DALLAS -- Dirk Nowitzki is willing to hop on a plane at a moments notice. Cheap Ray Ban Sunglasses . Mark Cuban wont have "Shark Tank" tapings that interfere with recruiting. The Dallas Mavericks and their star player and owner are ready for a run at Dwight Howard when free agency opens late Sunday night. Its been two years since the Mavericks dismantled key parts of their only championship team in the name of salary cap space. They are a summer removed from getting spurned by point guard Deron Williams -- while Cuban was on the set of his reality TV show -- in their first big pitch with money to spend. If Howard does the same thing, Dallas isnt planning to wait another summer to give Nowitzki some help so the 35-year-old German can try to remain relevant in the championship picture for his last couple of years as an elite player. "We made it clear to everybody that were exploring different options," Cuban told reporters during practice for Nowitzkis celebrity baseball game Friday. "Its just not one approach. Last year it was one-year deals because we wanted to get to this year, not just because of the big names but there were other names that we really liked. This year its not going to be about one-year deals." A second straight season with a bundle of expiring or one-year contracts cost Dallas a 12-season playoff streak when Nowitzki missed the first two months after knee surgery. At his age, he might need a headliner more than a sidekick, but he definitely needs one or the other. "If Dwight or whoever says no, weve got to have some other options," Nowitzki said. "We dont want to get too excited for one thing." First things first, though -- and thats Howard. Cuban said meetings are already set in Los Angeles with "a couple of different players." Howards future with the Los Angeles Lakers appears much murkier than point guard Chris Pauls potential return to the Los Angeles Clippers. Thats because the Clippers grabbed coach Doc Rivers from Boston in a deal that cost them a future first-round pick. Nowitzki has already reached out to Howard by phone, and knows what can happen when he has a defensive-minded centre around the basket. That was Tyson Chandler in 2011, when the Mavericks won the title but chose financial flexibility over bringing back Chandler on a long-term contract under the new labour deal. Dallas hasnt won a playoff game since, and is now remaking the roster for the third straight year. "I guess hes just weighing out his options," Nowitzki said of his conversation with Howard. "He didnt really say anything newsworthy. Im sure hes got a couple of meetings set up for whenever that might be and hopefully the Mavs are one of those teams and well go from there." If Howard doesnt return to the Lakers, Dallas, Houston and Atlanta -- his hometown -- are considered the most likely destinations. Players cant sign before July 10. The Mavericks signalled during the draft Thursday night that free agency is their first priority by trading down twice to save cap space. They ended up with the 18th pick in Miami point guard Shane Larkin, the son of Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin, and like him enough that they could keep him. With or without Larkin, the Mavericks have more work to do to clear enough room to give Howard a maximum contract in the range of $20 million for his first season. President of basketball operations Donnie Nelson says the team can get there, and that cap manoeuvring was why 2012 first-round pick Jared Cunningham, another point guard, was included in draft-night dealings. "The financial piece of it is pretty critical at this juncture," Nelson said after the draft. "Weve got to go into the off-season with the decks clear and clean." The Mavericks have just seven players on the roster, Larkin and second-round pick Ricky Ledo of Providence included, and only two starters in Nowitzki and forward Shawn Marion. Larkin and Ledo dont figure to start, so Dallas presumably is still looking for front-line players at point guard, shooting guard and centre after the experiment of Darren Collison, O.J. Mayo and Chris Kaman didnt work last season. Mayo looks like the only one of those three with a remote chance of returning, and even that is unlikely with him expected to get better offers. "Were trying to accumulate high-quality, high-energy, high-motor, skilled players to put around Dirk Nowitzki," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "Weve got to enhance his ability to do what he does and weve got to enhance the opportunity to keep him playing as long as possible because he loves to play and hes great. So thats a priority, and it will continue to be one this summer." With or without Dwight Howard. Cheap Authentic Ray Ban Sunglasses .C. - Nick Merkley and Damon Severson each had a goal and two assists as the Kelowna Rockets downed the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds 6-3 on Saturday in Western Hockey League playoff action. Ray Ban Sunglasses China Wholesale .com) - Tony Parker scored 17 points to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a comfortable 99-85 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. http://www.cheaprayban.net/ .com) - Former FBI director Robert Mueller said his investigation found no evidence that the NFL saw the elevator video of Ray Rice striking his then-fiancee before the tape was released in September.ANAHEIM, Calif. - The Anaheim Ducks were eager to get back on track and the Florida Panthers paid the price. Corey Perry and captain Ryan Getzlaf each had a goal and two assists, and the Anaheim Ducks snapped their four-game home skid with a 6-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on Sunday night. "We had the puck and didnt turn it over too much. We played with the puck and found each other. Everybody was moving," said Perry, who notched his team-leading 37th goal of the season to give the Ducks a 5-2 lead at the 11:56 mark of the second period. Getzlaf agreed. "We got back to doing what we need to be doing," said Getzlaf, who is second in the NHL in scoring with 79 points. "We find a way to get open and get shots. Tonight, we clicked better." Teemu Selanne, Jakob Silfverberg, Kyle Palmieri and Perry scored during Anaheims four-goal second period. "I feel re-energized," said Selanne, who recently has been teamed with Getzlaf and Perry. "Today we were really clicking and reading each other well. The more time we spend together, the more youre going to learn from one another. It was fun to play with those guys. Theyre so dangerous and talented, so you have to be ready." Patrick Maroon also scored an early goal before leaving the game with a lower-body injury for the Ducks, who pulled within one point of San Jose atop the Pacific Division standings. Selanne had a goal and an assist, while Jonas Hiller made 28 saves for Anaheim, which is four points behind Western Conference-leading St. Louis with 11 games left. Jimmy Hayes and Tomas Fleischmann scored in the second period for the Panthers, who lost the last three games on their West Coast road trip by a combined 12-3.. Cheap Ray Ban Sunglasses Online. Former Anaheim goalie Dan Ellis stopped 34 shots in Floridas seventh loss in nine games overall. The Ducks had lost two straight and six of eight while slipping out of first place in the NHL standings, but they got back to their usual dominant selves during the second period. After Maroon scored his first career power-play goal in the first period against the NHLs worst penalty-killing team, Selanne scored his 684th career goal just 15 seconds into the second. Silfverberg scored an unassisted short-handed goal less than four minutes later, Fleischmanns eighth goal of the season midway through the second trimmed the Ducks lead to 3-2, but Palmieri and Perry scored 1:01 apart later in the period. Perrys 37 goals are second most in the NHL. Getzlaf got his 30th goal early in the third period, and new defenceman Stephane Robidas had an assist for his first point with the Ducks. Florida goalie Dan Ellis has given up 11 goals in his last two appearances. "Its a good hockey team," Ellis said. "They are one of the top teams in the West and the West is arguably stronger than the East. Theyve had a little adversity lately, but you had to be ready for a big push out of them. They are desperate for playoff position, to get home ice. They played us hard. I needed to make some key saves at key times and I didnt." NOTES: Anaheims next eight games are against opponents currently out of the playoff picture. The Ducks begin a three-game road trip Wednesday at Calgary while the NCAA West regional mens basketball tournament occupies Honda Center. ... The Panthers went 1-3 on their four-game road trip. ... Ellis started his 200th career NHL game. ... Anaheim equipment manager Doug Shearer worked his 2,500th game. ' ' '