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Uncle Mutombo: I Am the Leader of The Houston Rockets

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by pryuen, Mar 13, 2008.

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pryuen Contributing Member

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Read this exclusive interview of Uncle Mutombo by Basketball Pioneers and want to share it with you guys.......

IMHO, Uncle Mutombo is definitely a great consummate professional, a great team mate, and a leader and one hell of a kind of personality.

ENJOY !!!

http://sports.sina.com.cn/k/2008-03-13/10363529163.shtml

Reporter Zheng Peng of Basketball Pioneers reports from Atlanta

Every season, the question of “Who is the leader of the Houston Rockets? Yao Ming? Tracy McGrady?” will pop up. When asked about this question, the 42-year-old Deke Mutombo never had to hesitate and would blurt out his answer straightaway: “I am also the team’s leader. I can teach all the young players how to deal with and face up to different kind of situation.” And on Uncle Mutombo’s face, it is with self confidence all written over it, because he knows that within Houston Rockets, regardless of which players, every player will follow and listen to his words. To a certain extent, he speaks with authority.

Now, Yao Ming had prematurely bid farewell to this season well ahead of time. And having been idle and not playing too many minutes/games, Uncle Mutombo had to step up bravely to contribute to the team just like what he did the previous season. This time, he had to use action and not merely words to guide and lead this team to win. Here in Atlanta, the Houston Rockets had just completed a short team practice. And right after the training, Uncle Mutombo who had been playing superb and brilliant in recent games, leaned on the basketball post, accepted the following exclusive interview from Basketball Pioneers:

Basketball Pioneers: Deke, (we heard) your General Manager, Daryl Morey is ready to offer you a contract extension for another year. Are you not at all moved and interested?

Mutombo: (Laughing heartily) I don’t know. I don’t know. When this season ends, I need to talk this over again with my wife. I also need to discuss this with my children. Meanwhile, I also need some time to ponder over this myself.

Basketball Pioneers: If we really need a straight answer from you now on the possibility of you signing for another year, what will be your answer?

Mutombo: Mmm... ... I think it still should be that I will retire after this season. This was how I planned for this whole season after all. Of course, if I change my mind, I will immediately let the world know about my decision. HA HA HA !!

Basketball Pioneers: Recently have you communicated with Yao Ming? What do you think about his mood/feeling?

Mutombo: Nearly every other day. I was at his home the evening before yesterday, and stayed at his home for nearly 4 hours, just to accompany and chat with him. He seemed to be in good mood. He will surely feel proud about the team’s current achievement. I don’t want him to feel forlorn, and I don’t want him to think his team mates have all forgotten his existence and the contribution he made (to our current achievement). So as long as I am free and have time, I will go over to see him at his home, and tell him how his team mates all miss him and how we all love him.

Basketball Pioneers: I thought you look so cool during the players’ introduction ritual. Did you design that ritual out of your own creativity?

Mutombo: (With a face full of self pride) Of course. So you saw it and also think so? I always hit the Clutch Bear with those combinations of left and right jabs. And boxing is really something very interesting/exciting. Moreover, that fellow (the Clutch Bear) seems also enjoyed being hit by me. HA HA HA !!

Basketball Pioneers: So Carl Landry has been injured; that means probably you need to play much longer minutes. Do you feel exhausted?

Mutombo: No, at least so far I don’t feel exhausted. The Head Coach’s arrangement is very good, and he always let me have sufficient time for breathers/rest. I thought my play minutes will be set at around 20 to 25 minutes per game. Besides our back-up players had all stepped up and played pretty well during this period of time.

Basketball Pioneers: Well, even when you’re substituted, you are often seen standing up, howling and shouting from the bench. It makes everyone curious: what actually are you howling and shouting about?

Mutombo: (Laughing) You know? I am already an old fogy, and had been in this league for so long, and had seen so much. I always howled and shouted at the courtside to those young team mates to alert them on what they had done wrong, and what areas they need to take heed and pay attention to. I thought this is just another means that I can bring help to this team, and that is to help this team with my own experience. In fact, I enjoyed very much this kind of feeling.

Basketball Pioneers: So you think you are a leader of this team? Some sort of a spiritual leader?

Mutombo: Right! Definitely I am the leader (of this team). You know? A leader has to do a lot of things. Regardless whether it is during training, or on court or off court; I have been spending a lot of my time, trying to guide and lead this team onto the right direction. These players are all young people. I knew that they will need an old fogy to teach and lead them. I am that old fogy. HA HA HA !!!

Basketball Pioneers: Some people said you are that kind of player that can change (and define) the disposition and character of the entire team, and even the entire city. What do you think as regards to such view?

