That’s because the 25-year-old Slovenian and second-year Houston Rocket is an unrestricted free agent after this season, and Houston G.M. Daryl Morey may have to choose between keeping Dragic or fellow rising star Kyle Lowry as the team’s starting point guard.

Dragic, who told reporters following last night’s victory in Portland that he would like to be a starter (presumably full-time), is drawing comparisons to Manu Ginobli and averaging over 18 points per game on 52 percent shooting (44 from beyond the arc), along with 8.7 assists, since manning a starter’s role. He was just named the Western Conference Player of the Week, and he’s proven capable of raising his game in the grandest moments; you remember his 23-point fourth quarter versus San Antonio in the Western Semis, right?

The hype is more than warranted; along with his creativity, deft touch, and acrobatic athleticism, Dragic is exceptionally quick. In the prime of his life, anxious Houstonites should be aware that he is only touching upon the tip of his vast potential, with all the skills to become a future All-Star. Houston Chronicle beat writer Jonathan Feigen even associated 2012′s Year of the Dragon with, you guessed it, the rise of Dragic. Needless to say, while Dragic’s superstar play has lifted Houston into the current sixth seed of the postseason, it has also increased attention from opposing teams eager to shed pounds of dough to overpay him this summer.

What does Dragic himself have to say about this?

“…all the doors are open,” the man nicknamed “Gogi” said. “We’re going to see what is going to happen this summer [...] Hopefully, I’m going to stay in Houston.”

Both encouraging and worrisome for Toyota Center residents, but it prompts a few questions; is Rockets’ management willing to pony up and keep him? And with a borderline All-Star in Kyle Lowry recovering from serious illness, will they even commit to Dragic as the regular starter when both are healthy together?

Morey has a few choices, but none of them are simple or clear-cut. With Dragic, it may be difficult to re-sign him without some notable upheaval, such as the trade packaging of Lowry, who still has two years left on his contract. It sort of feels like the Aaron Brooks situation after the 2009-10 season. Lowry was playing as well as Dragic is now before his bacterial infection, so it may not be too much of a drop-off to let Dragic walk to a desperate team, like Portland, that will overpay.

However, Lowry’s game is predicated more on effort and hustle, while Dragic possesses rare offensive skills Lowry lacks and more potential as a star, in my opinion. Morey could probably keep Lowry and still sign Dragic — although rotational issues would need to be addressed — but the chances become slimmer the longer Dragic plays at this high level, and Houston’s upcoming summer of cap room bliss, which they have worked tirelessly to achieve over the past 2-3 seasons, would be gone. A consolation prize of Lowry and Courtney Lee wouldn’t be so bad, but would Houston be any closer to a championship? Probably not. If Dragic dazzles in the postseason, expect the market price to be too high for Houston to keep him without packaging Lowry for a trade or giving up their dreams of landing a superstar this offseason.

Regardless of asking price, I think Dragic’s potential as a star is worth keeping him in Rockets’ red at all costs — even if that involves losing Lowry. Ideally, a combination of both would provide Houston with a young, up-and-coming championship core.  But the feasibility of such a plan is unlikely. I know I’d like to finally buy a Rockets’ jersey with a name I know will be on the team the following year. And I want that name to be Dragic.

What do you think?

Find me on Twitter @j_fries and give me feedback.

But with three straight road wins under its belt — including impressive comeback victories over the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls — Houston appears poised for a return to postseason basketball after a two-year absence. For Rockets’ fans, seeding is secondary to simply making it.

