Dwight Howard's presence on the Houston Rockets means one thing for teammate Omer Asik: a season full of trade rumors.

Asik has emerged as one of the league's better centers in recent years but he now has to compete alongside Howard, who is now the face of the franchise after the much-publicized free agent signing in the offseason.

Recent rumors suggested that Asik had asked for a trade when he learned that Howard was coming to town, which wouldn't be surprising considering that there simply is not enough room for both of them to succeed on the team.

Trading Asik makes plenty of sense when looking at the broad scope of the team. If the Rockets could find another team that would be willing to part ways with a top point guard in exchange for Asik, then the Rockets could have a much more reliable option than Jeremy Lin, who has faded so much since his days with the New York Knicks that he didn't even get the start in the Rocket's opening day game in October.

Still, Howard thinks he could be compatible with Asik.

"For me and Omer to work is real simple," Howard said before the season started. "If I get the rebound, he has to run the floor, be that first big to seal, try to get easy buckets. If he gets the rebound, it's the same thing. On the defensive end, I have the ability to guard fours. I've done it in the past. I like the challenge. I think me and him can play together. Even if he comes off the bench, I think that's great because the defense won't go down. He's a great defender. I think he's going to be great. I know he wants to win just like we all do."