Mutombo: That is my mission. I must thank my parents. Their teachings have affected my life and me as a person. I always said that, they are the ones that I felt I am most indebted to. Also Coach John Thompson Jr. of Georgetown University; he let me learn a lot of things from him. When I was away from my parents, for those 4 to 5 years, it was Coach Thompson that continuously helped me. Therefore all these experiences affected and shaped my disposition and character as a player and as a person. And possibly that is also the reason why I am that kind of person who can easily affect others, players or team.

Basketball Pioneers: Throughout your professional career, you have played for so many teams. Had there been a time that you had this kind of feeling that you’re the hero of your team and of the city?

Mutombo: Yup, I had had that kind of feeling, (and that was when I was playing for) Denver.

Basketball Pioneers: Are you referring to the classic Black 8 Experience? (i.e. when Denver Nuggets, as a #8 seed eliminated #1 seed Seattle Supersonic in Round 1 of playoff in the 1993/94 season)?

Mutombo: No, much more than just that. I thought I hold my own position and place in the history of Denver Nuggets; During those years, people/fans cheered for me, and I felt I am the hero for the team as well as for the entire city.

Basketball Pioneers: So you had created a miracle in Denver; and now in Houston, in this season, you are also creating another miracle with the team. Playing without Yao Ming, the Houston Rockets had already strung up a winning streak of 19. So does that “I’m the hero” sense of pride coming back to you?

Mutombo: (Smiles) Indeed. When I did my finger-wagging, I heard the roaring approvals and applause of the Houston fans. That is one hell kind of a long-missed moving feeling. But after all, I am old already. All I can do for this team is that I just play to the best of my capability to help this team, use my defense to set the tune for the competition, to let the opponents know, as long as I am on the court, I won’t let them fool around with ease in my territory. They will lament why the night is that painstakingly long…..and I just like that kind of feeling.

Basketball Pioneers: In a recent game, Luis Scola (imitated you and also) wagged his finger together with you by the courtside. What do you think about this guy’s finger-wagging posture? And when the fans and your team mates were all imitating your finger-wagging, did you feel especially joyful and ecstatic?

Mutombo: (Smiles) HA HA HA, well Luis did quite well in impersonating me of my finger-wagging. I enjoyed very much such moments when tens of thousands of people were wagging their fingers simultaneously with me. I hope we can see such scenes during the playoff.

Basketball Pioneers: But if your opponents wag their fingers towards you, you will not feel happy?

Mutombo: Of course!!! That is my patent. Whoever wag their fingers towards me, I definitely would not feel happy. At the very least, they should pay me some patent fees. HA HA HA !!!

Basketball Pioneers: Regardless whether you will retire this year or next year, your #55 jersey will also be forever retired. So which city do you want (or have chosen) to retire your own jersey? Or will your jersey be retired in the same way as Wilt Chamberlain, i.e. in many teams/cities?

Mutombo: Denver, Atlanta and Houston, they have all explicitly told me, that they will retire my #55 jersey at their stadiums. And that is to say, up till now, there are already 3 teams indicating to me that they want to retire my jersey. But I just keep wondering why has Philadelphia yet to ask? After all, I had led them to the Final once.

Basketball Pioneers: (We learnt that) Luis Scola and Shane Battier will all go to China this summer. What about you? Have you got a similar plan?

Mutombo: I have already decided to go to China with my wife and my children in August for the Olympics.

Basketball Pioneers: Tracy McGrady had told us that the players did not discuss much about the current history-making winning streak in the changing room. So what topics you guys usually talk about?

Mutombo: Well, certainly we talk about our daily lives; that is normally our major topic of discussion. And yeah, as you raised this question, it also makes me wonder why we had not discussed much about the current winning streak? Maybe it is like we all think that this winning streak will continue.

Basketball Pioneers: Okay, my last question. After you retire, have you considered writing a book?

Mutombo: (Laughing) HA, I really have such a plan to write a book to talk about my professional career, as well as my life. I think it definitely will become a best seller and perhaps it will be translated into several different languages.
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#1 pryuen, Mar 13, 2008

Rudyball Contributing Member

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pryuen said:

Read this exclusive interview of Uncle Mutombo by Basketball Pioneers and want to share it with you guys.......

IMHO, Uncle Mutombo is definitely a great consummate professional, a great team mate, and a leader and one hell of a kind of personality.

ENJOY !!!
Click to expand...

Thanks again, pryuen! Good read, hard not to like the big fella.

#2 Rudyball, Mar 13, 2008
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Wait. Houston offered to retire Mutombo's Jersey? I mean, that's a great gesture and all and I love Mutombo, but let's not get carried away.

