Dwight Howard's touch, Curry's setback and more

A Slam Dunk participant at last season's All-Star Weekend, Dwight Howard is intent on becoming more of a perimeter threat. John W. McDonough/SI

The NBA preseason is into its second week, which means players are happy. The end of those grueling two-a-day practice sessions is always a welcome development. Plus, they finally get a chance to bang with guys in enemy jerseys.

For fans, it's a chance to get to see some actual basketball as exhibition games get underway. It's also a good opportunity to catch up on the news around the league. Here are five key developments so far, on and off the court:

Howard branching out

Next to Rashard Lewis making his debut in a Magic uniform, the big story in Orlando has been Dwight Howard's newfound shooting touch. Known primarily as a dunker over his first three seasons, Howard knocked down several jumpers and hook shots while racking up 30 points (on 12-of-18 shooting) in his team's exhibition opener against the Hawks. Howard worked with a shooting coach over the summer, and the results seem to have taken hold. He even made 4-of-6 from the free throw line.

"I'm trying to expand my game," Howard told the Orlando Sentinel. "Anything to help my team."

It's still early, but if Howard can knock down 15-footers, he could elevate himself into an MVP candidate. It wouldn't be unprecedented. Amaré Stoudemire radically improved his jumper in one summer a few years ago, taking his game to elite status.

Curry on the shelf

Eddy Curry suffered a right shoulder injury when he got tangled with teammate David Lee during a low-post drill last week. An MRI revealed the injury to be a torn labrum; the 6-foot-11 center won't need surgery, but his status for the rest of the preseason is uncertain.

While it could have been worse -- the Knicks originally feared he might have suffered a torn rotator cuff that could have ended his season -- New York was hoping to use the preseason as a chance for Curry and newly acquired power forward Zach Randolph to get used to playing together in the frontcourt. Now coach Isiah Thomas might not have much time before the real games begin to see if the two low-post scorers can thrive together on the block.

Kirilenko/Sloan détente

Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko and coach Jerry Sloan appear to have reached a peace agreement -- at least for now. The two parties met, along with vice president Kevin O'Connor, for a half hour on the first day of training camp. Afterward, Sloan acknowledged his part in Kirilenko's disappointing 2006-07 season.

"I have to blame myself for Andrei's failure to be able to play at times," he told the Salt Lake Tribune. "Because maybe I haven't handled him the way he'd like to be and done the right things."

Kirilenko, for his part, said his frustrations stemmed mainly from wanting to be more involved in the offense as opposed to taking more shots. He said things are better now that he has cleared the air with Sloan, and that he's looking forward to helping the Jazz build on their playoff success of a year ago. For now, the trade talk around the 6-9 former All-Star has cooled, but nobody would be surprised if tensions flared up again at some point. Kirilenko obviously does not like Sloan's rough-hewn approach -- and it is unlikely the 65-year-old coach is going to change his style after all these years.

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