Goran Dragic was just named Western Conference Player of the Week for his superstar-level play in incumbent point Kyle Lowry’s absence due to bacterial infection. With averages of 20, 3, 8, and 3 (points, rebounds, assists, and steals), Dragic looks like a young Manu Ginobli, lithe and acrobatic in his forays to the hoop and dangerously clutch in the timing of his baskets. Lowry is back earlier than anyone expected, dropping seven dimes to accompany a whopping zero turnovers in a win over Sacramento Sunday night. His return adds unprecedented depth to the Houston bench, which also contains streaky sniper Chase Budinger and reliable power forward Patrick Patterson. Although devoid of closing superstars, Courtney Lee and Luis Scola have each stepped up to assume primary scoring roles in the past week. Finally, in addition to the stalwart veteran towers of Marcus Camby and Samuel Dalembert, rookie Chandler Parsons has shockingly emerged as one of the NBA’s best young defensive stoppers. He has stifled Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant in respective wins, and his offense is vastly improving; Parsons is shooting over 40 percent for the past month. In similar fashion to the Indiana Pacers and pre-meltdown Philadelphia 76ers, Houston is winning under first-year Coach Kevin McHale with defense, team play, and some seriously high levels of nightly effort. How long can this keep up without a certified superstar? Probably not past a first-round upset, but the foundation is definitely laid for future success if G.M. Daryl Morey can re-sign upcoming free agent Dragic and land a star this summer. What follows is a brief list of Houston’s likely playoff scenarios; which do you think is most favorable?

1) San Antonio Spurs (40-14). Season series? 2-2. Prognosis? I think this would be Houston’s best bet for an upset bid. San Antonio is old — I know, they usually disprove this notion after having been declared dead on multiple occasions — and proved vulnerable losing to eighth-seeded Memphis in 2011 despite a fantastic regular season. Houston also matches up well against them, with former Spurs’ draft picks Scola and Dragic in the bag, and should have won both meetings in San Antonio. The Spurs’ run is over, and Houston has the potential to drive the final postseason stake into their hearts.

2) Oklahoma City Thunder (41-15). Season series? 2-2. Prognosis? This is tough. Oklahoma City is the best team in the West, no matter their runner-up record, and Kevin Durant/Russell Westbrook are perhaps the best superstar scoring duo in the NBA. They have all the talent in the world; the only thing holding them back is youth, and that is not enough to maintain any optimism for a Houston upset despite the even regular season record.

3) Los Angeles Lakers (35-22). Season series? 2-1. Prognosis? Houston was fortunate to defeat L.A. twice thanks in large part to Andrew Bynum’s pair of ejections in each Lakers’ loss. If Bynum keeps his cool, Houston doesn’t stand a chance against the athleticism and length of Bynum and Pau Gasol inside.

4) Los Angeles Clippers (34-22). Season series? 0-3. Prognosis? Lob City’s athletic post players gave Houston’s ground dwellers fits in all three meetings this season, and Chris Paul poses a great defensive challenge for the slight Dragic. But there is no reason Houston shouldn’t be able to defeat L.A., an inconsistent but talented outfit.

5) Memphis Grizzlies (32-23). Season series? 2-2. Prognosis? This is another good scenario for Houston, but it’s unlikely to happen with Memphis currently holding fast to the fifth seed. Lowry always plays well against his former team, and both squads are young, scrappy, and up-and-coming. Would be a fun, competitive, balanced, if unlikely, series of two Western Conference risers.

So, especially in the NBA, where the average player height is just under 6 ft. 7, Boykins stands out like a sore thumb. But he’s also apparently good enough to carve out a 12-year journeyman NBA career with 10 different teams and to see his name etched into 12th place on the all-time scoring list for players under six foot (number one? Nate “Tiny” Archibald, although Rocket great Calvin Murphy is number two). The Eastern Michigan alum is a popular emergency choice for teams lacking scoring punch from the guard position, and he once averaged double figures in scoring for five straight seasons, including 15 per contest for the Denver Nuggets in 2007. Although he’s the second shortest player in NBA history, Boykins can bench press 315 pounds. A notorious chucker, he scored 32 points in a game once. The guy is a folk hero, a legend, whose career accomplishments facing such physical shortcomings stretch the beliefs of our imagination. He is living proof that anything is possible, as Kevin Garnett once famously screamed.

