The Houston Rockets have their sights set on Orlando Magic All-Star center Dwight Howard. (GETTY IMAGES)

Many people around the NBA have to be wondering what the Houston Rockets are doing. This is a team that just barely missed out on making the playoffs in the final weeks of the season. But, they seem intent on blowing it up and starting over.

They have traded Kyle Lowry (understandable since he said he didn’t want to be there) for a first-round draft pick, but then they basically let Goran Dragic walk to Phoenix when they tendered him an offer. They gave Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin crazy back-loaded deals that pay them way too much in the third years: $15 million for Asik, and $14 million for Lin. They used the amnesty clause on Luis Scola, who has been a pretty solid and underrated power forward the last three seasons.

Now, the reason for all this is the possible acquisition of Dwight Howard. But he would benefit from having a legit PF next to to him – if Houston were to actually get him. And if they do, it’s basically a rental situation. Howard has not said he would sign an extension or that he wants to play for the Rockets.

The Rockets could have used the amnesty on injury-prone Kevin Martin, who rarely suits up. Scola has several years left on his deal and Martin has just a year left and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

But let’s say the Rockets get Howard and Lin (if the Knicks don’t match). They have a Big 3 of Howard, Martin and Lin? Sure, they have an excellent center in Howard, but they have a shooting guard who has averaged 59 games in his eight-year career and a point guard in Lin who showed flashes but is still a work in progress. That’s not going to strike fear in any team, in my opinion, and they won’t be instant playoff contenders (more likely fighting for the 6-8 spots in the Western Conference.

And if they don’t get Howard? They are a lottery team. But, they would have traded their first-round picks (the offer is four first-rounders) and some nice young talent such as Jeremy Lamb, Royce White, and Terrence Jones.

If the Howard deal falls apart (and this is a strong possibility), the entire Rockets front office should be cleaned out. This is too big of a gamble to just stink it up for the next 2-3 years and be an expansion-type team. People will need to be held accountable. Michael Jordan had a borderline playoff team in Charlotte with Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson when he traded them both and decided to get draft picks.

Basically, robbing the fans of their hard earned money.

Darren Jacks is a regular contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Send him an email at djroxalot@hotmail.com.

Luis Scola and Pau Gasol battle for a loose ball during a game at Staples Center in Los Angeles. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The Los Angeles Lakers need to fix their team on the fly.

For the second straight year they got bounced out of the NBA playoffs in the second round by a better team. They played better than they did last year in getting swept by the Dallas Mavericks, but it still isn’t good enough for the Lakers who are used to competing for an NBA title.

Mitch Kupchak is being targeted by the Orlando Magic as their new GM, but he is still under contract and he needs to make a deal or two to get the Lakers back to competing as a legit contender. And I have some ideas on how he can do this.

Kyle Lowry has recently stated he may need to be traded because he believes Houston will not be able to keep himself and Goran Dragic. “I don’t think so,” Lowry, 26, told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “I honestly think it would be tough. Things have to be addressed. The situation would have to be addressed. If things aren’t addressed coaching-wise, I guess I have to be moved.”

The Rockets were interested in Pau Gasol earlier this season because Rockets coach Kevin McHale likes to have a big PF like Pau to pair with Samuel Dalembert in their frontcourt. The Lakers should offer Gasol for Luis Scola and Lowry.

This way if Ramon Sessions decides to opt out (and he said he would before the playoffs began) they have a better PG in Lowry and in Scola they have an underrated power forward who has shown he can be a very good player. Next to Andrew Bynum, he might even be better in Los Angeles.

If the Lakers use the amnesty clause on Metta World Peace, let Sessions and Troy Murphy walk, they save about $ 14 million. By letting MWP walk they can develop Devin Ebanks and Christian Eyenga at small forward. Ebanks showed some flashes when Kobe Bryant was sidelined at the end of the regular season and Eyenga is an athletic player who could turn into a solid defender.

They can use half of the midlevel exception ($2.5 million) to bring back Jordan Hill, who played well after the trade of Derek Fisher and a first-round pick to the Rockets. Hill provided energy and hustle off the bench as well as several double-double games (points and rebounds) — something they didn’t get from Murphy and Josh McRoberts.

These moves would make the Lakers a lot better and keep L.A. in the hunt for a Western Conference finals appearance and a possible berth in the NBA Finals next season.

Darren Jacks is a contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Send him an email at: djroxalot@hotmail.com.

Lou Williams scored 53 points in Saturday’s exhibition at Calvin Coolidge High School in Washington, D.C., featuring D.C.-area players against ballers from the Philadelphia area. Let me say that again . . . Lou Williams dropped 53 points in a game! I hope 76ers coach Doug Collins was watching because we may never see Sweet Lou score 50 points in a game. Maybe Collins should let Williams shoot more if/when the NBA lockout ends.

But to put Williams’ monster game into perspective, it was an EXHIBITION game where defense was like a turnstile, set plays were few and far between, and nobody took a charge in the paint. Sweet Lou may never have another game like this. Too bad he wasted it during a glorified pickup game.

WATCH HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PHILLY-D.C. GAME

The final score read 172-169 in favor of Williams’ squad that featured Philadelphia natives Tyreke Evans of the Sacramento Kings, Hakim Warrick of the Phoenix Suns, Kyle Lowry of the Houston Rockets, former New York Knick Mardy Collins, and Flip Murray (who now plays for Efes Pilsen in Turkey). The D.C.-based Goodman team featured Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant, Washington Wizards guard John Wall, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Michael Beasley, Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins, and Detroit Pistons forward Greg Monroe.

Durant matched Williams shot-for-shot, finishing with 56 points. At one point early in the fourth quarter, Williams swished two 3-pointers that prompted the public address announcer to yell “Lou Williams is on fire! He cannot be stopped!” Down three with 15 seconds left, Durant missed a deep three and Lowry iced the game at the foul line.

Depending on the lockout negotiations, more pickup games could be on the way. Memo to the players: Please end the lockout now!