Josh Howard smokes weed, Larry Brown quits?

The AFP is reporting:

Dallas Mavericks forward Josh Howard has admitted using marijuana in the off-season and says the majority of National Basketball Association players have a similar fondness for pot.

"Most of the players in the league use marijuana and I have and do partake in smoking weed in the off-season sometimes," Howard told an ESPN radio show.

"I mean, that’s my personal choice and my personal opinion, but I don’t think that’s stopping me from doing my job."

Howard’s comments come at a bad time for Dallas who have dug themselves a hole and trail the New Orleans Hornets two games to one in their opening round playoff series.

Dirk Nowitzki had 32 points and Howard scored 18 to lead Dallas to a 97-87 victory over the Hornets on Friday.

Marijuana is illegal in the United States and it is unknown if Howard will face punishment from the league.

Dallas owner Mark Cuban said the admission was a private team matter.

"We won’t make it public. We will deal with it internally and that’s it," Cuban said.

Under terms of the National Basketball Association’s collective bargaining agreement, players are subject to four drug tests during the regular season. The tests look for both performance-enhancing and recreational drugs.

If an NBA player tests positive for marijuana, he is placed in a drug counselling programme. A second violation results in a 25,000 dollar fine.

In 2001, former NBA star Charles Oakley estimated that 60 percent of league’s players used marijuana.

On the other side of the league, Larry Brown quit as the Philadelphia 76ers vice-president on Thursday, ending his latest front-office job with the National Basketball Association team.

Brown, 67, announced his decision less than 16 months after rejoining the Sixers.

It was in Philadelphia where Brown served six seasons as head coach and vice-president – his longest stint in any of his numerous stops – before leaving both jobs in May 2003.

He posted a 255-205 record and guided them to the playoffs five times, including the 2001 NBA Finals.

-The AFP