Dwight Howard Wants To Meet Up With Hakeem Olajuwon Again

After a season that saw him take his game to another level while everyone else around the Orlando organization dropped about four levels, Dwight Howard wants to meet up with Hakeem again. The Magic center says he plans to meet up with Olajuwon again at some point this summer because if he wants to continue to meet his goals and get better, meeting up with the Dream is necessary. Last year, Howard officially tapped into some of the incredible potential he has. And while it’s hard to expect guys who’ve been in the league for as long as he has to drastically improve, watching Howard all last year surely felt like he had turned a corner. Dwight said he thought Olajuwon could still play in the league now, and he was dead serious. We wouldn’t be all that surprised. The NBA should make it mandatory for every player in the league to see and learn from the Dream at some point. It’s like guys can spend one afternoon with him and they instantly become better, have more complete games and are lighter and more confident on their feet. Howard is a perfect example; He was an athlete and now he’s the most unstoppable big man in the game (even offensively…no one can keep him from getting 25+ when he wants to) … Brandon Roy is hyped. After bowing out of the Seattle Super Bowl of basketball this weekend to avoid injury, Roy is adamant he’s feeling good, and not feeling any pain. At this point, no one knows what to think. He has chronic knee issues, so to assume it’ll just all mysteriously go away isn’t smart. It’s the summer. No one is grinding like they are during the season. There’s a great chance he’s pain free right now. But what happens during the season when he’s flying at 2 in the morning after a long overtime game, has to get to the shootaround the next afternoon before Portland plays again the next night? Whether he can handle the in-season grind is the REAL test for those knees. Hopefully he passes … Another very good player struggling to come back from injury is Utah’s Mehmet Okur. The big man is dealing with a double whammy, an Achilles injury and back problems. Apparently, he’s doing pretty well. But if you’re the Jazz, a squad that has built up a decent stable of young inside talent, do you make room for Okur? Is he worth it at this point? … Out of all of this year’s second rounders, we really believed Boston’s E’Twaun Moore could surprise and make an impact. But he may not be playing in Boston at all. The guard might soon be signing with Cimberio Varese. There should be an out clause involved, but for a second-round pick (with no guaranteed deal), would you be jumping back and forth across oceans? … The group of NBA players out in Manila this weekend ended it all with a 98-89 win over Smart Gilas Pilipinas. It was a different game than the one on Saturday night, when the NBA guys might as well have been the Globetrotters playing the Washington Generals. In this one, their dunks were cut in half. But Kobe (17 points), Kevin Durant (16) and JaVale McGee (16) did enough to leave on a high note … We’re out like justice in the Lorenzen Wright case.