Dwight Howard to Follow in the Footsteps of Olajuwon?

I heard a couple days ago that the Houston Rockets were going to stockpile first round picks from other teams then use those picks to get Dwight Howard from the Magic. Well, it looks like this may be coming true. Today the Rockets were able to get the 18th pick in the 1st round from Minnesota in exchange for Chase Budinger and the draft rights to Lior Eliyahu. Being that the Rockets also own picks 14 and 16, they can most likely turn two of these teen picks into a top 10 pick. Once that happens, it's not impossible that Orlando would accept a top 10 pick, a mid first rounder and Luis Scola for Dwight Howard. 

Obviously, Dwight is not staying with the Magic for very long, so they really need to get him out and get something for him before he becomes a distraction for the team and also to avoid his trade value dropping due to injury. If they see something wrong with his back, they need to let him go before anyone sees him play with a bad back. 

The best part about all the wheeling and dealing that Houston is doing, is that they also plan to clear up enough room to join Howard and free agent point guard Deron Williams. Williams said that he only had two teams on his list: his home town Dallas Mavericks, and the Brooklyn Nets (WHY?); but he probably did not consider that he could play with Dwight in his home state. 

In my opinion, if the Houston Rockets can actually pull this off, they deserve a round of applause. If they already have a handshake deal in which Orlando agreed to give up Dwight if Houston somehow gets a high pick, then this will be a great deal for both sides. Giving up Dwight is never a great deal, but other than an aging Pau Gasol, there isn't much out there for the Magic. They can possibly grab a nice young player in the draft (Andre Drummond), maybe even a center to replace Howard (Andre Drummond). Maybe even a very unproven center with a lot of raw talent that can be a star if things fall into place for him (Andre Drummond). 

(Drummond isn't a sure thing, but he is the best prospect at the center position in this draft, and the Magic will definitely need one to replace that random Dwight Howard guy. I heard he was pretty good.)

For the Rockets, pulling off a near fire-sale to rebuild around Williams, Howard, and quite possibly (if they can keep him) Kevin Martin (who gets buckets. I mean BUCKETS), is a very good way to start. They were already in the playoff race pretty late in the year this year, so I expect at least a couple of first round wins from this team before they are able to grab some pieces around them. Once that happens, the Thunder won't be able to completely roll through the West as they would be doing otherwise for the next 10 years. 

From the side of the Timberwolves, they're still trying to figure it out, but with a healthy Ricky Rubio for this next year, they actually can sneak into the playoffs because Kevin Love is one of the best 5 players in this league. Essentially drafting a developing Budinger with an 18th pick is a good value for him. He's a good piece to have around for a young team on the rise and he's definitely getting better with more experience. 

So watch out Houston, you might need to clear out a space in your hearts for a new star center, Dwight Howard. 

You too Toronto, for this now means that you will get a washed up former MVP in about 10 years.