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The Dallas Mavericks, as currently constructed, aren't a playoff team in 2009.

That, however, will change if Josh Howard plays like the guy who was an All-Star in 2007, not the scrub we saw in the playoffs.

In case you forgot, Howard averaged 12.6 points and 7.0 rebounds while shooting 29.2 percent from the field and 10 percent from 3-point range against New Orleans.

Ridiculous.

He's better than that. Much better.

And if he's being honest with himself, he'll tell you that. Or at least he should. After all, he averaged 19.9 points while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 31.9 percent from 3-point range during the regular season.

We know what Dirk Nowitzki can do. And we know what Jason Kidd can do, if Rick Carlisle sticks to his word and gives the All-Star point guard an offense more suited to his strengths.

We have no idea what Howard will do.

Will he re-emerge as a star? Or will he go into an emotional shell and be just a guy?

That's what Carlisle's dinner last night with Howard was all about. He was reaching out to Howard, as he should, to get a feel for where the 28-year-old's head is these days.

Hopefully, the coach heard the right words.

Carlisle's talk with Howard is far more important than his four-hour conversation with Dirk. Or any chat he'll have with Kidd.

"He's got to be a guy that does a little bit of everything for us, and I know he can do it because he's done a lot of it against my teams," Carlisle said of Howard.

A year ago, Howard seemed destined for stardom. Why not? He could shoot, drive, defend and handle the ball.

He was an excellent player – the Mavs must have agreed since they gave him a four-year, $40 million deal – and seemed ready to emerge as a perennial all-star caliber player. More important, he seemed to have the pit bull mentality I thought Dirk lacked.

I was wrong.

Dirk proved his toughness by playing like a superstar at the end of the season and in the playoffs at much less than 100 percent because of knee and ankle injuries

Howard, though, has been emotionally fragile.

It happens sometimes. Lots of players have difficulty fighting through issues whether they're personal or professional, but they learn to play at a high level anyway through maturity and mental toughness.

Some issues, like the string of deaths to family members, certainly weren't his fault.

But the dumb admission that he regularly smokes weed in the off-season was his fault. So was his controversial birthday bash that led to a player's-only practice after Avery Johnson canceled a scheduled practice.

"He realizes he made a mistake," Mark Cuban said. "We've talked about it, and he realizes he has some catching up to do in terms of reclaiming some people's confidence. But he's also man enough to realize that he's going to do it and make the commitment to do it."

Still, the best chance for the Mavs to become an elite team again is for Howard to become a star again.

Dirk is going to be on the All-NBA team again next year. The 35-year-old Kidd, though, is too old to dominate every night.

With the right focus, Howard can be among the league's better players every night. He's just now entering his prime.

There's no way he should ever be on the bench at the end of a close game like he was during the Game 5 loss to New Orleans.

This must be his summer of redemption. It's the best way for the Mavs to be relevant again.