I've interacted with very knowledgeable Celtics fans who rate Hakeem extremely high all time. It varies of course but it was interesting, these were die-hards who constantly studied the game, and I wouldn't be surprised if in some professional capacity. Anyhow, that's good to hear from other players or fanbases. Once you factor in everything, playoff performance, team support, rules of era, coaching, and competition, Hakeem should be at least top 5 or the GOAT center wherever you rank that imo.
First of all, Pippen NEVER played for the Rockets. Also, playing with a HOF player the year they retire or sit out is not the same as having a career with them. Yes, if a player is consistently in situations that don't work, they should take some blame but being a part of a dysfunctional team is not the same as playing with someone on a real team. Kobe and Shaq still in their prime had Karl Malone and Gary Payton with them and couldn't beat the dang Pistons for instance, but it wasn't because of Gary Payton or Karl Malone's skills or even Kobe or Shaq's. Also, knowing how many games they played with those Hall of Famers is relevant, maybe a games per hall of famer count would be helpful to have a fair assessment. For example,10 years with Pippen > 10 games with James Harden and Kyrie in 2 seasons
He was on the team, but Pippen played for Pippen not the Rockets. His game was not up to his usual production, and he spent the season arguing, pouting, and pointing fingers. Pippen blames Chuck and Hakeem: "I thought I was joining a super-team to some degree. It just didn't work out. We just didn't have the right chemistry, and we were aging a little bit. It wasn't a good fit for me. Coming off a second-back injury, I needed a little more youth around me. I didn't realize how much Hakeem had diminished in the game, and I didn't realize Charles wasn't as dedicated as I thought he would be." But I believe Charles Barkley a lot more because Barkley played better and took a paycut to 1 mil. You don't take that much of a paycut unless you are dedicated (or have an under the table deal)
Yep, there may be others I missed as well. It was just a quick list showing multiple exclusions from the original list.
Hakeem was a major reason why the illegal defense rule was changed. He could score routinely against the double team. Without sagging into zone, he was un-guardible without leaving shooters open. If the league had actually called the illegal defense rule on the books, he would have averaged 50.
