Orleans responded by quickly driving into Lions territory, but Colston was stripped by Stephen Tulloch on the 18-yard line and Justin Durant recovered. It was a rare lost fumble for the Saints, who had an NFL low and franchise record low five during the regular season.

New Orleans found the end zone on its next drive to tie it 7-7, but Stafford led the Lions right back downfield, hitting Johnson in the back of the end zone for a 13-yard score.

The Saints then fumbled a second time in Detroit territory when Brees was stripped just before throwing by defensive end Willie Young and the ball squirted to Durant for his second recovery. Durant wanted to return it, but the play was inexplicably blown dead. What might have been a touchdown return instead became a stalled drive.

The Saints thought they had tied it when Colston’s catch in the back of the end zone was ruled a touchdown, but it was overturned on replay and New Orleans wound up settling for John Kasay’s 24-yard field goal and a 14-10 halftime deficit.

Less than an hour after Hurd was cut by the Chicago Bears, defence lawyer Brett Greenfield told reporters that his client planned to fight the charges and wanted one thing made clear.

“Sam has asked me to address one point, with respect to the rumours that Sam has been supplying drugs to other members of the NFL, out of respect to the NFL, out of respect to teammates and out of respect to other players, he 100 per cent denies that allegation,” Greenfield said. “It is patently and totally false. It just didn’t happen.”

League spokesman Brian McCarthy said the NFL was closely monitoring the situation. Asked about a report that authorities have a list of NFL players with ties to the drug case, McCarthy said: “We are not aware of such a list.”

U.S. Magistrate Young Kim ordered Hurd to surrender his passport and any firearms. Hurd is expected to be tried in Texas, where the criminal complaint was filed this week by the U.S. attorney.

Hurd, who appeared in court in an orange jumpsuit with his feet shackled, waived his right to a preliminary hearing, meaning the next step is for prosecutors to take their case before a grand jury. Several members of Hurd’s family, including his wife, mother and brother, attended the hearing but he didn’t appear to look at them, even as he was led out of the room. He was later released after posting US$100,000 bond.

Hurd was arrested Wednesday night outside a Chicago steakhouse, according to the complaint. He allegedly told an undercover agent he was interested in buying five to 10 kilograms of cocaine and 1,000 pounds of marijuana per week to distribute in the Chicago area.

Hurd told the agent a “co-conspirator is in charge of doing the majority of the deals” while he focused on “higher-end deals,” the complaint said. He agreed to pay $25,000 for each kilogram of cocaine and $450 a pound for the marijuana, according to the charges, and then said he could pay for a kilo of cocaine — about 2.2 pounds — after “he gets out of practice.” He walked out of the restaurant with the package and was arrested.

Hurd faces up to 40 years in prison and a $2 million fine if convicted of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine, or half a kilogram.

Teammates said they were stunned by the allegations and general manager Jerry Angelo said he was, too, as he announced the team was cutting Hurd.

“There were no facts, there were no flags, that anybody could present tangibly to say we should have known otherwise, and I want to make that perfectly clear to the public, to our fans,” Angelo said Friday. “We do our homework. We do our due diligence. We did everything you could possibly do given the information that we can allocate.”

The 26-year-old Hurd was in his first year with the Bears and sixth year overall in the NFL after five years with the Cowboys. Angelo said the Bears performed an extensive background check on Hurd, a San Antonio native who played at Northern Illinois, before signing him in July to a three-year deal reportedly worth up to $5.15 million, including a $1.35 million signing bonus and base pay this season of $685,000.

“We go back, we ask questions,” Angelo said. “Is there something we could have done, something we should have done, in the process? Sometimes, there are glitches, but in this case, there are none. I could sit here and tell you with total transparency that we did everything we know to do in terms of our research, and there was nothing that we found that would create a flag or an alert or a real concern in Sam Hurd’s case.”

Asked how certain he was that other players on the Bears or around the league were not involved, Angelo said, “I can’t talk about that.”

“I’m certainly not going on any witch hunts about players,” he added. “The one thing that we’ve done when there’s been a wrong, we’ve acted. We don’t justify wrongs. We’ve acted. We have a track record of doing that. Unfortunately, a situation arose that caught us off guard, but not to the point where we aren’t going to do the right thing.”

The Bears announced their contract agreement with Hurd on July 29, one day after federal authorities say he had agreed to a “consensual interview” with Homeland Security investigators over $88,000 in cash that had been seized in a car he owned in the Dallas area. The money was inside a canvas bag that authorities said was covered in a plant-like material that tested positive for “properties of marijuana.”

