Just my opinion. Coach, you suck more each day. Anyone else agree? ------------------ [This message has been edited by Almu (edited January 18, 2001).]
Uh oh, a Coach Sampson sighting! ------------------ "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." - Gandhi
Loyalty? Loyalty to what? Dude, I'm getting so tired of hearing about loyalty. Is Olajuwon being loyal to this team? Obviously not. Don't get me wrong, that's his prerogative. But it is what it is. I am loyal to the Rockets first, and individual players like Olajuwon second. If the guy is leaving, the guy is leaving, and we don't exactly have to be all sad about it. We have to do what is best for this team. It's just the guy's opinion, he ain't trying to put it on anybody else. DISCLAIMER: The preceding rant is just MY opinion. ------------------ Jazzkiller
SLC, I am in 100% agreement. All this "Im sad to see Dream go" stuff is making me feel like puking. I still remember when the Toronto offer was on the table a few yrs back; posters like Azim The Dream were saying stuff like "I dont care if those draft picks turn out to be Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, I will never be a fan of the Rockets if they trade Dream." I felt like puking when I read that continuous stream of trash. ------------------ Check out the Best Source for Draft Info Draftsource.net
how is he not being loyal? by saying he would welcome a trade? by saying he wants whats best for the team? ------------------
Just popping in to agree that loyalty to the team comes first. I'm a Rockets fan, and will always be a Rockets fan. Hakeem was the central piece in some of the most exciting times we ever had, but the truth is that this franchise is moving on. I kind of think that Hakeem is accepting this, but HIS attitude hasn't been all that great for the last couple years either. It's hard to take off the rose-colored glasses, but I don't fault those who have. ------------------ "There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and STATISTICS..." - Mark Twain -
hakeem has pride. and his "i want what's best for the team" is just pr. in my personal opinion, dream can't stand not being in the spotlight, at least in houston anyways... he's been publicly grumbling for sometimes now, he has not shown any desire to work with the team (at least on the court anyways), and has shown no desire to play at a high level of basketball for the past couple of years, injuries withstanding. i want to thank dream for all he's done.. [notice past tense].. but i want to give the proper goodbye and move on. ------------------
If someone says publicly they want to be traded or waived, it is not in the best interest of the team. Never. *IF* he were thinking about the team, he'd state privately that he wouldn't mind a trade. CD could check around - privately. And waiving him will only hurt the team. Best interest of the team...Trade him for someone/something that would help the team or let him finish his Rocket career on the IR. Hakeem is why I became a Rocket fan - NBA fan for that matter, but I'm ready for the breakup since at this point, it is what's best for the team. ------------------
Keep Hakeem, and give him more than 18 minutes a game. That is all that Hakeem wants. ------------------ "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning how to put food on their family while being put to death."
NEVER, EVER would i have believed that Kareem Abdul Jabbar was a better man than Hakeem if someone told me. And yet, that's what i see: While Kareem deferred to Magic for the good of the team and they went to win championships together, Hakeem is unable to the same for Francis and Cuttino. The truth is, though obviously is still like the big buy, i've lost most of the respect i had for him. ------------------ "Dream another dream, this dream is over... Dream another dream, this dream is over... Dream another dream..." - from the Van Halen song, "Dream Another Dream". Fitting, isn´t it? [This message has been edited by Thanos (edited January 17, 2001).]
"how is he not being loyal? by saying he would welcome a trade? by saying he wants whats best for the team?" dc, have you read this website or any publication this season? Just go through the archives of news and you'll see exactly what is being talked about. Hakeem has complained about his role in the offense refusing to accept the fact that the young guys need in game repetitions to improve. Real loyal there. Hakeem started naming off teams he'd like to play for next yr. Talk about even more loyalty. Hakeem has refused to practice of late and has refused to show up at games b/c his role is decreased. Even more loyalty. Now lets check out what loyalty the Rockets showed to him. Les Alexander gave Hakeem a humongous contract to re-pay how past ownership teams treated him. The Rockets passed up a lucrative trade offer from Toronto that would have been of major future help to keep the Dream in Houston. How do they get re-paid? "I dont get enough shots" WAWAWAWA, "I will play for the Heat or Lakers next yr if Im not given a bigger role" WAWAWAWA. Puh-lease. I am agreement with a comment that HeyPartner made about how the Rockets should not waive him and let him have his way. If they cant trade him, they should let him sit on the IL the rest of the yr and set a precedent that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated. Hakeem's actions this yr have made me feel completely sick to my stomach, and I wish I could sit down with him face to face one day and tell him how I feel about his childish behavior. ------------------ Check out the Best Source for Draft Info Draftsource.net
