Kobe Lookin to Pass Hakeem on All Time Scoring List Tonight

delishman · Jan 29, 2011

If anything I find this more to be a testament of what a great and underrated offensive player Hakeem was.

tinman · Jan 29, 2011

Interesting you didn't find the kind words in this article to highlight:

Previously, Bryant had plenty of nice things to say about Olajuwon.

"I learned a great deal, obviously, just the details of the post game from him," Bryant said after Thursday's practice. "Hakeem is incredibly smart and for him to take the time and welcome me into his home and show me different things is a tribute to his greatness."

Bryant had some high praise for the former Houston Rockets center.

"In my opinion, he's the best post player ever," Bryant said. "With all due respect to [Kevin] McHale, Hakeem was phenomenal."

RudyTBag · Jan 29, 2011

Hakeem never traveled. His footwork was perfect.

dmenacela · Jan 29, 2011

tinman said:

Interesting you didn't find the kind words in this article to highlight:

Previously, Bryant had plenty of nice things to say about Olajuwon.

"I learned a great deal, obviously, just the details of the post game from him," Bryant said after Thursday's practice. "Hakeem is incredibly smart and for him to take the time and welcome me into his home and show me different things is a tribute to his greatness."

Bryant had some high praise for the former Houston Rockets center.

"In my opinion, he's the best post player ever," Bryant said. "With all due respect to [Kevin] McHale, Hakeem was phenomenal."
Click to expand...

Yea, I didn't highlight Bryant's comments because what he said about Hakeem we already know. I'm just focusing on the negative stuff. I guess all the bashing is just a sign of hate from Phil.

BDswangHTX · Jan 29, 2011

good for kobe. always nice to see a player of his caliber pass another milestone.

JayGoogle · Jan 29, 2011

Of course Phil is right. Kobe didn't imitate Hakeem...Hakeem can't be imitated.

meh · Jan 29, 2011

dmenacela said:

http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=6070354

"Hakeem had this move that bordered on walk or travel," Jackson said. "McHale had one, too. It's very hard to duplicate that. It was kind of a shoulder-shrug, shake-and-bake thing that he had where he'd come back in the opposite direction, but he was so quick at it. Kobe has good post-up moves. I'm sure he learned some things about posting up [from Olajuwon], but he didn't imitate Olajuwon's move."

Right, so Kobe didn't imitate Hakeem but Kobe did learned a lot. Phil should appreciate Hakeem teaching Kobe a few things. What's Phil's beef with Hakeem?
Click to expand...

It's kind of funny that Hakeem actually had to show the officials back then that his move was not a travel. Shows you that it was a different time back then.

These days, Hakeem could just do his move with the traveling and no one would care.

Prince · Jan 29, 2011

it's good to know about his passing...

pahiyas · Jan 29, 2011

Prince said:

it's good to know about his passing...
Click to expand...

May he rest in...

his laurels :grin: :grin:

Matchman · Jan 29, 2011

LoL Rockets homers talking about Kobe winning championships because of HOF teammates
How many championships did Hakeem win without HOF teammates?
Hakeem couldnt win anything even with 2 HOF teammates

ashishduh · Jan 29, 2011

Hakeem is the best big man of all time, Kobe isn't close to being the best SG of all time. He's worse than Jordan in every way. Hakeem vs Jordan was always a fun debate, who would win if they matched up in the finals? That was an actual debate, this is not. We might have a debate if Kobe could match Jordan's excellence in even one area but he can't.

His career high FG% is lower than Jordan's career low FG%.
He's one of the worst clutch shooters of all time (Jordan 57% career game-winners, Kobe 27%, made more hilarious when you consider the league average is 30%)
Every single NBA finals he's been to, his game has plummeted while great ones like Shaq Hakeem and Michael have elevated their games greatly(career 41% shooter in NBA finals, shot in the 30s more often than in the 40s...)
He doesn't run Phil Jackson's offense very well at all when it counts. When the Lakers got dominated by the Pistons in 04, he shot more shots than Shaq despite shooting 38% compared to Shaq 63%. He has exactly one game-winning assist in his ENTIRE CAREER.

He's just not even in the discussion honestly. If you wanna rate a player by rings then go ahead and crown Horry as one of the greats too, considering he's won far more often than Kobe with greater variety of teams, with far better clutch performances.

t_mac1 · Jan 29, 2011

i don't think kobe had a better career than dream though, which won't be the case in the national media and the casual fan's perspective.

kobe's all-nba defense selections would put him in dream's class, which would be absurd. hakeem is arguably the best defender of all time, and 2-way player of all time.

kobe's offense is more explosive than dream, so i'll give him that. but his inefficiency at times hurt him. and his finals performances are nothing to write home about. his fg% has been mediocre in the finals.

but kobe is an all-time great. knowing his offensive production, this day would come. but i would take dream 12 times out of 10

Aleron · Jan 29, 2011

Matchman said:

LoL Rockets homers talking about Kobe winning championships because of HOF teammates
How many championships did Hakeem win without HOF teammates?
Hakeem couldnt win anything even with 2 HOF teammates
Click to expand...

