20 Years Ago: Rockets nearly trade Olajuwon to the Clippers

Had clutchfans been around, it would've been shut down. Roberts even with Manning, especially in hindsight, does not even come close to Olajuwon! I cannot believe they couldn't get anything better. If I would've tried to trade Dream it would've been for another young center (Mutombo, Zo, Robinson), draft picks (young player just drafted + pick) and a veteran.

What I would've though to be fair is for example:
- Olajuwon & Sleepy for Mourning & Bogues + 1st round draft pick
- Olajuwon, Horry & Sleepy for Mutombo, Stith / Laphonz & future 1st round pick.
- Olajuwon & Sleepy for Robinson, Elliott & picks

 

He was still a 22 and 12 player. The problem is that he had no trust in his teammates at all. He was a ball stopper. The biggest thing Rudy did was convince Dream that he needed to share the ball even when he thought he had a better shot of making a FG. Sharing created space for Dream to operate. The post and repost was mostly because of Rudy.

 

This is what I remember also.

Stanley was Shaq's equal at LSU back then. Akeem was a great offensive and defensive player. But no team with him as the core will go deep in the playoff.

On offense, Akeem was just like Carmelo Anthony is today. Carmelo is selfish. Akeem just doesn't understand the game of basketball (He picked up basketball pretty late in this life).

So this trade was not so un-thinkable back then.

We just lucked out that a light bulb turned on in Akeem's head. If my memory served me correctly, Akeem was injured for a significantly amount of time and Rockets did very well in his absence. That allows Akeem to have more confidence in his teammates. That provides the impetus for Akeem to pass out more, and Rockets become a completely different team.

 

could you imagine what would be said about Dream in 1992 on this board?

People would be vilifying Hakeem.

 

Sorry for the necro-bump. It was an interesting read with the GM comparisons going on.

http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=179442

"I have grown to HATE HAKEEM OLAJUWON"

I put my (imaginary) 25 dollar tip jar bet on that thread title.

 

Thank goodness Steve Patterson and cooler heads prevailed.


Florida wouldn't have 4 NBA trophies if Hakeem didn't resign.
@Rasheed @Os Trigonum @Reeko @chievous minniefield

 

imagine if we had traded Hakeem and replaced him with Stanley fcking Roberts...

just goes to show that u should never give up on greatness...that’s something all the trolls on here could never understand

dudes have wanted to trade Harden for the likes of Kevin Love, Paul George, Lillard, Wiggins, and D’angelo Russell...

 

Wow
All you people that want s to trade Harden should read this article and pray we never do

 

All Harden wanted was $1 measley millionore a year, but OKC didn't want to pay LT.

Thank God for LTS or we would have Lin only and no Harden. It woy have be the L and L Boyz. Lin and Lamb

 

We would have never been clutch so this board would be called pajamajerseyfans.net or something.

 

The saddest part of this is even without making this trade we already did the Olajuwon trade when we didn’t do anything about Ryno and didn’t go into the tax. We were horribly outgunned then and now and relied on a savior that was just so much better than everyone else that they made it happen. Harden did that for us in 2018 even if the refs didn’t allow it.

Hindsight and perspective is a hell of a thing. TF not giving Harden the other players and tools is killing this team. Harden beat a super team that never would be beaten in any other era but the media and ultimately us can talk ourselves out of it and go back to our petty arguments just the way they want. If we actually had that title in our hands we wouldn't be sitting on our hands the way we are?

 

Thanks Clutch...

This goes back to what I was saying in the other threads... If i'm not mistaken, Rudy T. was assistant or the Interim Head Coach at the time and he played a big role with bringing everyone together and getting Dream to trust his teammates and play team ball...

Rudy T was not the best X's and O's guy... Hint hint neither is Phil Jackson.. But they were both good at getting veteran players to trust the system and to play team ball.... They both had assistants who were great X's and O's guys...

T_Man

 

Shameful that Rudy T is not in the Hall of Fane

 

I vividly remember arguing with idiots at school about this trade.
They had turned on Dream and kept repeating “We’ll never win a championship with Olajuwon!! We can’t even beat the Sonics!” “Plus he’s faking it, he’s only about himself” sounds familiar doesn’t it?
This why speaking in absolutes is foolish. You just don’t know until their career is over.

 

This is how I remember it going down.

 

You are so pure it hurts brother. Keep on fighting the good fight.

 

Steve Patterson was the one that accused him of faking and injury and wanted to trade him. Olajuwon and Charlie Thomas worked things out. Steve Patterson had nothing to do with it.

 

These kinds of stories are incredible. Man I miss Eddie Sefko. It is ashame he works for Cubes up in Little D.

 

It still happened under his watch and he still was the gm

 

Took the Clips an eternity but they improved.