ZRB, Sometimes I agree with you on many of the things you say. It seems as if you are a pretty big Hakeem fan, as am I, but when it comes to understanding Hakeem it seem like you have no clue. Hakeem just does not want to play with the Rockets anymore. He knows he doesn't fit in with them and he knows they don't know how to use him properly. He also feels that he can play better than he has if given the chance and the Rockets won't give him that chance. This team may very well be better with Hakeem in but there is no doubt that Hakeem can help almost any other team in teh league in a major way. If only the Rockets understood what they have in Hakeem, then this whole mess would never come up because the Rockets would be winning and everybody would be happy. Personally I fell like Hakeem can play 35-40 minutes a game and still produce like some of the best players. I didn't want Hakeem to leave, I wanted the Rockets to make use of Hakeem skills and have him stay, but the Rockets, players and Rudy I believe, will never let that happen. That is a sign of great disrespect and that is how Hakeem feels. The players don't see it, I can't really understand why not. I swear if I were Steve Fancis I would be getting the ball to Hakeem every time down and make sure that people recognize that the dream is still alive. It would be an honor just to play with Hakeem, but steve nor the rest of team see it that way. Its kinda sad. Any other team, I believe, would see but not the Rockets. I want to see Hakeem leave because I want to see him happy and I believe that is anywhere other than Houston. Just wait until he plays the Rockets in some other team's jersey. That will be the day Houston realizes what it had lost. ------------------
The Rockets can't afford wait 12 seconds for a winded hakeem to drag himself up the court then watch him fail to gain post position against guys like John Amaechi. Hakeem has lost it. He gets injured and winded easily and even when the team was feeding him in the post 15 times a game, he would turn the ball over or not even get off a good look against what is supposed to be inferior competition. Nowhere has it been reported that Steve and the rest of the team don't feel it is an honor to play with Hakeem. Before his latest rash of injuries, the team deferred to Hakeem in the post in the first quarter(while Hakeem could still breathe). Bottomline: Hakeem wants to go back to the dump-it-in-wait-for-the-three offense because he (Hakeem) isn't able to run the new plays Rudy is installing. If he wants to do what is best for the team then he should shut up and stop taking is "requests" to the media, learn how to set a pick, accept his 10-15 touches a game, and don't whine when he doesn't get the call in crunch time. This is about the pride of a man who has yet to face the fact that his best days are long gone. ------------------
Hakeem has shown a lot of frustration with his role in the offense this year, and it has bothered me. I love Dream, and I think that in his prime, he was the greatest center of all time. He was unstoppable on both ends of the floor. He isn't that same player anymore, but I think that he still has value. When Dream closed games that were close, he made plays that were instrumental in the win (I'm remembering a home game vs Charlotte and a game vs. Phoenix). I think Dream feels he has game left. I don't think he would be as frustrated with his role if the team was winning. The Rockets are a .500 team. If we were playing .650 ball, I think Dream would be more content. ------------------ - Beck Dream...bring back the goggles
People who think that Dream can play 35 to 40 minutes a game are in denial because the man looks like he's ready to pass out 10 minutes into the game. And he definitely can't get physical in the post because it wears him out MORE! Age, injuries and breathing problems has sapped his long-term effectiveness. Dream can't go 35 to 40 minutes anymore. ------------------ "I have a scale at home and it only goes up so far, I love that scale!" - Charles Barkley TNT Studios
Whoa there buddy, slow down. First of all, I know I never said anything remotely accurate to what you blindly quoted me as saying. Secondly, even if I were to say something to that effect, how in Scottie Pippen's hell would you be able to remember some "continuous stream of trash" I posted "years ago" word-for-word? What I did say and have been saying - or at least implying it - is Hakeem helped introduce me to the game of basketball at a young age, and was responsible for igniting my passion for the Rockets. I know for a fact there are other posters on this board who have been influenced by Dream in the same way. Unless I posted when I was drunk (but I don't drink) or I was sleep-posting, I never, ever said that I would abandon my passion for the Rocks if they were to trade Dream. Especially after he asks to be traded. But thanks for coming out and putting words in my mouth, anyways. Azim da Dream ------------------ We don't live for the destination. We live for the journey. http://www.clutchtown.com
Azim, are you sure it wasnt you? B/c I distinctly remember that quote, thats one of the quotes that rings out in my mind everytime this Hakeem issue is re-visited. I may have you mistaken with someone else, but I clearly remember that quote on this message board at that time and it made my stomach turn. ------------------ Check out the Best Source for Draft Info Draftsource.net
I'm more than positive, MManal. I would never say something like that about the Rockets. I know people who follow players instead of teams, and there a'int no way I'm among them. I'm a Rocket fan for life, dude. I would still cheer for Hakeem and his new team, but the Rocks will always be #1. Trust me. Oh, and I hope this stops your little "coalition against the ultra-Dream loyalists like ZRB and Azim The Dream." Azim da Dream ------------------ We don't live for the destination. We live for the journey. http://www.clutchtown.com [This message has been edited by Azim da Dream (edited January 18, 2001).]