Umm, Hakeem was the leader of one of two teams since the ABA era to not have at least 2 HOF/Future HOF'ers on its roster...

GreatOne1978 · Jan 29, 2011

Q&A with Hakeem Olajuwon on Kobe

http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/110129kobehakeem.html

Kobe Bryant has been steadily assaulting the scoring records of the game’s all-time greats throughout the past few seasons, and in Friday night’s game against Sacramento, his first quarter dunk vaulted Bryant over Hakeem Olajuwon for eighth on the all-time list.

Two summers ago, Bryant spent a few hours working with “The Dream” on low post moves, and still raves to this day about both the session and about the former Rockets center that he says has the greatest moves in NBA history.

We had a chance to speak with Olajuwon prior to the game against the Kings on the telephone; below is a transcription of our conversation:

MT: With 13 points in Friday night’s game against Sacramento, Kobe Bryant will surpass your 26,946 career points to rank No. 8 on the NBA’s all-time list. What stands out to you about Bryant’s career?

Olajuwon: Kobe’s accomplishments speak for themselves. His work ethic, his determination to be the best ... when you talk about Kobe, you talk about his work ethic and how great it is for someone to maximizing his potential. Kobe has reached his whole potential, and maintained it, pushed it as far as it can go. When he passes me on the all-time scoring list, I think there’s no question that it is well-deserved. He’s just a great, great scorer. Just to be mentioned as one of the all-time scorers is a huge accomplishment for me.

MT: What are your reflections on the time you spent working with Kobe on his low post game following the 2009 season?

Olajuwon: I was surprised and impressed when he called me up that he wanted to come and work out. I said, ‘Kobe, you have all the moves already, you don’t need me!’ He said ‘No, I want to master the post, and I love your game.’ He gave me huge compliments (like that). So I knew right away how I could add value to his game from the post point of view, because my moves work better with quicker guys like him. Many of the moves require certain reflexes, agility and fakes. He’s the ideal player to use those moves, and he could add volume to his game. When a big man makes a move, for example, he has one dribble or two dribbles and has to go up, but with a guard, you don’t pick up that dribble until the moment you’re ready to shoot. That gives him the advantage over every big guy that plays in the post because he often will have more dribbles to do more things.

MT: He’s mentioned that he also worked with you on dealing with double teams as well as some specific moves. How would you describe the session?

Olajuwon: We worked on basic moves to create space, how to free yourself from a guy and shake him off. We worked on how to deal with double teams, how to read the defense when it’s coming. It’s really important to be able to go both ways with a move. Any time the defense tries to figure you out, you counter with something else. What makes the moves so deadly is you take whatever the defense gives you. That’s why it was so much fun working with Kobe ... it was unbelievable. What was funny was the game the Lakers played against the Rockets (in the 2009-10 season) because I was there, and after Kobe shook Shane Battier with a move in the post, and finished off the glass, he looked at me and winked. The move was textbook. That was something that we had worked on so much. It made me very happy to make a contribution to his game, to add to his talents, to add to his accomplishments. Now, when I watch his games, I see how much he goes to the post .... And now I even see Gasol using some of the baseline moves, and I wonder, is he showing Gasol some of the moves? The quick baseline spin move is one I don’t remember seeing Gasol use before.

MT: How would you describe how you operated around the paint, and how you tried to impart certain facets of your game upon Bryant?

Olajuwon: I think my principal is to take whatever the opponent gives me. I would take something all day until they take it away. So if it’s the jump hook, I’ll do it until they counter it, then I’ll spin to the baseline. But when I see that he starts playing me honest, not giving me right or left, then I’ll start to create my own shot, force him to commit before I make my move. And Kobe is the master at that. Also, once they started bringing double teams, I developed some tricks over the years that just come by experience. That’s what I shared with Kobe, the secret of what I was trying to do, not just a demonstration. Then it’s about repetition.

MT: It would seem that it’d be difficult to retain all of that information in just a few hours, Hakeem? It’s obvious to say that Kobe’s one of the smarter and more cerebral players in the game, and natural to think his learning curve is a lot steeper than almost anybody’s. Did you find that to be true?

Olajuwon: Oh, no question. Because when I demonstrated the moves, he would quickly learn the secret behind the move. To him, it’s so easy because he has so many talents. With him, you only have to show him once. One time, and that’s it to make him comfortable. He’s just very natural. We spent 2-3 hours on some moves we’d repeat about 10-15 times, and towards the last 15 minutes of the session, he was flawless. When I took him to the airport, I could tell that he got it. He was excited. How many people can catch all that in such a short period of time? His ability, his knowledge and his talent is incredible. I was so privileged to be able to work with him.

MT: I know you’ve worked with several other players on low post game, most recently Dwight Howard. Has anybody ever gotten things as quickly as Kobe?

