You can't say that the Houston Rockets aren't at least trying to get a superstar to Houston.
According to a FOX Sports report, the Rockets asked Hakeem Olajuwon to try to recruit Dwight Howard to Houston -- and convince him to sign a long-term contract, if and when he is traded from Orlando to Houston.
Step 1 would be Houston acquiring Dwight Howard. Then it would be Hakeem Olajuwon's turn.
"I'm Step 2," the Hall of Fame center said Friday.
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.
The fact that Olajuwon and Howard have worked together in the past certainly increases the chances that this plan is successful. Still, it's a longshot, as Howard has not expressed much open interest in signing a long-term deal with the Rockets.
First things first, though: the Rockets need to execute Step 1 before they get to Step 2.
For more on the Rockets, head over to The Dreamshake.