Mavericks owner Mark Cuban reiterated on Friday night that he's glad to see Ron Artest with the Lakers.

Cuban generated some headlines this summer when he told the media he was happy to see the combustible forward in Los Angeles.

"History repeats itself," Cuban told the Orange County Register. "I'm not saying something you guys haven't considered, right? That's just the risk. Every team has to deal with chemistry and the impact of the chemistry on the team. Normally, you try to minimize that.

"Ron is an amazing talent, he's a great guy. I don't really know him, but the way he's handled this is phenomenal. I give him a ton of credit. But it is what it is."

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban expects to see forward Josh Howard on the floor within the next two weeks.

"I think it'll be two weeks at the latest," Cuban said prior to Tuesday's opener against the Wizards.

Howard is recovering from operations on his left ankle and wrist. The two-week timetable would put Howard on track to play against the Rockets on Nov. 10.

"We didn't want to rush him," Cuban said. "You could have pushed him harder, but there was no reason to. You just let him come. When he's ready, he's ready. It's a long season."

Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki is content to let his teammates help with the scoring load if it means the team will be successful.

He has averaged 25.3 points per game over the last five seasons.

"I'd love that ? if we win," Nowitzki told the Dallas Morning News. "That's the most important thing."

The Mavericks added Shawn Marion and Drew Gooden this offseason, giving the team more offensive weapons than they have had in the past.

"I'm sure there will be nights when things aren't going right and I have to score more," Nowitzki said. "And there will be nights when things are working and guys are cutting and shooting and I might only score 15 or 20 points.

"I think I'm good at adjusting on the fly. Whatever comes at me, I'll try to do. But obviously, I'm still at my most efficient and best when I score and shoot and get to the foul line."

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle says that forward Josh Howard could miss a few weeks with a variety of injuries.

Howard underwent procedures on his left ankle and wrist in May, but wasn't cleared for contact work until Oct. 14.

He will not play on Tuesday night against the Wizards in the team's season opener.

"It could be a while," Carlisle told the Associated Press. "It could be weeks. I don't know. I don't know. We'll find a way without him, but we know we're better with him. When he comes back, we'll have to be ready to integrate him very quickly."

Dallas doesn't want to rush Howard back into the lineup.

The Mavericks waived center Jake Voskuhl on Thursday.

In nine NBA seasons, Voskuhl has recorded career averages of 4.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in stints with the Raptors, Bulls, Suns, Bobcats and Bucks.

Dallas' roster now stands at 15 players, the league limit.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban isn't against steroid use in the NBA if it's monitored and there's no long-term health issues.

"I'll get killed for saying this," Cuban told the Post-Gazette, "but I'm not so against steroids if they're administered under proper supervision and there is no long-term damage."

Cuban said that steroids, which are banned by all major sports, could help players recover faster from surgery.

"If somebody thinks it's controversial, fine. To me, it's just common sense," he added. "I'm sure I'll hear about it [today] that 'Cuban is for Steroids.' "

He added that he doesn't think there is widespread steroid use in the NBA today.

The Dallas Mavericks have agreed to trade center Nathan Jawai to Minnesota for a future second-round pick, according to team sources.

The deal will be announced later Tuesday, sources said.

The Wolves were able to absorb Jawai's salary into open cap space.

Injuries to Kevin Love and Al Jefferson have created a need for Minnesota in the frontcourt.

Jerry Stackhouse might be the most prominent free agent left on the market.

Marc Stein of ESPN.com writes that Stackhouse is still on the market because he is waiting for a firm offer from the Rockets.

Stackhouse was called by Houston earlier this month when they decided not to sign Rashad McCants, according to sources.

However, the veteran passed when the Rockets asked him to come in and compete with Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Will Conroy and Garrett Temple for their final roster spot.

The Hawks, Heat and Nuggets are believed to be teams Stackhouse would consider joining.

Shawn Marion said he expects to be sidelined from seven to 10 days with his sore left calf.

"It's one of those things that if you don't let it heal, it can linger," he said. "And I don't want it to linger. I was trying to play through it a little and I actually tweaked it a little more in the last game.

"So I'm just rehabbing and getting some shots up."

The Mavericks are discussing a possible buyout of Shawne Williams' contract.

"We're just trying to figure out what's best," agent Happy Walters told the Dallas Morning News. "Obviously, the Mavs have too many contracts and they're going to have to figure that out."

Walters added that Williams is willing to take less than the $2.4 million he's guaranteed for the season.