#3 DCkid, Mar 13, 2008
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DCkid said:

Wait. Houston offered to retire Mutombo's Jersey? I mean, that's a great gesture and all and I love Mutombo, but let's not get carried away.
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I know! I was a little surprised, but deke's been here for 3 or 4 years now? He's also such a big part of the organization off the basketball court. Drexler was only here for a few years, and we retired his jersey. I suppose if we get to the finals, or win the championship, I'd feel more comfortable about retiring deke's jersey.

#4 Aruba77, Mar 13, 2008
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I wouldnt be against it, as I see him staying in the organization as a coach or in the front office after this year. Im just glad we didnt retire Barkley's number...

#5 Chuck 4, Mar 13, 2008
pryuen Contributing Member

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DCkid said:

Wait. Houston offered to retire Mutombo's Jersey? I mean, that's a great gesture and all and I love Mutombo, but let's not get carried away.
Click to expand...

Well, I don't know why we have to grudge Uncle Mutombo having his jersey retired in Houston, even if he ends up empty-handed without a championship ring with the Rockets.

He is definitely going to be a future Hall of Famer. He is well loved and respected player/team mate amongst the Houston Rockets and the fans.....and he is a well-respected person domestically and internationally for all the charity and humanitarian work he had done for his countrymen, both in USA and Africa.

IMHO, he well deserves such respect.

#6 pryuen, Mar 13, 2008
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sura faints.

very nice interview, good job pryuen.

#7 GermanRoxFan, Mar 13, 2008

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Honestly due to the humanitarian efforts of Deke i feel his #55 jersey should be retired League Wide, nobody else that i can remember has had such a big effect on a global scale for his work within his community and not to mention the Hospital in Congo, he is the definition of an unselfish player/individual.

#8 Tha TC, Mar 13, 2008
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Aruba77 said:

I know! I was a little surprised, but deke's been here for 3 or 4 years now? He's also such a big part of the organization off the basketball court. Drexler was only here for a few years, and we retired his jersey. I suppose if we get to the finals, or win the championship, I'd feel more comfortable about retiring deke's jersey.
Click to expand...

Not only should the Rockets retire his jersey, they need to get him a 1994 championship ring for his part in knocking out Seattle.

Mutombo is awesome!

#9 AntiSonic, Mar 13, 2008
Pole Houston Rockets--Tilman Fertitta's latest mess.

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Chuck 4 said:

I wouldnt be against it, as I see him staying in the organization as a coach or in the front office after this year. Im just glad we didnt retire Barkley's number...
Click to expand...

The NBA goes out of it's way to promote image (how many commercials do you see about the players "helping out"). Mutombos is EXACTLY the kind of person you forever want to have associated with your team; Barkley is not.

#10 Pole, Mar 13, 2008
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If he takes us to the promised land I can see retiring his jersey. If not I think I have mixed feelings.

#11 Bandwagoner, Mar 13, 2008
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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-080313

"The Rockets have won 20 games straight," sung Dikembe Mutombo to nobody in particular. "All the critics can kiss my black ass."

Hahahah I love it.

#12 tested911, Mar 13, 2008
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OLD MAN ,GREAT MAN

#13 timeschinatours, Mar 13, 2008

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tested911 said:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-080313

"The Rockets have won 20 games straight," sung Dikembe Mutombo to nobody in particular. "All the critics can kiss my black ass."

Hahahah I love it.
Click to expand...

lol i didnt believe you until i went and read it for myself lol... c'mon who wouldnt retire this mans jersey!

#14 Tha TC, Mar 13, 2008
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He is a great man anyways.

He deserves respectation.

I love his fingure much more than my PP!!!

#15 xiudou@cn, Mar 13, 2008
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xiudou@cn said:

He is a great man anyways.

He deserves respectation.

I love his fingure much more than my PP!!!
Click to expand...

wtf

#16 Tha TC, Mar 13, 2008
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xiudou said:

I love his fingure much more than my PP!!!/QUOTE]

I really hope I understood that incorrectly.
Click to expand...

#17 Nuclear Yak, Mar 13, 2008
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i love this board.

#18 hashmander, Mar 13, 2008

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LOL me too

Nuclear Yak said:

xiudou said:

I love his fingure much more than my PP!!!
Click to expand...

I really hope I understood that incorrectly.
Click to expand...

#19 bravo six, Mar 13, 2008
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tested911 said:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-080313

"The Rockets have won 20 games straight," sung Dikembe Mutombo to nobody in particular. "All the critics can kiss my black ass."

Hahahah I love it.
Click to expand...

That's Awesome!

You tell 'em, Deke. Make them recognize!

#20 MyEyesSee, Mar 13, 2008

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