Hurd said the money was his and that he had given the car to his acquaintance, a car shop employee, for maintenance and detail work, the complaint said.

“From my understanding, he wasn’t the one that was pulled over,” Angelo said. “His vehicle was pulled over. He was not the driver. That was never made public. So he was never charged with anything. There was never any record to our knowledge. And it was, from my understanding, a citation, but other than that, there was no other information that was presented to us.”

Angelo would not say if the Bears would try to recoup some of the signing bonus. He also gave a terse answer when asked whether the case might affect his own future with the Bears, telling a reporter to “whistle Dixie.” Angelo is under contract through 2013.

As for Hurd, receiver Earl Bennett described him as a “guy with high character who just loves to play the game of football, loves to have fun.” Bennett also said he doesn’t think other players are involved.

“I wouldn’t think so,” he said. “A lot of guys in this locker room are very high-character guys.”

Coach Lovie Smith echoed that sentiment.

“We have a great group of guys,” he said. “But sometimes when you’re dealing with this many, it’s hard to have all the players be a certain way. But you can’t let that scar what else we’re getting done here. It’s always about the team. Every once in a while a guy will go outside what’s best for the football team and there are consequences that you deal with. That’s how life goes. There are life lessons that are being learned here by our football team.”

Greenfield said he wasn’t sure whether Hurd would try to get picked up by another team as he fights the drug case.

“Sam’s a football player and he wants to play,” he said. “Hopefully he’ll be playing in the near future with another team.”

If not, the lawyer said, there are other options.

Howard agreed to a deal with the Jazz on Thursday, pending a physical. O’Connor said he expects Howard to be in uniform Saturday night when the Jazz have an intrasquad scrimmage.

“The first thing he brings is an ability to play in the NBA,” O’Connor said Thursday night. “He’s a guy that at the three spot has rebounded the ball exceptionally well. And he’s played on a winning team and in an NBA championship series.”

O’Connor said it will be “all hands on deck” with a 66-game schedule that includes six games in eight days to start the season.

The Jazz made adding an athletic shooter their top priority in free agency after re-signing backup point guard Earl Watson last week.

“That was our first goal,” O’Connor said of bringing back fan-favourite Watson.

“The second was to improve the wing position. We did that in the draft with Alec (Burks) and with signing Josh. Now we’ll see how it goes.”

Agent Marc Fleisher, who represents free agent Andrei Kirilenko, said the Howard deal “most likely” means the Jazz will not re-sign the Russian forward.

O’Connor declined comment Thursday night when asked about Kirilenko, who has been playing in Russia during the lockout but is coming off an injury-plagued season.

O’Connor previously said there had been ongoing discussions with Kirilenko. But it was clear the 10-year veteran was going to have to take a major pay cut to return after making more than US$17 million last season.

Howard was a key player for Dallas from 2003-10 and helped the Mavs in their run to the NBA finals in 2006. He averaged a career-high 19.9 points in 2007-08 and has played in 453 games (381 starts).

He will be reunited with former Mavs teammate Devin Harris, now Utah’s starting point guard following the February trade of Deron Williams to New Jersey.

O’Connor said he relied on Harris’ input on Howard and said he came “highly recommended.”

O’Connor also took a trip back to North Carolina on Wednesday to work out Howard and discuss his role with the Jazz.

“It went well enough to sign him,” O’Connor said.

He acknowledged Howard will have to shake off some rust after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee a month after he was traded to Washington in February 2010.

He developed tendinitis last season, and only appeared in 18 games for Washington in 2010-11, averaging 8.4 points.

Howard also was considering returning to the Wizards, or signing with San Antonio, Portland and New Jersey.

While visiting a local charter school in Washington last week, Howard told reporters he wanted to be on a good team, where the players were hungry.

The NBA announced the compacted, 66-game schedule on Tuesday night, one that will require every team to play on three consecutive nights at least once. And it will force every team to navigate demanding stretches that are never seen during a full season, such as the nine games in 12 nights the Atlanta Hawks face starting with their Dec. 27 opener.

The Raptors play their first game Dec. 26 in Cleveland against the Cavaliers before opening their home schedule Dec. 28 against the Indiana Pacers. Toronto plays 17 of its first 26 games on the road.

In their busy January, the Raptors play five games in six days from Jan. 9-14. That includes back-to-back games Jan. 9 at home to Minnesota, Jan. 10 at Washington and Jan. 11 at Air Canada Centre against Sacramento.

