I didn't see this posted elsewhere. Some TrueHoop blogger thinks the value of Hakeem work out sessions is overblown... Sorry if it has already been discussed. http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/63025/working-with-hakeem-olajuwon
You build up your skills over years of training. A few weeks obviously isn't going to turn anyone into Hakeem-light. But, they may get some bits of wisdom that they wouldn't get otherwise, and some concepts to think about and build on as they continue their training. There's value in that. I would compare it to a young pianist participating in master classes with an established virtuoso, to learn about different ways to approach a piece. You take away a few things you can try to incorporate into your repertoire, but you still have to put in the work. Its not going to just magically transform you.
First Post in TEN YEARS. How does stuff like this happen. Here's is what TheFreak is going to say, Yes. But he'll say, it's overblown because only the celeb players can afford Hakeem, and they can't really use him. It's for show. What I'll say is it's like John McEnroe trying to teach you tennis...as much as Dream can say do this or that,,,I really think only Carmelo Anthony can actually pull it off in this league. The Dreamshake is not really something you can teach. You just have to have those instincts and speed coupled with awareness of what your defender is doing (going for) so you can do the right counter move. That said: HOFers like Hakeem can make the youngins focus just because of their presence. We'll see.
It's like he woke up from a coma and discovered the internet and had to post the first innane thing that came to his mind.
For the record, I don't agree with the blogger. I think it's crazy that someone would assert that working out with Hakeem is a waste of time I saw the article on ESPN and thought it was another attempt to cut down Dwight leaving L.A. for the Rockets.
Yes, you are probably right. But he did say the game is so different now compared to the mid 90's that Hakeem's approach and skill set would not likely not be as effective. I took that to mean that even if a player is learning these moves, they are unlikely to be of benefit in today's game.
Hakeem's footwork has always been second to none. To really gain the most out of his moves, you have to have his mobility. That's why guys like Lebron and Kobe had the years they did after the worked with him. Unfortunately, his teaching won't really help guys who don't have that unique skillset. He probably understands the game at the level he played at, he doesn't get mediocre
How is this your first post in more than 10 years? What possessed you to not post for 10 years until now? I'm honestly curious.
He is Dwight Howard, prob joined before 2004 when he was drafted because he secretly wanted to be here ....
A super skilled, freak athlete with a great shooting touch and lockdown defense? Yeah, don't see how that could work in todays game
DMo did very well with his spin moves, he faked guys out of their shoes.......then he missed the easy bucket. Baby steps.
D Howard already showed signs that his training with hakeem is paying off in this game alone. Hakeem can only help dwight. I think dwight will show he is AT LEAST the 2nd most impactful player in the game, and can rival lebron, assuming he remains healthy and continues to gel with his new teammates.
I've actually been a follower of the site since the late 1990's. Medical school, residency and doing surgery every day at 6 am have left me with very limited time to post on message boards related to anything I'm interested it in (be it work focused, sports, music etc.) I used to look at the forums 10-12 years ago as a study break and to kind of keep up with what was going on, but I didn't have the time to invest to be an active poster. Some time in the early 2000's there was a time frame where I couldn't access the forums to read unless I had a user name (at least that's my recollection) So I created a user name/password to read what was going on, but otherwise it was dormant. I saw this article on ESPN this evening and thought it was crazy so I was curious to see what others on this board might think of it. I didn't see it on any of the threads, so I posted it.
thanks for sharing. It so makes sense. Awesome story from a pre '99r apparently. cheers so do you mind if I ask you a historical question. In my first response, noticing your first post in ten years, I told a story about what TheFreak would say. Do you recognize his name?
