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Dwight Howard turns down the Mavericks: Things to know


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Though he can't sign until July 10, Dwight Howard has made his decision. It's the Rockets. The Mavericks got the news early Friday afternoon and quickly moved on. Here are five things to know.

1. Howard's choice is more proof that Dallas is not a big-time destination for big-time NBA free agents.

Eddie Sefko writes that the Mavericks now have gone three summers since winning the NBA championship without making good on a plan to rebuild the franchise in such a way to make Dirk Nowitzki the second-best player.

2. Has Houston passed Dallas as a relevant sports town?

Columnist Tim Cowlishaw writes: We look around today and see Dallas fans….wishing they had what Houston has?

3. Mavs react quickly after getting bad news

Give the Mavericks credit. They didn't mope after losing out on Howard. In need of a point guard, Dallas went out and agreed to a deal with Jose Calderon.

4. Waiting on Howard even tougher for Lakers

While Friday was tough for Dallas, it had to be enough tougher for the Lakers. After Dallas got the word, that left only Houston and LA in the running for Howard. Reports surfaced that Howard had picked Houston, but not long after came tweets and rumors that the big man was waffling. Finally, Howard tweeted that he was headed to Houston.

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