The Los Angeles Lakers visit Toronto on Feb. 12, while Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat play at ACC on March 30.

The league’s 66th season begins with five games on Christmas, including the Lakers hosting the Chicago Bulls. Los Angeles then visits Sacramento the next night before returning home to host Utah on Dec. 27.

Teams will play 48 conference games and 18 against the opposing conference, meaning they play only three nonconference opponents home and away. The league did preserve its most storied rivalry, with the Lakers travelling to Boston for a Feb. 9 matchup before the Celtics open a stretch of eight road games in 13 nights in March with games on back-to-back nights at Staples Center.

Dallas and Miami also will play twice, following their Christmas NBA finals rematch with a March 12 game in Miami. The Heat and Lakers also play two games.

The 50-game 1999 season featured 64 sets of back-to-back and was plagued by sloppy basketball being played on fatigued legs. The NBA faces a similar predicament now after failing to reach a new labour deal in time to save the Nov. 1 start to the season.

Instead, a tentative agreement was reached on Nov. 26. Lawyers for the owners and players are still finalizing the rest of the deal, with both sides expected to vote on it Thursday before training camps and free agency open on Friday.

Aging teams such as the Celtics, Lakers and NBA champion Mavericks will have to pace themselves, while younger teams such as Oklahoma City figure to be better prepared for the grind.

“You’re not going to have those breaks of three or four days that you sometimes got in the old 82-game schedule, when it was the normal regular schedule,” former NBA coach and current analyst Mike Fratello said during the schedule announcement on NBA TV. “Now with everything being compacted, games come that much more quickly, you’ve got to gear up back up again, you move onto the next one immediately.”

The Denver Nuggets, hit hard by free agency with three of their players in China, face another difficult obstacle in the schedule. They play five games in six nights spanning the new year, including a home-and-home set with the Lakers on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

The Nuggets do not host Carmelo Anthony, whom they traded to the Knicks last February. Deron Williams, sent from Utah to New Jersey days later, is scheduled to return to Salt Lake City on Jan. 14.

Other quirks of the schedule include:

–Cleveland has its longest homestand ever, nine games from Feb. 8-28 — including a visit from LeBron James and the Heat on Feb. 17.

–Philadelphia plays its first five games on the road, its longest season-opening trip ever.

Miami will appear on ABC or ESPN 16 times, the most allowable, followed by 15 appearances apiece for the Lakers and Bulls. The Lakers and Celtics each appear a league-high 10 times on TNT.

The Nets’ final game in New Jersey after 35 years before heading to Brooklyn will be April 23 against Philadelphia. The Kings could play their finale in Sacramento on April 26 against the Lakers without a plan for a new arena.

“This year, our goal is nothing else but a championship,” Rose said Thursday. “I’m not thinking about anything else. I’m going to stand on my teammates. I know they’re going to do the same thing. We’re just trying to hold each other accountable while we’re on the court and off the court.”

Rose wondered before last season why he couldn’t be the league MVP and became the youngest player to win the award. Now, his sights are on the biggest prize.

The Bulls came close last season, winning a league-leading 62 games and advancing to the Eastern Conference finals. Now, they’re looking for more.

With a new Collective Bargaining Agreement tentatively in place, teams opened their doors to players on Thursday in anticipation of practices starting Dec. 9. Games are expected to begin Dec. 25, and Rose thought “for a minute, toward the end” the season might get wiped out.

They won’t have much time to get ready for the opener, but the Bulls are in a better spot than most teams.

They boast the MVP along with the Coach of the Year in Tom Thibodeau, not to mention a core returning intact.

They could use an upgrade on the wing, and a person familiar with the situation confirmed a Chicago Tribune report that they’re considering Caron Butler, saying there’s “very serious, genuine, mutual interest.” The person spoke, who on the condition of anonymity because of the confidential nature of the discussions, said 11 teams have expressed interest.

Butler has been working out in Chicago and is recovered from a ruptured a tendon in his right knee that limited him to 29 games with Dallas last season. He averaged 15.0 points and was the team’s second-leading scorer when he was hurt on New Year’s Day.

The Mavericks went on to win the championship without him, beating Miami in six games. But with Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea on the market, they might not be able to keep Butler.

Rose said if management decides to add another scorer, then that’s “up to them,” but he isn’t sure that’s necessary. He made it clear he’d like the Bulls to bring back Keith Bogans, with the team holding a US$1.73 million option, and that he believes there’s no shortage of talent in place.

