HoopsHype.com Rumors

Houston has become an attractive destination for Howard for several other reasons, according to a source. For starters, Howard has gotten to know the Houston area, as well as the history of the franchise, from working out with Rockets Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon two summers ago. Furthermore, the 27-year-old Howard is intrigued by the possibility of growing his game alongside a fellow All-Star in the rise in James Harden, who turns 24 in August. ESPN.com

Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Free Agency, Dwight Howard, James Harden, Hakeem Olajuwon 

Is "The Dream" in Andre Drummond's future? Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon, one of the game's all-time great offensive players, is expected to work with the Pistons' center-forward over the summer to help him with his offensive game, which is still in the infant stages. USA Today Sports

Detroit Pistons, Hakeem Olajuwon, Andre Drummond 

Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson recently joined Cory & Nathan on 105.3 The Fan. Here are some highlights: On if the Mavs would rather have an elite point guard or center: “Look, I don’t think there is any question if you look at some of the challenges we had last year, point guards are very unique, and it’s really hard to find those guys. That’s why we pulled out all the stops to try to get Deron Williams to come back home. Obviously, he opted to stay in New York. I don’t think there is any position as important as point guard regardless of what level you’re playing on. But hey, if you’re talking about the next if not equal, you talk about the big guy in the middle. You look back at history with Hakeem Olajuwon and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and you go right down the list, and it’s very difficult to go deep in the playoffs without an inside presence, defensively certainly so obviously, those are two key positions.” Dallas Morning News

Dallas Mavericks, Free Agency, Deron Williams, Donnie Nelson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon 

Keith Langlois: This teaser on @Andre Drummond. Plans not final, but he's reached out to Hakeem Olajuwon for a summer session with the HOFer in Houston. Twitter

Detroit Pistons, Hakeem Olajuwon, Andre Drummond 

ESPN Stats & Info: Spencer Hawes- 1st player with at least 18 pts, 16 rebounds, 8 assists, 7 blocks in game since Hakeem Olajuwon's quadruple double in 1990 Twitter

Philadelphia 76ers, Hakeem Olajuwon, Spencer Hawes 

Dwight Howard has sought the training of Hakeem Olajuwon in recent summers and the Los Angeles Lakers' center says he will again work out with the Hall of Famer this offseason. "This summer I will," Howard posted on Twitter when a follower asked him if he has or will work out with Olajuwon again. RealGM

Los Angeles Lakers, Dwight Howard, Hall of Fame, Hakeem Olajuwon 

Mark Berman: Drexler on Guy Lewis: "He's more deserving than Elvin Hayes, Hakeem Olajuwon & myself. He helped mold us into the players that we became." Twitter @MarkBermanFox26

Hall of Fame, Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon, Elvin Hayes, Guy Lewis 

Mark Berman: Yao Ming says he'll join Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler & Dikembe Mutombo n judging the Slam Dunk Contest. Yao says he'll bring down avg age Twitter @MarkBermanFox26

Houston Rockets, Yao Ming, Clyde Drexler, Dikembe Mutombo, Hakeem Olajuwon, All-Star 

Mark Berman: Dikembe Mutombo says he wil join Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon n helping judge the Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Saturday night. Twitter @MarkBermanFox26

Clyde Drexler, Dikembe Mutombo, Hakeem Olajuwon, All Star Game 

Hakeem Olajuwon is sticking with his belief that Dwight Howard will re-sign this summer with the Los Angeles Lakers. If Howard is thinking differently, Olajuwon figures Howard will let him know. In a phone interview with Fox Sports Florida, Olajuwon, a Hall of Fame center, said Howard told him in the summer of 2011 that he wanted out of Orlando after eight seasons primarily due to how he was being used by then-Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, and that he wanted to end up with the Lakers. FOXSports Florida

Los Angeles Lakers, Dwight Howard, Hakeem Olajuwon 

"I want to catch up and see how (Howard) really feels," said Olajuwon, the greatest player in Rockets history, who will serve as a judge for the NBA's Feb. 16 dunk contest and be honored at the Feb. 17 Legends Brunch. "My first concept is to make him feel comfortable... The key is to make him comfortable so that he can open up and I know what the issues are (that concern Howard)." FOXSports Florida

