Tidbits from pregame in Chicago

Tonight’s captains are Josh Howard (we knew that) and Devin Harris. Remember, two will be picked for each game. Harris is two-for-two, so far. The primary responsibilities involve communicating with the officials, though Avery Johnson’s recognition is bigger reward.

Jerry Stackhouse will take his turn on the healthy scratch list for tomorrow night’s game at Washington. Eddie Jones will make his preseason debut against the Wizards.

Jones, by the way, feels confident he’ll meet his Oct. 25 deadline for being in game shape. “I have to get my body fat down,” he said. “It’s not there yet.” Jones didn’t want to talk specifics – could you blame him? – but said 40 extra minutes of cardio a day, along with practice, should do the trick.

I asked Johnson how Gana Diop was going. “Gana’s been good,” Avery said. “We’ve seen him improve. He’s finishing around the basket. He’s making his free throws more. He just knows where he needs to be. Gana is one of our smarter players.”

Gana said that going into this third year in the Mavs system, he’s finally moved past the habits he picked up in Cleveland. He watched a lot of film over the summer and realized his positioning near the basket offensively wasn’t as good as Erick Dampier’s. Getting to those spots in practice, Diop has found it easier to finish strong at the rim.

As for being labeled as one of the smartest, Gana said: "Oak Hill, baby." Whatever.