The Rockets have a dream.
And to keep the dream, should they get the dream, they’re going to use the Dream.
Fox Sports Florida spoke with Hakeem Olajuwon regarding the Rockets’ prospective acquisition of Dwight Howard, and the Hall of Famer confirmed that should Houston pull off the biggest trade in franchise history (and there have been some doozies for the Rockets), Olajuwon will play a big part in convincing Howard to stay. From FSN Florida:Olajuwon said he has been asked by the Rockets to talk to Howard about signing to remain long-term with Houston if a deal goes through to get the star center from Orlando. Olajuwon, who starred for the Rockets from 1984-2001 and led them to titles in 1994 and 1995, said he has accepted the possibility of speaking to Howard, whom he knows well and has brought in for workouts the past two summers at his ranch outside Houston.
In a phone interview with FOX Sports Florida from Amman, Jordan, where he lives half the year, Olajuwon said the request came from up high in the Rockets organization. He said it was relayed last week from Rockets athletic trainer Keith Jones to his personal assistant in Texas, who contacted Olajuwon in Jordan.
“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.”
via Hakeem to help with Rockets’ Howard dream.
Olajuwon worked with Howard for multiple summers on improving his footwork and post moves, trying to instill some of his vast knowledge of the inside game to Howard, whose game is primarily predicated on dunking over people smaller than him. There were slight adjustments you could see, like the face-up short-range jumper Howard added last year which he credited to Olajuwon. For the most part, Howard tries not to make a big deal out of training with The Dream, but Howard does obviously respect Olajuwon for what he’s able to teach him.
But if the Rockets complete the trade they’re talking about for Howard, they’re going to have so little left. In a few reported versions of the trade, they would move all three of the new rookies, draft picks, Kevin Martin, and Chandler Parsons. That would clean out almost all the talent the Rockets have, which means next season would be more of the same or worse for Howard, with him as the best player. That’s going to be an extremely tough sell.
Furthermore, there’s a disconnect between Olajuwon’s generation and Howard’s. Olajuwon once had an awful relationship with Rockets management over not contending just like Howard, but the words “brand” and “marketing potential” never came into the conversation. There’s just a big difference between what NBA players valued back in 84-99, and what they value today. That difference may mean the most to Howard. And if he stays, Olajuwon could be a part of it, but the more than $25 million he’ll be getting for re-signing will likely help.
Either way, the Rockets have to pull off the move first.