On Monday evening, Boykins signed a 10-day contact with the point guard starved Houston Rockets, and, merely an hour after inking the deal, scored 10 points — including the game-clinching free throws — to defeat the Sacramento Kings. The legend continues to grow and spread like Chuck Norris jokes. And although his stay may be short — he scored four points and looked out of rhythm versus Dallas on Tuesday — Earl Boykins is still great for the sport of basketball and a great symbol of hope for wanna-be ballers everywhere.

Almost every player, including Michael Jordan — although that is up for debate — has been criticized or told they lacked some important quality needed to succeed at the game of basketball. Too slow, can’t jump, awkward release, not enough muscle. And, of course, the kicker: too short. Usually height deficiency is an automatic exit door to a promising basketball career, and while talented players of limited stature have emerged throughout NBA history, it’s rare for these players to be anything more than gimmicky one-trick ponies with short-lived careers (i.e., Nate Robinson with dunks). For most of us ground bound athletes, one can only be a successful and tiny basketball player for so long before the proverbial wall emerges and the career ends. Colleges can find plenty of quick, sweet-shooting point guards over six-feet. Why recruit a 5 ft. 5 guy for anything other than ticket sales to come see the circus attraction?

And that’s why Earl Boykins is such a wonderfully refreshing story. Imagine how many times he was told his professional basketball career was finished. Every convention in the book says he shouldn’t be in the NBA, especially as he ages and the speed/athleticism dwarfish players rely on vanishes. Yet the Houston Rockets felt that his worth and value as a legitimately talented player was proficient enough to warrant a contract, and that should be enough hope for any moderately talented hoopster to keep working at his/her craft no matter what quality some coach lists as the reason he/she can never be successful. In a league where every player is increasingly funneled through the same development process and it feels like 6 ft. 7 slashers grow on trees, we all need an Earl Boykins to pop onto our screens and show us that anything truly is possible.

Goran Dragic played well on his sore ankle, scoring 17 points along with seven assists, and Luis Scola, ever the stalwart, dropped a solid 22.

But Houston’s bench was outscored 48-17 —thanks in large part to the suddenly stellar Brandan Wright — and noted “Rockets Killer” Jason Terry scored seven straight points in a minute’s span during the third quarter to seize momentum and control from the Rockets, who were up 16 at one point during the first quarter.

The game was almost a complete reversal from the previous night’s, when Houston was flat coming out of the gate and slowly chipped away at the Sacramento Kings the entire game until the eventual victory in overtime. Tired legs played a role in Houston’s gradual fade as last night’s game progressed, and the shooting showed it — 28 percent from three, and only 12 points in the third quarter. Dallas, despite their struggles in 2012, is a difficult opponent to face on the road to close a back-to-back, and the Rockets’ starters were lagging after a gritty Monday victory that should have been a restful blowout. Here are five things to take from the game:

1) This next week will determine Houston’s postseason hopes. Tuesday’s loss was a big one for Rockets faithful. Kevin McHale’s team once again sits outside the playoff picture in the ever-rotating ninth spot, and with Denver playing Toronto tonight, it looks as if it will stay that way. To say Houston fans would be frustrated with a third-straight finish of “best team not to make the playoffs” would be a gross understatement.

In addition to winning all of the games against inferior opponents, Houston needs to eke out upset victories against teams like Dallas, which they did versus the Thunder and Lakers in previous weeks. That’s because the next four games include two must-win home contests versus the sizzling Memphis Grizzlies and Indiana Pacers followed by road trips against the Bulls and Lakers. Houston has a chance to improve its seeding and solidify a bid, or they could bury themselves into a nearly impossible hole.

2) Rockets fans just want Jason Terry to go away. We are all tired of Terry’s “Rockets Killer” moniker, but he won’t let us forget it. He only scored 12 points last night, but the stat sheet doesn’t reveal how crucial and soul-crushing each bucket was. They all seemingly came at moments when Houston needed to score or achieve a defensive stop. His seven points in a minute during a critical stretch in the third quarter effectively sealed the game for Dallas and gave the Mavericks all the momentum they needed to shut down a tired Houston team.

