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[IDIOT] Whose NBA career is better? Shaquille O'Neal vs. Hakeem Olajuwon

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Jake Tower, Aug 9, 2019.

  1. Dr of Dunk

    Dr of Dunk Clutch Crew

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    Shaq was still possibly the most unstoppable force I've seen on offense. A young Shaq was about as big an NBA anomaly as I've ever watched. Nothing that big should run the court like he did. Watch some videos of young Shaq and you can see why nobody had an answer for him. Explosive, quick, could run the court, could overpower and dunk on you -- whoever "you" happened to be. Yeah, he was a lumbering oaf later in his career as he got bigger and fatter, but that young Shaq still amazes me when I watch those old videos. If only he could've stayed in shape because they did let him get away with murder in the paint. lol

    Olajuwon was possibly the most complete center/big man I've ever watched. Was he a finesse center? Yes. Was he a power center? Yes. He was damn-near whatever he wanted to be offensively and defensively in the league. If you put a guy 30-50 pounds heavier or taller than him on him, he'd turn into some kind of center-small forward hybrid and take them outside or spin around them. If you put a guy the same size or smaller than him to stay with him, then throw it inside because he'd just ram the shot down their throat. Watching his game evolve and hybridize since his days at UH was so much fun to watch. At the beginning of his career, he was throwing middle fingers, trying to fight you, and hammering dunks on you. Towards the prime and end of his career, he was dreamshaking and dropping turnarounds and spinning jumpshots from 18-feet out.

    Given all this, I'd love to see a prime Shaq again... maybe for a game or two, but I'd rather have Olajuwon for a career. I'd rather pay money to watch "what's Hakeem going to do next?" than "here's another dunk from Shaq". But because of their clown nature and worthlessness as basketball analysts, too many people forget how mind-boggling Shaq and guys like Barkley were.
     
  2. kjayp

    kjayp Contributing Member

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    saying Shaq was better than Olajuwon on a Rox board is like (as Larry the Cable Guy would say) going to a trailer park and shouting "Walmart sucks" through a bullhorn... lol
     
  3. Swish4fives

    Swish4fives Member

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    Easily Hakeem 4-0 sweep in the finals. Shaq had to run away and stack the deck to win just like Lebum. He saw Jordan forming that new team and wanted no part of going against them and ran out west to hide until Jerry West put an all time great cast around him.
     
  4. BigM

    BigM Contributing Member

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    Championships are a very mediocre metric when comparing great players. Possibly not worthless but super far down the list.
    You can argue either player as better and have a good argument. As long as you contend that it’s a close call either way I have no problem with it.

    Hakeem is definitely better than Duncan though. Don’t come in here with any of that bullshit.
     
  5. rimrocker

    rimrocker Contributing Member

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    Dream had a more varied game in large part because he was a dedicated and smart student of basketball and could translate what he thought and learned into action.

    Shaq, not so much. He was big and strong and did big and strong things. It’s amazing to say, but he also wasted a lot of potential by only doing the big and strong things he was comfortable doing and not improving his game or his body. In that regard, he disrespected the game.

    Dream every day and twice on Sundays.
     
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  6. Andy Sheets

    Andy Sheets Contributing Member

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    Haven't read it, but it strikes me as a way of saying Shaq had a better career without admitting that Hakeem was simply better.
     
  7. BaselineFade

    BaselineFade Member
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    I have been reading quite a few posters that share your sentiment about championships not mattering as much when discussing superstars. Why is that?

    I get it if you only played on super stacked teams like the Warriors. But if you are MJ for instance his rings matter because of how he won them imo. His teams were not stacked. He wasn't surrounded by other great offensive weapons. He grinded round after round and did whatever it took to will his teams to those championships. It wasn't luck, or him catching some lucky break. He earned them.

    The postseason defines greatness because the pressure is higher the defense is much more intense, and if you are the superstar usually the defense is geared to stop you first. To overcome that over 16 games is difficult. Not everyone can keep up that level of greatness with everything on the line for that long. To me it's what separates MJ from Wilkins or T Mac from Kobe. Or even Dream from Patrick Ewing or David Robinson. When it matters most the truly great ones can will a team with slightly above average talent to a championship. Ewing and Robinson when given the chance could not(I'm excluding the championship Robinson won with Duncan since he was no longer the man and past his prime).

    To me MJ wouldn't be the goat without the rings. Honestly Dream wouldn't be held in such high regard if he didn't get those 2 rings. I thought those championships both saved and solidified his legacy.

    I just want to understand the the other point of view on this topic. Why do so many here discount championships?
     
  8. TilmanFinancialWindfall

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    2 words:

    DREAM SHAKE

    enough said.

    Hakeem was so much more skilled and fun to watch than Shaq.

    Hakeem was like watching Barry Sanders, just so much fun to watch. Shaq just bully ball everyone.
     
  9. TilmanFinancialWindfall

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    Yup. Just like Curry and Isiah Thomas with their rings are above guys like CP3 and Nash and Stockton with no rings.
    It's all about the rings. People look at Barkley, Malone, and Jerry West differently than a guy like Duncan and Hakeem.
    Ewing isn't even mentioned in the same breath.
     
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  10. BigM

    BigM Contributing Member

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    Because championships are every bit a team award. You’re talking about Michael Jordan like he single handedly walked the Bulls into each championship. He needed big moments from role players every step of the way or he doesn’t get 6 rings. It’s not an individual achievement. Hakeem isn’t better than Ewing because he has a ring, he’s just a better basketball player. Same with every other name you mentioned.

