Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports
As we get ready to enter the 2013 NBA Free Agency period, there is really only one name dominating most of the talk around the league: Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard.
It has been made known that both the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks are Howard’s ideal targets this summer, with a potential that the Atlanta Hawks could be a suitor as well. A wildcard team that has been said to get a meeting with Howard before his decision is the Golden State Warriors.
The most intriguing team to many would be the Rockets. Having a guy like James Harden there already as well as younger talent in Jeremy Lin and Chandler Parsons makes an interesting core for Howard to join.
The biggest question now becomes, who is will make the better sales pitch?
Mavs owner Mark Cuban has said that he plans on using Dirk Nowitzki to help him recruit Howard to Dallas and Nowitzki gladly obliged. So, who does Houston use?
Well, luckily for them, Parsons has had an ongoing friendship with the big man that dates back to Howard’s days with the Orlando Magic. When Parsons was at Florida they had developed a relationship and continue to talk and text back and forth to this day.
Parsons recently was asked about his level of optimism in this recruiting process in which he responded:
“I’m confident I am a better recruiter than Dirk.”
Whoa, them are some fightin’ words boy.
This whole process became a lot more fun due to Parsons’ confidence. I know they have a solid friendship, but with the potential to join one of the best players of this past decade — who also happens to have a ring already — and an owner who is willing to spend tons of money, I don’t know if I would feel 100 percent confident in your ability to lure him to Houston.
Howard has said he plans to announce his decision July 10th, so that recruiting process doesn’t have a whole lot of time to play out. Parsons better make sure he’s got a plan in place to counter whatever Cuban and company have up their sleeves.
Ryan Heckman is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ryanmheckman, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