He also blamed himself for the loss to Miami in the conference finals.

“We’re fine,” said Rose, who’s in line for a five-year maximum contract extension worth about $100 million. “With my teammates that we have right now, we made it that far. It wasn’t my teammates’ fault that we lost last year. It was me — me not making the plays and me not playing smart enough throughout the whole game. I think that last year is going to help me grow this year as a player more mentally, where in certain situations I know what to do. Hopefully, by me looking at film and really studying everything, when I get in those situations again, it’ll be different.”

One teammate who took his share of the heat last season was Carlos Boozer.

Signed to a five-year, $75 million deal, he averaged 17.5 points and 9.6 rebounds. He missed the first month with a broken right hand and was limited down the stretch by an ankle injury. A turf toe problem in the playoffs didn’t help, and he averaged just 12.6 points in the post-season.

“I felt a big part of that criticism was unjust,” Thibodeau said. “He didn’t have a great year but when you look at what he did, he had a very good year and I expect him to be better this year because hopefully he’ll be healthy. But if you look at Carlos’ career, you’re talking about a guy who has performed at a high level and his team has won at a high level, so I’m expecting great things from him this year.”

Rose, meanwhile, is expecting more of himself. He said he’s worked on his low-post game, another wrinkle as he tries to continue his rapid and steady progression.

He went from Rookie of the Year to all-star to MVP in his first three seasons. He’d like to become a champion in his fourth year.

Freeman hurt his right throwing shoulder during the Buccaneers’ final offensive play of last week’s 23-17 loss to Tennessee and was limited in practice during preparation for the Panthers.

The third-year pro has started every game since moving into the lineup when the Bucs were 0-7 in his rookie season. He led them to a surprising 10-6 record in 2010, but has struggled this year. Tampa Bay took a five-game losing streak into Sunday’s game.

Josh Johnson started against Carolina. His backup was Rudy Carpenter, who was promoted from the practice squad on Saturday.

Heat forwards Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem appreciate the irony.

The NBA has made it official — again — saying Friday that Miami will visit the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas Day, only this time in the season-opener for both clubs. The Mavericks are expected to raise their championship banner before the game.

The matchup is no surprise. It was also part of the NBA’s initially released schedule, the one that had to be changed considerably because of all the time lost during the lockout.

“I think everybody did it on purpose. But, you know, whatever for the ratings, right?” Bosh said Thursday, working under the assumption the long-awaited matchup would still happen as planned. “I use it as motivation. I know they’re going to be pumped up. It’s the worst time to be at home for me. But everything happens for a reason, so we’re going to have to watch it, take it all in and just use that as fuel for the rest of the season.”

Dallas beat the Heat in six games in last season’s finals, winning the title on Miami’s home floor.

Chicago beat Utah in the 1998 NBA finals, then opened the next season on Feb. 5, 1999 against the Jazz — although that was a much-different Bulls team, of course, following the retirement of Michael Jordan at the end of what was the franchise’s sixth championship run. Before then, the last time finalists from one year played Game 1 of the next season against one another was 1957, the Boston Celtics and St. Louis Hawks, according to STATS LLC.

Clearly, emotions will not be in short supply in Dallas on Dec. 25.

“You can only imagine how we’re going to feel, like we have something to prove again,” Mavericks guard Jason Terry told reporters in Dallas on Thursday. “Can these guys do it again? Are they too old? All those questions will have to be answered.”

Haslem said that the Heat have been dealing with the pain of losing the finals throughout the entire off-season. But when asked what the chance to see Dallas in Game 1 of this season — assuming the new collective bargaining agreement actually gets done next week like the league and its players plan — the Miami native didn’t add much in the way of hyperbole.

Commissioner David Stern said the league hoped to open the season with that tripleheader after announcing a tentative agreement on a new labour deal with the players last Saturday. But the league decided to add two later games, with the nightcap featuring Mark Jackson’s debut as Warriors coach.

The revised 66-game schedule will be released Tuesday night during an NBA TV special.

TNT will televise the opener, while ABC gets the NBA finals rematch and the matchup between MVP Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant, whose Lakers will be playing their first game under former Cleveland coach Mike Brown. The final two contests will air on ESPN.

The Thunder reached the Western Conference finals last season behind league scoring champion Kevin Durant, while the Magic face the uncertainty of Dwight Howard’s future with the team.

