Hakeem Olajuwon back in the gym with the Houston Rockets

As if the Houston Rockets weren’t already playing good enough ball, they welcomed a familiar face to the practice court on Saturday to give a few lessons. Rockets’ great Hakeem Olajuwon was in the gym, and working with some of Houston’s players.

The center who spent 17 of his 18 NBA seasons with Houston was out on the court giving some lessons to Omer Asik, Terrence Jones and Dwight Howard.

“Its a great learning experience – a Hall of Famer, one of the best bigs to ever play this game and he has so much knowledge and experience,” Jones said . “It’s so much to take in.”

What about the Rockets’ current big man, DH12 and his dazzling smile?

Howard, has spent time working with Olajuwon in the past, and said it was good to have him back in the gym. Howard said his demeanor and personality make him enjoyable to work with. [Source: blog.chron.com/ultimaterockets]

“He understands the game and sees thing that not a lot of people see,” Howard said. “He is always energetic from the first time we worked out together till now. He is happy-go-lucky.”

This is one of the reasons why Houston is in good position to make a run at the Western Conference title. When you have a legend that can come back and help instruct your players to make them even better, it can do nothing to hurt your team.

Olajuwon was arguably one of the best post players to ever take the court in the NBA, and for him to spend extra time with guys like Jones and Howard, helping to perfect that aspect of their game is a win-win for everyone.