3) Lee and Patterson struggle. Maybe Patterson’s 24-point outing Monday night was really just inspired by playing his old college teammate, DeMarcus Cousins, or maybe Dallas’ Wright just gives him issues, because for the second game in a row versus the Mavs, Patterson was forgettable, shooting only 1-7 from the floor. Houston can’t afford no-shows from Courtney Lee, either, as the absence of Martin makes him the Rockets most dangerous perimeter scorer. Lee was 4-13 from the field last night.

4) Budinger’s face is next to “streaky” in the dictionary. Air Bud can put up points in bunches with his crafty transition game and penchant for spot-up threes, but when he is missing, he misses in bushels as well. In addition to missing the potential game winner versus Dallas on Saturday, Bud shot 3-9 last night, including a paltry 1-5 from beyond the arc. Houston needs those bench points from Budinger because there aren’t many other scoring options on the bench, and because most of his threes are wide-open by NBA standards.

5) Fortson, anyone? Earl Boykins is fun and all, but McHale needs to give former Arkansas Razorback Courtney Fortson a shot. Forston has bounced around the league this season — his long dreads, diminutive stature, and quick burst have quickly made him a 10-day contract favorite — but Houston finally signed him on for this season and the next. With the bench sputtering like they did last night, McHale needs to consider the youthful burst of energy that Fortson can provide.

Houston came out of the gate flat — down by as many as 16 in the first quarter — and didn’t seize its first lead until the fourth quarter before dominating in OT. The game should have been a chance to seize a big lead and rest the starters for the Mavs tonight, but unfortunately those same starters dug a deep hole and required maximum effort to maintain the ultra-competitive eighth seed in the West, which is essentially a four-way grudge match at the moment between Houston, Utah, Denver, and Phoenix. Here are five thoughts on last night’s game:

1) DeMarcus Cousins is a stud. The mercurial power forward who already got a coach fired this season is a complete player, hothead or not. Cousins is strong, aggressive, and versatile, with a sturdy power game around the hoop and a consistent midrange jumper as well.  He scored 38 points, and played the role of unstoppable force for the majority of the night. It also seemed as if Houston’s post players forgot how to box out, as Cousins grabbed a whopping seven offensive rebounds. He kept Sacramento in the game, and showed scouts all the on-court abilities that justified his high draft position despite the character risks.  It’s worth mentioning, however, that he also had five turnovers and a technical foul. John Calipari’s coaching career came full circle last night as well, with his original “money” recruit, salty UMass veteran Marcus Camby, squaring off against the future in Cousins.

2) Patrick Patterson has game, too. It was a good night for Kentucky alums, as Patterson matched Cousins down the stretch and scored a career-high 24 points. The former Wildcat teammates waged an epic back-and-forth battle in the paint, but it was Patterson who made the clutch shots at the end— including the eventual 17-footer that sent the game to overtime — and finished off his best game as a pro with a Rockets victory.

3) Houston is running out of point guards. This one is pretty self-evident. With Kyle Lowry likely out for the season, much of the offensive leadership load has fallen on Dragic, who has proven more than capable since Lowry’s health scare. Unfortunately, the baby faced assassin with a voice like Borat tweaked his ankle a bit last night and had to leave late after securing yet another double-double (16 & 10). He says he’s good to go against Dallas because of “unfinished business,” but how much of that was adrenaline talking, and how fresh will he feel after an overtime game last night to go along with the bum ankle? Houston also has two 10-day contract stalwarts on the roster in famously tiny journeyman Earl Boykins and dreadlocked rookie Courtney Fortson.