“It’s a different opening day than has ever happened in the past and Christmas Day games have always been a big day for the NBA,” ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy said in a statement. “This unique situation combined with the unveiling of a championship banner for the Mavericks in a finals rematch, and then to see the Lakers and the debut of Mike Brown as head coach, those things are all going to be very compelling.”

The Dec. 25 opening date is contingent on the CBA being ratified next week.

Lawyers for the league and players’ association resumed negotiations Friday on the remaining issues, the so-called B-list items such as drug testing, the draft eligibility age and the commissioner’s power to discipline. The goal is to complete the agreement Tuesday so it could be presented at a meeting of player representatives Wednesday, then both sides would vote to ratify it Thursday.

Receiver Naaman Roosevelt is expected to return after missing last week’s loss against the Jets because of a shoulder injury.

Vick won’t play when the Philadelphia Eagles visit the New York Giants on Sunday because of two broken ribs. He won’t even be on the sideline because injured players typically don’t make the trip.

Vince Young will make his first start for Philadelphia in Vick’s place. He’s thrown one pass this season — an interception.

Vick didn’t practice this week because he broke his two lower ribs on the second play in a 21-17 loss to Arizona last Sunday. He got up slowly after taking a hard hit to the side, but didn’t tell anyone the extent of the injury and played the rest of the game. He was off target most of the game and finished 16-of-34 for 128 yards and two interceptions.

Vick was listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report, but was ruled out after Saturday’s walkthrough. Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin also won’t play because of shoulder and hamstring injuries.

The Eagles (3-6) desperately need a victory over the first-place Giants (6-3) to avoid being all-but-mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. The defending NFC East champions began this season with Super Bowl aspirations, but have failed to live up to those enormous expectations.

Vick’s inconsistency is among the reasons the Eagles have underachieved. Vick has hardly resembled the guy who was an MVP candidate and Pro Bowl starter last season. He’s already thrown 11 interceptions in nine games. He had six picks all of last season.

Young was 30-17 as a starter and went to two Pro Bowls in five seasons with the Tennessee Titans. He was one of several high-profile players Philadelphia signed after the lockout. So far, Young’s only contribution was labelling the Eagles a “Dream Team” at his first news conference at training camp.

It’s been a nightmare season instead.

And if that’s not an option, he’s preparing himself to start looking elsewhere.

Wade said Thursday that he has authorized agent Henry Thomas to listen to any viable offers that may be out there for him to play internationally this season — with the caveat that, until such time as all hope for an NBA season is gone, he won’t be signing any deal with any other club.

“I told my agent to just take a peek,” Wade said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It’s time. There’s a possibility that we’re not going to have a season. We’ve got to see what’s out there, what the possibilities are. I want to play competitive basketball this year. I’ve missed a year of basketball in my life before. I’m not trying to miss another. I don’t have too many years of basketball left.”

Wade sat out his first season of college basketball at Marquette while getting academics and eligibility issues in order. This, obviously, is a different sort of issue.

It’s not like he’s lost all hope for a season — not even close, actually. Wade said he still has some hope that the season can begin on Christmas, though he acknowledges that seems less than likely.

“I’m with the majority. When everybody’s ready to go, I’m ready to go,” Wade said. “I’m ready to stick with our guns if that’s what we decide to do. The message to fans doesn’t change from what I’ve said: It’s hard for players to say that we’re sorry for this, because people say that we’re not. This is our job and you see what we have to do. No one wants to be on the court more than the players.”

He was speaking Thursday between shooting takes of a new Gatorade ad campaign that launches early next year. It was the 140th day of the lockout, and as he spoke, he looked out a floor-to-ceiling glass window not far from the AmericanAirlines Arena — the building where the Heat play their home games.

The 2006 NBA finals MVP was back in that arena Tuesday night, as a guest for a concert featuring Jay-Z and Kanye West. It was his first time in the building since the Heat wrapped up their end-of-season business after losing the NBA finals to the Dallas Mavericks. Once the lockout started when the existing labour deal expired June 30, teams have not been allowed to contact players, nor give them access to their facilities.

So when Wade went there Tuesday, he couldn’t venture anywhere near the Heat locker-room.

“I went through an entrance I’d never gone through before,” Wade said. “It was weird. Very weird, walking into that arena. It was different staff, then I saw some people I knew, but it was weird. It’s just unfortunate that it’s got to be like that. It’s like you’re a criminal, like you can’t walk into a place because you’ve done something wrong. I won a championship here. I’d like to win another one.”

