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Bring Back the Memories....Ewing/Hakeem

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by tariq, May 6, 2002.

  1. tariq

    tariq Member

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    From ESPN.com's Page 2
    http://espn.go.com/page2/s/simmons/020503.html

    No. 3: Patrick Ewing

    Will you miss this now-familiar shot of Patrick Ewing?
    My favorite dopey NBA playoff tradition goes like this: Every spring, one NBA star seems headed for retirement after the season, which means the announcers inevitably make a big fuss about it and say things like, "This might be the last time we see so-and-so in an NBA uniform!"

    Of course, it doesn't matter if we actually care about the star in question. Remember when Jeff Hornacek was retiring two years ago? The announcers were breathlessly saying, "This could be the last chance to ever see Jeff Hornacek in a Utah uniform" and "If this is Jeff Hornacek's last game, what a career he's had." Jeez, I can't believe I forgot to cue up the VCR for that one. Wouldn't want to miss the chance to capture Hornacek's last game on tape. Just ridiculous.

    We were subjected to the same crap this week with The Artist Formerly Known As Patrick Ewing, who has been stuck in that "15-Year-Old Poodle With Cataracts and Diabetes Who Starts Going To The Bathroom In The House and Needs To Be Put To Sleep" phase of his career for two years running. Besides, this wasn't Kareem on his last legs ... hell, it wasn't even Hakeem. Did Ewing have a Hall of Fame career? I guess. I also know there wasn't one season where we could look back and say, "Man, Ewing had it going that year" or "Nobody could handle him that season." As amazing as this sounds, the Georgetown version of Ewing was more memorable than the New York version.

    Think about it. Ewing was utterly devoid of charisma. He never made his teammates better. He might have been the most overrated NBA player of the past two decades -- horrendous hands, unreliable at crunch-time, dubious rebounder, terrible passer out of the double-team, the whole nine yards. His prime coincided with an era when true NBA centers were few and far between, yet he never took full advantage of that window. He was so freaking slow -- because of his bad knees -- that the Knicks never really seriously contended until Pat Riley adopted that slow-it-down, thug-ball, rugby-style of play that catered to Ewing and nearly ruined the NBA as we know it. And during his only appearance in the NBA Finals -- which happened only because MJ had retired -- another center (Hakeem) pretty much destroyed him.

    So for announcers to pull the "This could be our last chance to see Patrick Ewing" routine ... well, I find it a little insulting. Don't ask me to appreciate someone who I didn't appreciate that much in the first place, especially when he's been hanging on just to collect paychecks for the past two seasons.

    And as Dennis Miller would say, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Finally someone tells the world what it really is. Ewing was a nothing. Hakeem was everything!

    I hate it when people go on comparing Ewing with Hakeem as it has been going on for so long.
     
  2. edc

    edc Contributing Member

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    R. Lord over on 610 has been going on for months about how Ewing was "never a warrioir," and doubting his HOF credentials. Fortunately for Patrick, it is the BASKETBALL HOF, not the NBA HOF.
     
  3. huby_n1

    huby_n1 Member

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    Or how about this site I found on the web.
    http://www.unc.edu/~lbrooks2/shaq.html

    Shaquille O'Neal

    This 7-1, 300 pound, powerful young center can already dominate the best in the league. Its Mister Robinson, Ewing, Hakeem the Dream and Shaq...period...they are the elite big men. How long before Shaq rises to a new level? Only time will tell. At Louisiana State he was named the 1991 College Player of the year (AP,UPI) and a unanimous first team All-American in both 1991 and 1992. In his rookie season, he finished in the top ten in scoring, rebounding, blocks and shooting percentage. He started off real fast on his way to ROY honors, becoming the first player in NBA history to be named Player of the Week in his first week in the league. It only took Shaq 28 games to become the Magic's all-time leading shot blocker.
    A notoriously bad free-throw shooter, Shaq tries to get more of his points on the power slam. The hearty NBA centers now try to foul Shaq rather than give him the easy shot. Also, teams defend against him by spending MANY fouls and by covering him with a lot of fresh new bodies. Only Olajuwon really has the strength to stand toe to toe with him...and took a charge in the NBA Finals a few years back to prove it. He has been a fixture (definately immovable by his opponents) on both Dream Team II and III. Shaq has started every all-star game since his rookie year, except 1997 when he went as a backup to Olajuwon, but ended up not playing due to injury. In 1998 with the Lakers he once again started ahead of David Robinson, and he was the leading vote getter among all western conference starters in 2000 with 1,807,609 votes, again in 2001 with 1,541,298 votes and again in 2002 with 1,247,438 votes.. He signed the richest contract in NBA history, 7 years for 120 million dollars with the LA Lakers on July 18, 1996, being lured away from the Magic. O'Neal has been thrice named to the All-NBA Third Team (1994, 1996 and 1997) with two selections to the NBA Second Team (1995 and 1999). In 1998 he was selected to his first All-NBA First Team. In 2000 he was also named to the All-NBA First Team, in one of the most dominating seasons in recent years by any player. He wasn't the MVP in 2001, but he did repeat as a member of the All-NBA First Team. He was also an ALl-NBA First Teamer in 2002. He also has two All-Defensive Second Team selections under his belt, in 2000 and 2001. Shaq finally got his due in 2000, after winning the scoring title, he was also named as the League MVP. O'Neal won the award with the highest percentage of 1st place votes (99.2%) in league history, only one vote didn't go to him, and that went to Allen Iverson. Michael Jordan received 96.5% (109 of 113) of the 1st place votes in 95-96. Shaq was named to the All-Interview Second Team in 2001..not quite as good as being named MVP. Prior to the 2000-2001 season, the LA Lakers signed Shaquille O'Neal to a 3 year, $88.5 million contract extension. O'Neal is now signed through the 2005-06 season.
     
  4. NJRocket

    NJRocket Contributing Member

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    I'm not a huge fan of Ewing's either, however, he was in the Top 50 of the NBA and he would be a shoe in to make the HOF even if it only included the NBA portion of careers.
     
  5. JoeBarelyCares

    JoeBarelyCares Contributing Member

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    Thanks for the site, Tariq. Good read. To adapt a quote from Larry Holmes, Ewing couldn't carry Hakeem's jockstrap.
     
  6. TheFreak

    TheFreak Contributing Member

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    Pretty bad article. He underrates Ewing pretty bad, I think.

    Huh? Hakeem, Robinson, and Ewing all in their primes, as well as a young Shaq, and young Mutombo is not a good era for centers? Shoot, even Parish had a couple of good years left when Ewing first started out. Brad Dougherty was around too (all-star). Smits. Sabonis. Eaton (defense, used to give Akeem fits). Divac was younger and better. What is this guy talking about? Seems like one of the better era for centers to me.

    Now, today on the other hand....
     

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