4) Houston has to play really hard to win. Yep, this one was pretty obvious too. The Rockets do not possess the talent to take nights off and simply brush aside young, struggling teams like the Kings. They proved that last night; they have to exert maximum effort, get in the passing lane, and grab offensive rebounds at a higher rate than the opponent to stand a chance. When Houston doesn’t play with energy and goes through the motions, as they did in the first half last night (they entered the locker room down nine), they can lose to anybody, but they also have a tendency to play up to their competition.

5) If Goran Dragic continues to play this well, is Kyle Lowry expendable? I’ll let you guys mull that one over.

5)

Here is Marcus Camby’s incredible one-handed full court shot from last night vs. the Sacramento Kings. Although late by at least a second, the surprise swish would have counted as the longest make in NBA history.

In hindsight, he probably would have shown some more urgency in the release — I know I was yelling at my television for Camby to sarcastically “take his time” — but without the careful lob, the shot probably wouldn’t have come close.

Regardless, the shot is a certified playground gem and one of the most entertaining “almost” plays of the season. Kudos to the veteran not known for his offense.

But in an interview with Rockets.com writer Jason Friedman, Lowry sounded doubtful about his ability to return to the court in 2012.

Before the infection surfaced, Lowry, Houston’s regular starting point guard, was a strong candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award and a near-nightly triple-double threat with rough averages of 15, 5, and 7 for the season.

After an early March game in Toronto, however, Lowry felt severe flu-like symptoms, played anyway, and then could barely move in the postgame locker room due to chills. He went to receive an MRI for an unrelated groin injury, and once his temperature shot up nearly four degrees (to 104) within an hour, he was immediately placed in the hospital with the aforementioned bacterial infection.

The scary part is that Lowry’s doctors have no idea how he contracted the infection, and if he hadn’t checked on his groin issue, then his infection may have lingered long enough to be life-threatening. Lowry has no timetable for a return, doesn’t finish his antibiotic cycle until April 7th, has reportedly lost 15 pounds, and still has the groin strain to worry about once his physical health improves.

Such a laundry list of misfortunes doesn’t exactly make a hopeful return for the playoffs sound promising. At this point, Rockets fans should just be thankful that Lowry is alive and on the road to good health again. It sounds as if his infection was much more serious than originally expected, plus he has to regain much of his strength (Lowry said that while he feels eons better, he is still weak/lightheaded) once the infection is banished. And for a player whose game relies heavily on bruising drives to the basket, losing any of the heft that made such physical forays possible is cause for concern and reason to believe that Lowry has a long road of weight-lifting ahead even once the sickness is warded off.

Regardless of whether he plays again this season or not, Lowry’s teammates have raised their respective games in his absence and are playing as well as they have all season. The postseason is in clear view, although the seed is muddled. Lowry’s health and well-being are much more valuable than having an extra horse for a playoff push, but the elephant in the room does persist; can Houston’s stars ever stay healthy? Are the Rockets cursed? Trail Blazers fans would like a say in the argument, but the sheer amount of injury-related misfortune to afflict the Rockets in the 2000s is becoming a bit tiresome. Stay tuned, and get well soon, Kyle.

Although Houston lost another overtime heartbreaker — their fourth straight loss — to the Boston Celtics Tuesday, at times it felt as if the Celts were trying to hand Rockets Coach Kevin McHale a homecoming present with a gift wrapped victory.

This play essentially sums the game up in a nutshell. Houston never should have been in this position — the Rockets steadily choked away a late 10-point lead — but Boston was up 84-82 with time dwindling, and point guard Rajon Rondo was streaming for a breakaway layup.

But somewhere on the way to the rim, he lost grip of the ball, blew a “fat tire,” according to Rockets announcers, and flubbed the shot terribly; nobody was within range of blocking it. Kyle Lowry snatched the rebound and zipped the ball up court, where it eventually landed in the hands of a corner-dwelling Goran Dragic for a game-tying two with three seconds left. The game went to overtime, where the Celtics held on to win 97-92. The Boston crowd apparently thought the game was over as Rondo rose to the rim, however, and they appeared in a state of shock for some time afterwards at the sight of an NBA player missing a wide-open layup.