Olajuwon: No … No. I mean, look at what he’s coming in to start with! He has all these weapons. I showed him one move, and told him to use his reflexes as a guard, and he got it. Just by saying that to him, it clicked. All the moves were different from that point on. His reflexes are incredible. He’s a big guard, but he’s as quick as a little guy.

MT: How different is it teaching a big man like Howard?

Olajuwon: The moves I taught to Howard are different from what I worked on with Kobe. He also has tremendous athletic ability, but the moves are a lot different because Kobe can move differently. For example, I didn’t do a lot of jump hooks with Kobe, but I would do a lot with Dwight. It took three days with Dwight. We had more time, and I give him tremendous credit also. But Kobe’s a guard posting up, and that’s always an (advantage). I’m a big guy, but when I face up my opponent, at that time I’m a small forward, I’m not a center any more. When Kobe’s posting his guy, he’s playing center. To have that kind of freedom, and (focus on) reading and reacting is the name of the game. If I’m bigger than a guy, why try to beat him outside? Go post him up. If you can do that like Kobe can (in addition to his other guard skills), it gives you something against everybody.

MT: How do you put what Kobe’s done thus far in his career into context?

Olajuwon: People always compare Kobe with Michael Jordan, and that’s the highest level of achievement right there. Even being mentioned with MJ is the ultimate compliment. When Jordan retired, you just thought a player like that wouldn’t come along again. But then Kobe almost immediately drew those comparisons, and that says it all. He established his own identity as one of the best players to ever play the game.

MT: If you look at the Top 10 all-time scorers, Kobe and Jordan are the only guards other than Oscar Robertson, who’s now 10th. Kobe used the word “feisty” to describe how the “little guys” got in there.

Olajuwon: Well, the two guard is the toughest position, the most athletic position. The average two would be a superstar at the four or five position with the skill set. So, for someone to dominate at the most difficult, the hardest position, it’s just something else. Both what set Kobe and Michael apart was that they were too big for most 2’s, and too mobile for most 3’s, so they have the advantage over most everybody. Very, very seldom do you find a player that matches up with them. If they’re as tall, they don’t have the same athletic ability or skills. Of course, it’s not just about having those physical advantages. The confidence and desire about their ability that they have, you can’t teach. It’s just a gift. That combination together? That’s a true leader that leads their team over and over to a championship. Individual accomplishments? Kobe is not worried about that, he just wants the championships. He’s a big picture guy. He’s playing to win, and when you play to win, everything else will follow. He’s scoring because he sees the opportunity to score.

MT: That’s a good way to put it, with Jordan and Bryant really being that rare combination of physical and mental gifts.

Olajuwon: Yes, it’s so much more than just one or the other. Talent and intelligence and motivation.

MT: Having spent some time with Kobe and taught him some things, what have you seen from him since?

Olajuwon: First of all, I was a fan of his before we worked together. I just have a tremendous admiration for him that he’s reached that level and is still wishing to improve. That says a lot. But now, I try to give him his space and I watch for an opportunity that we could get together again. But I don’t try to follow up. He knows where I am, and when he came to town, we had a chance to discuss how he’s feeling and how he feels about the moves. It was great (when L.A. played at Houston last season), especially when he winked at me. That was a treat.

MT: Finally, I wanted to relay to you what Kobe said earlier this week after a Lakers practice. Quote: “"In my opinion, he is the best post player ever, with all due respect to Kevin McHale. Hakeem was phenominal."

Olajuwon: Wow, what an honor for him to say that. Coming from him that is the ultimate compliment for me.
Click to expand...

Kojirou · Jan 29, 2011

Dream respects greatness. And Kobe is great.

I honestly respect Kobe. I just despise his fans that won't shut up about him surpassing Jordan with the passion of a thousand suns.

tinman · Jan 29, 2011

Great players respect other great players.
MVPs respect MVPs.
Champions respect Champions.

This only proves that Clutch City may have not been in the minds of the media,
but it is in the hearts of great players and fans.

krosfyah · Jan 29, 2011

Kevin McHale?

GreatOne1978 · Jan 29, 2011

krosfyah said:

Kevin McHale?
Click to expand...

McHale was money in the post.

gah · Jan 29, 2011

The Dream is a man of honor, hats off to him.

Jet036 · Jan 30, 2011

zlicciardo said:

96-97 - Shaq, and possibly Fisher
97-98 - Shaq, Fisher
98-99 - Shaq, Fisher, Rodman
99-00 - Shaq, Fisher
00-01 - Shaq, Fisher
01-02 - Shaq, Fisher
02-03 - Shaq, Fisher
03-04 - Shaq, Fisher, Payton, Malone
04-05 - None
05-06 - Brian Cook
06-07 - None
07-08 - Fisher, Gasol (Hall of Fame Probability Active 0.458 (15)
Career 0.458 (103)
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gasolpa01.html
08-09 - Fisher, Gasol
09-10 - Fisher, Gasol
10-11 - Fisher, Gasol

I'd say hes had HOF talent most of his career...
Click to expand...

That site has Mcgrady listed 8 places above Nash...wtf

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