Charles Oakley addresses the Dwightmare

NBA Legend Charles Oakley has never been one to care what others think of him but recently he decided to voice his opinion of the Dwight Howard situation.  While speaking to ESPN radio, Charles Oakley stated the following:

“A lot of guys cry in this league these days. I try not to get caught up in that. The management in Orlando let him get away with it. Most times, they put kids in timeout. They never put him in timeout. He just kept crying and got his way. Now he’s in LA with Kobe so they got a chance to win a couple championships in the next two or three years. … They could have traded him and got something better for him last year. I think they just tried to play along. They just pleased him anyway they could but he never did anything to please them.”

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David Stern addresses the "Dwightmare"

Speaking to USA Today Sports by telephone, David Stern addressed the Dwight Howard saga that has plagued the league the entire off season.  Stern even suggested that Howard's own agent is the "source" behind all of the leaked information.

"It's very unique, especially if it's driven by a quote source that happens to be Dwight's agent," Stern said" 'A source in the meeting. Oh, OK, who might that be?.....To me, it is the soap opera our fans turn in for - the drama on the court and the drama off the court," Stern said. "When we cease to have a story popping up, we probably won't exist.....I think what it is, is that that's the way we are. That's the way it has been in baseball and the NFL and hockey and basketball. And frankly, it engages our fans, it engages our reporters, it engages our bloggers. It makes people happy, mad, sad. It's just the life in sports."

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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)." 

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