Dallas Mavericks forward Josh Howard missed Tuesday night's game against the Seattle SuperSonics for the birth of his first child, Dallas coach Avery Johnson said.

Johnson said Howard was expected to rejoin the team on Wednesday.

The Dallas Mavericks are not necessarily seeking a trade, but if P.J. Brown was available for the right price the team would be interested, the Dallas Morning News is reporting.

The Mavericks don't have a lot of glaring weaknesses, but backup play behind Dirk Nowitzki has been an issue. Aside from another shooter ? which every team in the league could use ? another big man who can defend and score a little is the only item on their wish list.

Avery Johnson has an appreciation for players like Brown.

"I think he's been awfully good his whole career," Johnson said. "He's always been a stabilizer for his team with rebounding and in the paint. And he's always been really professional."

Many dominoes would have to fall for Brown to become available. But he's clearly the sort of player who is on the Mavs' radar.

Jerry Stackhouse regained his scoring touch at the right time for the Mavericks, helping them finally stave off a comeback attempt by the Heat.

Stackhouse -- slowly working his way back after spraining his left ankle last month -- scored 16 of his 23 points in the final quarter as the Mavericks held on to beat Miami 99-93 on Sunday in the first matchup between the teams since last season's NBA finals.

Shaquille O'Neal was inactive again Sunday when Miami hosted the Mavericks in a rematch of last season's NBA Finals.

"Not ready to play yet," Heat coach Ron Rothstein said before Sunday's game.

O'Neal may be ready to dress against the Knicks on Monday.

The Dallas Mavericks have assigned guard Jose Barea to the Fort Worth Flyers of the NBA Development League. The Flyers have been assigned as the D-League affiliate for the Mavericks for the 2006-07 season.

Barea (6-0, 175) has appeared in 12 games for the Mavericks this season.  He will join Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who was assigned to the Flyers on December 7.

Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade was named the NBA?s Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the week ending January 14.

For Wade, this is the fifth time he has been tabbed the Player of the Week, tying for first on the Heat?s all-time list with teammate Alonzo Mourning.

For Wade, it is the first time this season he has received the honor. Wade received the honor twice last season for the week ending January 1 and also for the week ending December 4. He also received the honor once in each of his first two seasons in the league. Dallas? Dirk Nowitzki was selected as the NBA?s Western Conference Player of the Week.

Bonzi Wells went through Monday's limited Rockets practice, his first since going out with a sore lower back Dec. 29, with no difficulties.

A decision will be made about whether to activate him for Tuesday's game against the Mavericks in Dallas after the morning shootaround.

"It's tough when you take a few weeks off and try to get back on the court and push it the way Coach (Jeff Van Gundy) wants you to push it," Wells said. "Your conditioning is obviously going to be a factor. I felt pretty good. I had a flu the past couple days after going to Denver, but I sweated it out pretty good the past couple days. I don't know what Coach is going to do as far as me playing or not, but I'm still going to work the next couple days on my conditioning."

Free-agent forward Chris Webber and the Lakers took another step toward each other Thursday, with Webber's agent saying his client was highly interested in heading west, and the Lakers acknowledging they were more than willing to listen.

"They're definitely a team that Chris is considering," agent Aaron Goodwin said. "He wants to be in a situation where he can continue to play and get significant minutes. He's rested, healthy and ready to go. The Lakers are playing well. Kobe's doing a great job of integrating everybody and turning it into a winning organization this year."

"There's a few teams that he's reviewing and then we're going to move forward. He's definitely excited."

Webber has narrowed his choices to the Lakers, Dallas, Detroit, Miami and Orlando, Goodwin said.

Should Webber choose to join the Lakers, Aaron McKie appears to be the player most likely to be waived.

Now that Chris Webber is a free agent, he has a list of five teams that he is interested in playing for: Detroit, Miami, San Antonio, Dallas and the L.A. Lakers.

"My father said I haven't smiled on the court in about three years," Webber said. "I just want to get back to playing with a smile on my face and playing with a team that can really vie for title. I want to be an integral part of a championship team."

The 33-year-old added that he hopes to have his new address "by Monday, even though three or four teams want me by Friday."

The Spurs aren't expected to be interested in Webber.

Chris Webber was bought out of his contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.

According to a league source, Webber is likely to go to the Pistons, his hometown team. He reportedly has a five-team wish list: Miami, Detroit, San Antonio, Dallas, and the Lakers.

But as Thomas said, "We'll be interested in anyone who is made available, and if there's a fit, we'll try to make it work."