4:29If you're a Timberwolves fan who believes newly signed Josh Howard should have arrived in Minnesota nine years ago rather than Friday morning, know this:
You're not alone.
Howard himself thinks so, too, about that draft night in 2003 when the Wolves bypassed him and selected Ndudi Ebi 26th overall. Howard ended up going 29th to Dallas after Memphis picked Kendrick Perkins and San Antonio took Leandro Barbosa.
"I remember Ndudi Ebi's name getting called before me," Howard said after passing a physical and participating in Friday morning's shootaround with his new teammates. "No disrespect to him, but I just used that as motivation throughout my career."
That career has taken him from Dallas to Washington to Utah, and includes a 2008 All-Star Game appearance.
Howard, 32, hadn't played an NBA game since last spring's playoffs with Utah until he quickly became Andrei Kirilenko's backup at small forward on Friday night. He had been working out on his own back home in Dallas and waiting for an NBA team to call.
That team was the injury-ravaged Wolves, who worked him out in Dallas when the team was there Monday for a game against the Mavericks and then signed him Thursday to a one-year contract for the veteran's minimum. Howard played 14 minutes Friday, making three of 10 shots and scoring six points. He even unexpectedly played some shooting guard in a makeshift second-half lineup.
"The Timberwolves were looking for somebody to step in until those guys get back," Howard said. "I'm glad they thought of me. I got tired of working out every day. I was ready to be with a team."
