Dwight Howard Rumors: Rockets Don't Give Magic Star Best Chance to Win Titles
If Orlando Magic star center Dwight Howard is traded to the Houston Rockets, there could be one man with enough influence to persuade Howard to sign an extension with the team.
That man is former Rockets center and NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon, according to Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports.
""The Rockets asked me to reach out, and I'll talk to him (if the deal goes through)," Olajuwon said of Howard, who can become a free agent next summer and could arrive in Houston with no guarantee he will stay past 2012-13. "I'd like the talk to be more like real, and I'll let him make his decisions after that."
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The Rockets better hope that Olajuwon's recruiting skills are solid, because Houston isn't the place for Howard if he wants to win championships.
Who will be the second star in Houston that Howard will team up with? Today's NBA is all about star power, and without two or three legitimate stars, your chances of winning a championship are not very good.
Here's more from Olajuwon's interview with Fox Sports:
""... Does he want to try to win a championship sooner (rather) than later? Then I'm sure he's (thinking of) teaming up with superstars to get to that level. I don't know, in that case, who he will team up with in Houston that can give him that (immediately)."
But Olajuwon is confident the Rockets would be able to build a solid supporting cast around Howard.
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"Les Alexander is very bold, and he'll make a big splash," Olajuwon said. "I admire him for that."
While it's good that Alexander may be willing to take risks, that isn't enough to create a championship-caliber roster. You need the top players to want to join your team. Would the presence of Howard on the roster be enough to entice stars to sign with the Rockets?
Chris Paul has been one name talked about as a possible superstar that could join Howard in Houston if he is traded to the Rockets, but CP3 seems more likely to sign a new contract with the New York Knicks or stay with the Los Angeles Clippers than move to the Rockets.
Howard certainly respects Olajuwon, but it's hard to imagine the former Rockets star making Howard believe that Houston is the place where he should spend the prime of his career.
Howard is 26 years old and has been in the NBA for seven years. The time for him to annually go deep in the playoffs and win championships is now. For him to do that, he needs to join a team that already has the pieces to contend and at least one superstar already on the roster.
Houston doesn't fit that description.
Olajuwon is the perfect man to speak to Howard, but for the Rockets, it probably won't matter who talks to the Magic center. It would be surprising if Howard committed to Houston when there are better options available.
Nicholas Goss is an NBA Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report
