Report: Rockets going hard after Dwight Howard

[Big Bid'Ness]

Fromrobasketballtalk

When it comes time to trade Dwight Howard this summer — and make no mistake, new Magic general manager Rob Hennigan will have to move him because he will not re-sign in Orlando — the Magic are not going to give a crap about Howard’s wishes.

Howard may want to land in Brooklyn or some other specified list of spots, but the Magic are going to take the best deal for them.

And if they move fast could come from the Houston Rockets, who have made a push for Howard before even though he has not said he would sign an extension there. We passed along the report the Rockets were looking to make trades for their No. 14 and No. 16 picks to move into the top 10. Maybe with a couple picks and a player like Kevin Martin, the Rockets move way up in the conversation, reports ESPN.

The Rockets’ willingness to trade for Howard — even without the All-Star center’s signature on a contract extension — is an open secret around the league. But it’s believed that two top-eight picks, assuming Houston managed to complete trades with both Sacramento and Toronto, would seriously pique the interest of new Magic general manager Rob Hennigan, who could then quickly start following the same sort of roster-building blueprint relied on by his previous employers in Oklahoma City.

As ESPN’s report points out, the harder part may be convincing Hennigan to make a massive move like trading Howard just a week into being on the job, before he really had a chance to sell Howard on staying. Not that he can, but if you’re Hennigan you have to take a swing at it. You’re not going to get a franchise player in this draft at No. 5 or No. 8.

I expect Howard will get moved this summer, not before the draft. But if Hennigan decides to go that route, Houston could be the landing spot.

 

[Elite]

I honestly think he might stay in Houston if they got him. They wouldn't have any other max contracts taking up their cap space so D-Will would be a definite possibility. I know he's "not interested" in anywhere other than Dallas and Brooklyn but Houston is still Texas and isn't that far from the DFW area.

Even if they don't get D-Will they could get some of the semi-big names on the roster after resigning Dragic/keeping Lowry. G-Force or Ersan and OJ Mayo could work.

 

[CameronCrazy06]

I feel like he'd stay too. Maybe Kevin McHale and Hakeem could teach him some post moves.

 

[Pugz]

i think it would be smart if he stayed. hed improve, and he would the face of that team and honestly they could build that roster up. they wouldnt be bad at all and wouldnt need to gut much to get him. other than "brand name" reasons this would be really good for dwight.

 

[BwareDWare94]

I agree with all of you, but I don't want a rental. He either shows up and signs into a tradition of great centers, or I don't want this to happen. One year of D12 would not be worth it after he's gone in 2013.

 

[Elite]

Tradition of great centers? Hakeem, Malone, and...Dikembe Mutombo's corpse?

I certainly wouldn't call Yao a great center by any stretch of the term. A real good one, yes, a great one, no.

 

[BwareDWare94]

Tradition of great centers? Hakeem, Malone, and...Dikembe Mutombo's corpse?

I certainly wouldn't call Yao a great center by any stretch of the term. A real good one, yes, a great one, no.

Then you most certainly didn't watch him when he was healthy. A healthy Yao was arguably the best center in the game, especially with Shaq's decline.

If you don't think Yao was a great center, then I'm afraid you're one of those people who liked to scream that he was overrated because he was so popular overseas and in Houston. Had he remained healthy for a stretch of 2-3 years, Houston may have won a championship. I daresay they might have beaten LAL that year the Lakers won their first of their back-to-back.

 

[Elite]

He played three full seasons in the league and the majority of 5s in the NBA weren't very good for his whole career. Not enough time in the league to call him great.

Especially since while he was still really good, his numbers should have been much better because of his size. I understand there were guys just as tall as him that weren't nearly as good but they obviously weren't as gifted as him.

Shaq was the last great center, assuming you view Timmy D as a 4 like most people do, although there are some that think of him as a 5.

 

[Pugz]

i wouldnt have called yao great. he could have been one of the top 3 centers. he never even got to finish developing his game because of injuries.

 

[Big Bid'Ness]

Fromrobasketballtalk

Report: Houston can trade for Dwight Howard but he’s not staying

And we’re back to this stupid cycle again…

Dwight Howard and his camp are trying to exert control over where he gets traded. It was reported the Houston Rockets were trying to take some big steps to land Howard — trading their two first round picks (No. 14 and No. 16) and some players to land the No. 5 pick (Kings) and No. 8 pick (Raptors). Then the Rockets would flip those picks and a player like Kevin Martin to Orlando for Dwight Howard.

Howard by all accounts does not want to be a Rocket. Houston seems willing to take the risk that if they can trade for him they can convince him to stay, but Howard wants no part of this, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com.

…a source with knowledge of Howard’s thinking said Monday that there was “not a chance” Howard would be persuaded to remain in Houston if traded there, and would leave next summer to sign elsewhere.

It may be true, but to me this sounds like Howard’s people trying to scare off anyone that isn’t Brooklyn or other possible landing spots he wants.

The Rockets deal was never going to come together. First, new Magic GM Rob Hennigan just got on the job and he wants to sit down with Howard and take one more swing at convicing him to stay in Orlando.

When that fails — and it will fail — they will shop him around and take the best deal for them. If a team like Houston or Golden State is willing to take the risk on a rental of Howard and give the Magic the best offer, Hennigan will take it. At this point, the Magic aren’t going to worry about accomodaing Howard’s wishes.

So expect a lot of Howard rumors and a lot of his people saying off the record “he won’t re-sign there.” It’s going to be a fun cycle.

Damn Shame.

 

[Pugz]

The Rockets are accumulating draft picks with the hope of acquiring Dwight Howard, but their secondary strategy is to pursue Josh Smith.

Houston is prepared to trade for Howard without an assurance for an extension.

The Rockets could also pursue other marquee players beyond Smith with their plethora of picks.

The Rockets are trying to put together a trade for Dwight Howard without an assurance that he would sign an extension.

A source with knowledge of Howard’s thinking said Monday that there was “not a chance” he would be convinced to re-sign with Houston if traded there. Howard would leave during the summer of 2013 to sign elsewhere.

Howard has given no indication of planning to sign a long-term extension with the Magic.

 

[Giantmetfan07]

the best line of that PBT article is : "And we’re back to this stupid cycle again…"

indeed we are.

 

[BwareDWare94]

Can we just get Josh Smith and maybe somebody else? If Dwight won't sign, I don't want him for a year.