    Hakeem is worse than Shaq because he won less rings on completely different teams with completely different opponents? That makes no sense to me.

    Rings are the ultimate prize but they are a poor metric in comparing individual players. They are the culmination of great team building, great players, and a splash of good health and good luck.
     
  11. rimrocker

    rimrocker Contributing Member

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    To be fair, his first Finals win had a bit of luck in it as Worthy and Scott went down with injuries.

    There was also some luck in the last two, as they played the Jazz who will never win anything. The Jazz also had a star player that happened to be homophobe and allowed Rodman play to mental games with him throughout the two series.
     
  12. Jontro

    Jontro Member

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    hakeem was the most skilled big man of all times. the fact that guards and bigs alike pay for dream to tutor them to this day is amazing. in fact i don't think there are any other retired players out there being asked to tutor.

    but shack had the better career because he was a media darling. shack played with greats, sure... but all you hear about dream is 2 championship while jordan was out. fukk da media.
     
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  13. Acura

    Acura Member

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    Shack was in good burger
     
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  14. BigDog63

    BigDog63 Member

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    Why does everybody judge a career just by championships? Was Robert Horry better than MJ? Did he have a better career? He has more rings, so I guess so, even that that's patently stupid.
     
  15. Landsdale

    Landsdale Member

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    Ask Shaq. He will say the same as me: Dream was better
     
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  16. roslolian

    roslolian Member

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    When comparing great players rings become the deciding factor otherwise why is MJ called the goat? Isnt that because of his 6 peat? If you dont take rings into account Lebron should be the goat by now considering his career stats and longevity blow everyone else out of the water.

    In terms of career it's pretty dumb to say Shaq and Hakeem had equal or close careers, Shaq has had the better career by a longshot with more rings, acolades, branding and fame. You can have the better career while not being the better player, see Kobe Bryant and KG.
     
  17. BaselineFade

    BaselineFade Member
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    Thanks for the response. I get your point.

    I guess the point I was trying to make is that Jordan was the common denominator for all 6 rings. Those early Bulls championship teams were trash without him. I understand the team aspect of it, but I don't think there is was another guard in the league that wins 6 rings with those surrounding players. You guys make it seem like you can replace MJ with any other high volume scorer/superstar and the results would be the same. I saw that man do things that I've never seen another guard do in huge playoff moments time and time again when others would routinely shrink in those same type of moments. Jordan was the main reason why they won 6 rings not his mediocre supporting cast.

    I think Dream was much better than Shaq so I'm not saying the most rings mean you are a better player. I know Shaq could have never carried a team to a title with what Dream had around him. I also think Karl Malone was better than Duncan. But to say that rings are a low bar when comparing the greats, cheapens what those guys did. Taking and making clutch shots under playoff or championship pressure has to count for something. Jordan coming off of his man to steal the ball from Malone then making the game winner on the other end is something that Jordan did in those moments. It didn't surprise anyone because as fans we grew to expect it. Sure he was a superior talent but those type of postseason moments are what seperated him from the pack and made him the goat.

    The latest example is DeRozan vs Kawhi. DeRozan is an all star but he routinely disappeared during the playoffs. As a result the whole team had the label of being chokers. They trade for Leonard. He brought a championship mind set. Lowry says that the team took on HIS mindset during the playoffs. They didn't get rattled when times were tough. Pascal missed a late game free throw I think vs Philly and he apologized to Kawhi, not the team. That's the standard that he set and that's when I knew that they had a real chance to win it all.

    When your best player is out there limping around but still giving it his all on every possession on both ends it inspires your role players and obligates them to be better and do more. That "team" never played like that in the playoffs until he got there. It wasn't a random coincidence.

    You could argue that Boston, Philly and Milwaukee had more overall talent/all stars than the Raptors, but it just so happens that his team prevailed and won the East. Regardless of Klay missing 5 quarters and KD being out, that ring matters when he is being compared to other superstars.

    I appreciate your position. Im sure that I'm in the minority, at Ieast on this board. I just disagree. My bad for the wall of text.
     
  18. BaselineFade

    BaselineFade Member
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    I hated the Jazz too but those teams were pretty darn good lol.

    Do you discount the Warriors 2 rings that they won when Love/Kyrie were absent or when CP went down? How about the time the Spurs were destroying them before Kawhi got hurt? Injuries happen. That Laker team was older and not 100% but again injuries are part of the game. Jordan earned that one too especially by today's standards.
     
  19. luckyman76

    luckyman76 Member

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    People forget that Shaq came in the middle of the era of big men as it winded down and The Dream was there for the zenith his WHOLE career. Every team had a center practically at one time that is someone we remember it seems like and The Dream dominated them all including Shaq. The 1995 playoffs with Utah, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Orlando was The Dream's magnum opus. I will never forget the look in The Dream's face and The Admiral's face before that Spurs series. They gave The Dream's MVP trophy to The Admiral. The second that happened was the end of his season and he knew it. Shaq could bully everyone and The Dream abused him. They choked that first game and were mentally done afterward. You could see it. The Dream did that to them. They thought that series was going to be easy and the power of one man made an entire team believe. I love Max Max, Sam, Clyde, Mario, Horry, all of them and they were quality players. The Dream was magical because he made everyone else better. Stupid articles like this are always revisionist history and BS media narrative no matter what the guise. We witnessed greatness that to me is comparable to the magic of Jordan.
     
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  20. BaselineFade

    BaselineFade Member
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    Preach.
     

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