"Given the option, Rockets coach Kevin McHale would gladly drop Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Hakeem Olajuwon into the middle of his lineup and work from there.

He presumably meant Olajuwon or Abdul-Jabbar in his prime, but if either were open to it, McHale likely would consider it now, too.

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey would go barefoot and tap dance on hot coals (as if imitating Kevin Love's treatment of Luis Scola's face) if it could get him the superstar centerpiece he has coveted.

Yet as the Rockets — whose roster has a combined zero All-Star appearances — considered the success of the Denver Nuggets, the idea of building with balance did not seem so bad."