Like Shaq once said.... Every good center has 4 signature moves. Hakeem had 4 different variations of 4 signature moves.
Just amazing stuff. I moved to Houston in 1987 and became a Rockets fan. Was just starting to get into the NBA in general really. Of course I loved Olajuwon. Looking back, I TOTALLY took his skill-set for granted! I figured, thats just what those players do. Looking back I can truly see how "special" of a player Hakeem was and feel fortunate to be able to be a fan and enjoy his play during those years.
Man, if Hakeem was playing today on this Rockets team, we'd all be saying... why is he not passing to Jeremy Lin?
Fabulous stuff. Dear DMO, be sure to check out the vid and take something from it, you got it in you!
Eaton was one of the better defenders Hakeem went up against but It wasnt as simple as Eaton simply standing there. Eaton was 7-4 compared to Hakeem at 6-10. He clogged the paint with his wide body and had good timing. Also Eaton didnt jump because he couldnt jump and quiet frankly he didnt need to with his wide body and 7-4 frame. There were a number of centers who "simply stood there" against Hakeem with very poor results.... Mark West, Oliver Miller, Felton Spencer, Danny Shayes, Joe Kline... Eaton had some good games against Hakeem defensively but Hakeem had him figured out. By 92-93 his offensive game was a complete package and he was going around Eaton. And to put Eaton's "effectiveness" against Hakeem in perspective... Hakeem against mark Eaton: 5 games during 84-85 (as a rookie) - Averaged 25 ppg at 48% clip 5 games playoffs 85-95 (as a rookie) - Averaged 22 ppg at 48% clip 5 games during 85-86 season - Averaged 23 ppg at 52% clip 5 games during 86-87 season - Averaged 24 ppg at 50% clip 5 games during 87-88 season - Averaged 17 ppg at 36% clip 5 games during 88-89 season - Averaged 27 ppg at 51% clip 5 games during 89-90 season - Averaged 22 ppg at 46% clip 5 games during 90-91 season - Averaged 25 ppg at 46% clip 5 games during 91-92 season - Averaged 19 ppg at 48% clip 5 games during 92-93 season - Averaged 28 ppg at 57% clip 1 game during 92-94 season - 26 points at 56% clip Overall Hakeem has shot at a clip of about 49% against Eaton.
No, they'd say why is jlin7 relegated to standing in the corner waiting for the corner 3 from the pass out of the double/triple team the dream drew as he clogs the driving lane. Scary thing is Hakeem could also play a stretch 5 with his automatic midrange. Imagine him in the pick and roll with harden or Lin. Scary.
I think you mean Mark Eaton... and even then, Hakeem didn't really struggle against him, just didn't put up huge numbers every game.
I doubt it. A lot of what Hakeem did was instinct combined with god-given footwork. He was doing a lot of these raw moves in college... he just refined them as he got older. Nobody "taught" him these moves. Sure, Moses Malone taught him some pointers on how to be tough, hold your position, etc... but he certainly didn't teach him spins/fakes/shakes/fadeaways. A lot of what Hakeem does simply cannot be taught.
When is the last time was saw post move, lol. Good stuff. Poster saying they never saw Hakeem, make me old. But they missed out. I am content in life because of Dream. And I'm at peace having shared in the titles. Here is a trvia question? What was the exact amount of time down to the second that Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets officially held the nba title?
Agreed. There are so many videos where Amare, Lebron, and even Dwight are able to replicate the moves, but none of them come close to displaying that kind of grace in the heat of the moment. Seems like it's wayyy more than just fancy footwork.
There will NEVER be another like him. He could do it all....ridiculous post moves....decent mid-range with handle....rabbit quick. Hakeem The Great!
Very true. Hakeem Olajuwon's low post offense, as spectacular as it was (and in many respects, still is and always will be), was simply a growth of fundamentally sound basketball skills for a low post player. Hakeem's prowess was unarguably a combination of a great many things (courage, competitiveness, instinct, savvy, will...to name five things)... ...but Hakeem actually LEARNED how to play the game of basketball from his position. Not enough mention is made of Hakeem's mind for the game...of how he understood things like position and range (offensively and defensively) in relation to his skill... ...it's one thing to have the ability or the skill. It's quite another thing to understand how to use that skill to its utmost advantage. especially, as you mentioned, under the moments of greatest duress. You hear alot about how great players think the game as much as they play it...Magic Johnson and Larry Bird for alot of us in the "modern" era of NBA basketball. Even Michael Jordan was thought to have as high a basketball IQ as his dunks. It still amazes me how The Dream's mind for the game is consistently overlooked as a major component in his great career. Kenny Smith on TNT routinely makes reference to Hakeem's basketball knowledge...not just as a post player, but also as a perimeter player. Hakeem understood the game. He understood how to play it. He eventually even understood how to incorporate his teammates better than he was able to do early on in his career. But that particular part became easier to do for Dream once those teammates actually got better, I'd imagine. The offensive (and defensive) grace Olajuwon displayed came from his ability to recognize, understand, process, and act on information on the court as it happened, as much as anything else. Hakeem was generally quicker than most people physically, anyway, so he was already a step or three ahead of everybody else. The fact that he was just as smart and as clever as he was athletic is what we should all be thankful for having been able to witness. Everybody seemed to be moving in slow motion in relation to Hakeem. He never seemed to be in a hurry. I think that Dream may have been doing that on purpose. Since he had the jump on everybody else, he could afford to slow down a step in order to give the rest of us a chance to admire his work. Show-off.
actually hakeem would complain about harden not giving him the ball, like he did of sammy. then, eventually, harden would be shipped out to phoenix for four of their guys.
