Southwest Rumors: Dwight, Jackson, Rockets

Dirk Nowitzki moved into 10th place among the NBA’s all-time leading scorers Tuesday, but it wasn’t until the Mavs let Steve Nash go that he finally realized he was his team’s No. 1 option, as Tim McMahon of ESPN.com notes in an oral history of Nowitzki’s career. Nash made history of his own Tuesday, taking over third place for most assists in league history. Nowitzki’s upcoming free agency isn’t inspiring nearly the volume of rumors as that of another Texas star, whom we hear from amid the latest from around the Southwest Division:

  • Dwight Howard tells Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck that as he endured criticism for leaving the Magic and Lakers, he kept LeBron James‘ move from Cleveland to Miami in mind. “I watched it closely,” Howard said. “Because people don’t understand how tough it is, how tough it was for both of us to make the decisions that we made. And for me having to do it twice in the span of two years, very tough. Because you don’t want to hurt people. And I don’t think LeBron wanted to hurt anybody. And we have that same type of personality, to where we enjoy the fans. We want to be liked. So It’s very hard for both of us to deal with it.”
  • Pierre Jackson is parting ways with Fenerbahce Ulker of Turkey, according to Tolga Yenigün of Hurriyet.com.tr (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Jackson signed with the club shortly before the trade deadline, and the deal was supposed to run through June. The guard spent the first half of the season as a dominant force in the D-League, but he and the Pelicans, who own his NBA rights, were unable to come to terms.
  • The Rockets have recalled Robert Covington and Troy Daniels from the D-League, the team announced (Twitter link). The rookies spent the majority of the season with Houston’s D-League affiliate and have combined to play just 26 minutes for the big club.
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