Los Angeles Lakers, Dwight Howard, Hakeem Olajuwon 

"During the offseason, he didn't get a chance to play basketball and that's when you work on your conditioning," said Olajuwon, who believes Howard's recent shoulder injury is much less of a concern than HIS back situation. "And then he missed (most of) the preseason and to come right into a situation where there were a lot of expectations right away. So it was a tough position for him right away. "It takes time to fully recover (from back surgery). I see sometimes that he's very comfortable and agile but sometimes you see the timing and the delay and he's not as reactive. And I believe that's part of the recovery period. That will take time." FOXSports Florida

Los Angeles Lakers, Dwight Howard, Hakeem Olajuwon 

Chris Tomasson: Hakeem Olajuwon told me he will serve as a judge for the slam-dunk contest in Houston on All-Star Saturday Night. “In my career, we used to sit on the side and watch,’’ Olajuwon said of watching the dunk contests during All-Star Games in which he played. “Of course, everybody had their own (opinion) on the points. So I think it will fun.’’ Sulia

Houston Rockets, Hakeem Olajuwon 

Q: Hi Doug. All signs point to Valanciunas eventually becoming a solid contributor for the Raps (I would be happy with 18 and 10). What do you think should be the team's approach during the off-season? Encourage him to see one of the experts such as Grgurich or Olajuwon, or let him develop at his own pace through gameplay with his national team? Anson B, Ottawa. Doug Smith: Dwane actually mentioned this week the possibility of having him work with Olajuwon this summer and as long as someone write a check big enough, it’ll happen. Guess it can’t hurt. And I’m not sure what’s up this summer for the Lithuanian team outside of qualifying for the 2014 worlds but I’m sure Jonas will be part of that team. Toronto Star

Toronto Raptors, Hakeem Olajuwon, Jonas Valanciunas 

Through the 2010-11 NBA season, James got just eight percent of his offense through post-ups, scoring 163 points on 171 possessions. That ranked him in the 91st percentile amongst his peers, so he clearly needed to work on utilizing the post more. “I looked at him and told him every night he would have an advantage in the post against his opponents,” Olajuwon said. “I told him there aren’t very many nights where you’re going to face an opponent who will be your size in that position. He’ll have the advantage almost every night. We talked about how to attack a player in the post, not just to post up, but also to get the mid-range jumper. We talked about how to get a player off balance, attack their weak leg, and be a scorer in the post. Now he can post up, face up, get under the basket, and score in a lot of different ways in the paint.” HoopsWorld

Miami Heat, LeBron James, Hakeem Olajuwon 

“It was just great to be with him and be able to work on my game and, at the same time, be able to pick his brain and him pick my brain about what it means to become a champion and all that stuff,” James told HOOPSWORLD of his time with Olajuwon. “I had some great times.” HoopsWorld

Miami Heat, LeBron James, Hakeem Olajuwon 

There has been much gush about Nuggets big man JaVale McGee working out with Hakeem Olajuwon this summer. But Faried was there, too, living a dream while soaking in the dream shake. Asked what he gained from the experience, Faried said: "What didn't I gain from being with him? He's a great person, polite, respectful and his basketball skills are amazing, his footwork, the way he maneuvers in the post." Denver Post

Denver Nuggets, Javale McGee, Hakeem Olajuwon 

Stoudemire is a quick study and can recount Olajuwon’s dance steps as if reciting the periodic table. Asked if he knows the “Dream Shake,” Stoudemire said: “As Hakeem will tell you, there’s more than one move that consists of the Shake. To be honest with you, there’s about four or five moves. The shake is the fifth move to that because there’s so many counters. The Shake comes on the fourth or fifth move.’’ Stoudemire didn’t know a single move before the summer. He blames it on being attached to former Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni’s speedball game. “I’m a player who adapted to the system I played in,’’ Stoudemire said. “I’ve been under D’Antoni for seven, eight years. Post-up wasn’t a factor for us. We were such a high-octane, up-tempo team where speed and quickness was to our advantage. I’m now allowed to develop a post game where my speed and quickness will still be used to my advantage but add a lot of [post] skill.’’ New York Post

New York Knicks, Amare Stoudemire, Hakeem Olajuwon 

Hakeem Olajuwon worked with some big men, would you like to train with him? Kevin Seraphin: It's a project, I'm talking about that with Sam Cassell. Basket-Infos

Washington Wizards, Kevin Seraphin, Hakeem Olajuwon 

Hakeem Olajuwon on Yao Ming, Houston and the Lakers. HoopsHype

Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Yao Ming, Hakeem Olajuwon