Olajuwon to the rescue?

The Rockets will use every trick imaginable to get Dwight Houston and convince him to re-sign with the franchise.  The Rockets have contacted their all-time great Hakeem Olajuwon and have asked him to convince Howard to stay with Houston for the long term should they compete a trade for Howard.Last summer, the two spent time together at Olajuwon's ranch as Dwight was there to add more to his game.  Speaking to FOX Sports Florida via phone, Olajuwon confirmed his mission for the Rockets.

"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......Not too many teams are willing to take the chance," Olajuwon said of teams wary of trading for Howard with no guarantee he will re-sign. "Les (Alexander, Houston's owner) is not afraid to make a big step like that… (Such a trade would be) very risky if you don't get a firm commitment (from Howard about staying).....For the Rockets, of course I could encourage him, but ultimately he has to do what's best for his career," Olajuwon said. "Of course, Houston is a great city. A lot of players settle in Houston. Wherever he goes, he's going to be a franchise player for that team. 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)."