Dwight Howard Willing to Play Power Forward For Houston Rockets to Make Way For Omer Asik

The Houston Rockets became an instant contender in the Western Conference after acquiring superstar center Dwight Howard, but the acquisition raises questions about how the Rockets will utilize both Howard and Omer Asik.

After the Rockets signed Howard, last season's starting center Asik reportedly asked for a trade, but general manager Daryl Morey hinted that Howard could play power forward to make room for the incumbent starting center.

"Coach Kevin McHale plans to experiment with Dwight at power forward and Omer as center in training camp. If it works and helps us win, obviously we would look at using it," said Morey in a Q&A session with Reddit users.

When Howard was asked about the idea of playing power forward for the Rockets next season, the 27-year-old center said that he is more than willing to switch positions if that will make them a better team.

"I think it can make our team tougher. We need me playing as a power forward some games and Asik being a center. We will have a big lineup, and it will be tough for teams to truly score," Howard said in an interview during his trip in Taiwan.

Playing together, Howard and Asik will arguably form the best defensive frontline in the league. However, Howard has not had success playing with another marquee big man before.

During his successful seasons with the Orlando Magic, Howard played limited minutes alongside backup center Marcin Gortat. In his lone season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Howard and superstar big man Pau Gasol struggled to mesh with each other on the floor, resulting in reduced productions for both.

After averaging 20.6 points and 14.5 rebounds during in his final season with the Magic, Howard's production went down to 17.1 points and 12.4 rebounds a game, while only averaging 10.7 field goal attempts per game. Gasol, on the other hand, averaged career-lows 13.7 points and 46.6 percent shooting from the field in 49 games.