Rondo’s mental error was one of the more embarrassing and costly mistakes in recent NBA memory only because the play was so routine and because it came at such a critical moment. He is awfully fortunate Houston lacked the offensive stars to take advantage of the renewed life he gifted them in overtime, because this would have been a difficult miss to live down.

In an exclusive interview with Clutch Fans, Terrence Williams talked about his surprise spurt of playing time in a 105-103 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers Sunday night.

T-Will, a former Louisville star and tantalizing athlete who cannot seem to translate his vast potential into on-court action, played 14 minutes versus L.A. and shot only 1-8 from the field. However, he provided a notable defensive spark and consistently found open teammates in transition.

Regardless of whether his inclusion in the rotation, which Coach Kevin McHale attributed to hard work in practice, is permanent or not, Williams seems to have discovered newfound maturity through his time on the pine in 2011-12. After beginning the year in the rotation, Williams — and his relatively freelancing style of play — quickly found himself on the outside looking on. Garbage time became his only chance to play.

But while in the past Williams would have sulked on Twitter or complained to his agent, the new T-Will has taken the slight of benching in stride and continued to bust his tail in practice, even after Houston management decided not pick up the option on his contract after this season.

Whether Williams gets a greater slice of playing time to prove his mettle with the Rockets or not, it’s clear his career is rejuvenated thanks to his new attitude and positive response to adversity. Perhaps, T-Will can finally harness his athleticism and vast skill set to become the NBA star the New Jersey Nets thought he would become when they selected him in the 2009 NBA Draft lottery. Stay tuned to see if McHale decides to give Williams another chance in Boston on Tuesday.

Lowry led Houston with 26 points, each one valuable, and a perfect 4-4 mark from behind the arc. Such a pristine offensive effort was especially notable on a night when Houston’s players couldn’t seem to shoot, rebound, or string together multiple successful possessions. Kevin McHale’s bunch is fortunate to have opened up the second half of the NBA season versus Andrea Bargnani-less Toronto; a stiffer opponent would have taken advantage of the Rockets’ post-break fog. But these are the battles Houston needs to win in order to secure a playoff bid — they are currently 21-14 and occupy the Western Conference’s fifth seed — and Lowry continues to deliver with backbreaking triples and fearlessly physical forays to the hoop on a nightly basis. The Rockets are a rudderless ship without their point guard leader, and fans should be thankful they don’t have to comprehend a present without him — just look at the offensive production from Lowry’s teammates tonight to understand his value.

Here are some post-game grades:

Offense: The offense deserves lower, but since Houston nabbed the win, a B- is granted. Outside of the aforementioned Lowry, the only Rocket to shoot at least 50 percent from the field was Samuel Dalembert, who contributed 10 points on a variety of close shots around the basket. Kevin Martin shot a horrific 3-15, including one of six from three land, and Chandler Parsons made only a single trey out of four attempts. The bench combined to shoot 7-24. It was bad, folks.

But to their credit, the Rockets stepped up, as they have all season, with baskets in the clutch. Parsons’ lone three came in the closing minutes, when Houston was struggling to fortify a late two-point lead. Martin drained 7-8 free throws. Courtney Lee had a raucous tip dunk. And, of course, Lowry combined a three with a whirling dervish drive and some free throws for good measure to build the smallest of separations down the stretch. It was an ugly shooting performance, but Houston made buckets when they counted and displayed a resilient will to win. Nice qualities to have when the talent isn’t present to take a night off in the effort department.

Defense: The rebounding was bad — the Rockets were “out-glassed” by 10 — but the overall team defense warrants a B+. Especially on the last sequence, when the Raptors had an opportunity to tie the game on the last shot, and Houston swallowed any semblance of breathing room Toronto’s shooters had. Linas Klieza would brick the shot, a forced heave with a hand squarely planted in his face. Toronto would finish 2-17 from downtown, a key number for a team of international snipers who rely on heavily on the trey.