Wade has stayed busy during the lockout, with tons of work-related travel and continually trying to build his business brand. He just got back from Australia, flies to Oregon for meetings Friday, has more work lined up next week and is working all that around the demands of being a full-time dad to his two sons, neither of whom seem to mind that the Heat aren’t playing games right now.

“They like having me around,” Wade said.

So his two biggest fans are taken care of. It’s the other ones that Wade worries about.

He’s an endorser for several products, Nike’s Jordan Brand included, which might seem a bit awkward these days given the brand’s namesake — Michael Jordan — is one of the NBA owners on the opposite side of the negotiating table from where players are. Wade said it’s not necessarily awkward for him, but does worry about what the lockout may do to his business dealings.

“I’ve built a fan base and I’ve built a brand, but obviously than there’s nothing bigger than the basketball court, that stage,” Wade said. “There are things that I’ve got to worry about that people don’t necessarily understand or probably don’t care about, but it’s one of the things that I have to care about.”

Foremost, though, he wants to play. In Miami. And soon.

Wade said he didn’t know what the league’s player representatives were going to say on Monday before the news conference that revealed talks between them and the NBA had broken down and the union was beginning to transition into a trade organization with hopes of finding a deal another way.

He’s anxious and concerned, for certain. He’s planning to spend Thanksgiving with long-time girlfriend Gabrielle Union and her family. For Christmas — one of his favourite days to watch NBA games — he’d like Union’s family to join his family. And if the NBA says “game on,” he’d be more than happy to re-do his holiday plans.

Vick broke his two lower ribs on the second play of the Eagles’ 21-17 loss to Arizona on Sunday. He didn’t tell anyone he was hurt and played through the pain.

Vince Young likely would start if Vick can’t go.

Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (ankle), wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (shoulder) and offensive lineman King Dunlap (concussion) also missed Thursday’s practice.

The 26-year-old Brazilian forward, who also has a Spanish passport, needs to pass a medical test before he can play for the club.

Valencia Basket said Thursday on its website that Splitter “has reached a deal to join the club immediately.”

Splitter averaged 4.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in his rookie season for the Spurs, who selected him with the 28th overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft.

The six-foot-11 Splitter previously played for Saski Baskonia in Spain.

Johnson ran on a separate field Friday as the Texans (6-3) prepared for Sunday’s game at Tampa Bay (4-4). Coach Gary Kubiak has been saying for two weeks that Johnson is “very close” to returning, but not quite fully healed.

After Sunday, Houston has its bye before playing at Jacksonville on Nov. 27. Kubiak is optimistic Johnson will be ready by then.

“We should come out of the bye knowing that he’s ready to go, and be a part of our team as we go into those last six weeks,” Kubiak said. “He’s doing really good, but the smart thing to do is give him this extra time to rest and continue to have some guys step up and take his place.”

Johnson said Friday that holding him out for one more game was “probably the best decision.” He sat out practice all this week, and planned to put himself through a hard workout again Monday.

“I still could go out and play football,” Johnson said. “We just felt the best thing was just to wait and go through the off week.”

The five-time Pro Bowl selection was hurt in the second quarter of Houston’s 17-10 win over Pittsburgh on Oct. 2. Johnson said he had a “setback” in a workout early last week that forced him to miss last weekend’s 30-12 victory over Cleveland.

Johnson says he’s progressed beyond the point where he’s worried about aggravating the injury.

“I’m feeling good now, I’m excited about where I’m at,” he said. “Before, when I was running, I always felt that pulling feeling. I haven’t been feeling it. But the crazy thing is, you get so used to feeling something when you’re running, you get to feeling certain things and you’re kind of waiting for it to happen again.

“That’s the point where I’m at right now,” he said. “I think I’ll be over that. I went and ran again (Friday) and I didn’t feel anything.”

The Texans have won three in a row since losing the first two games after Johnson was hurt. Houston has turned to running backs Arian Foster and Ben Tate to carry much of the offensive load, and tight ends Owen Daniels and Joel Dreessen and wideouts Jacoby Jones and Kevin Walter have played well in Johnson’s absence.

“I know a lot of people didn’t think we would be in the position we’re in when I went down, because of things that have happened in the past,” Johnson said. “We have a good team, a lot of weapons and a lot of guys who can make plays.

“Me now, I have to play catch-up,” he said. “I have to come back and pick up the pace and get to the level where they’re playing.”

Johnson is the only Texan who played for the team before Kubiak arrived in 2006. Houston is still seeking its first playoff berth, and Johnson is happy that the team has continued to win this year without him.