Why?... Well, take a step back and realize what is going on... Hakeem wants to play next year. It has become clearly evident. However, and this is the dilemma!!! He realizes the team needs his salary space to further progress for next year and as much as the Rockets of old so relied on him, the time has never been better for his legacy to come to an end at the end of the season... AND his competitive juices and the fire in his heart says one more year. You can almost hear him telling himself that he can do better than this. That this ending is not right. That he can make a statement as he leaves the game. It's not happening here, due not only to the new format (with guard emphasis) but also from Hakeem's thought at the beginning of the season in which he thought he would be contempt with "getting out there and not getting injured" and hoping his own health worries would not keep him from being able to finish the season. He was so genuine and sincere when he stated his intentions that this was it at the start of season, BUT...... A funny thing happened in the early season, Hakeem realized his health was no longer a concern, he found he had his wind for a longer time than expected, he realized that he felt great, and he found that he could have his spurts of greatness (such as in the Mavs game.), but most importantly, he realized the end is getting closer and closer and closer. For 20 years (college and NBA) Houston is where he made a name for himself. The ultimate warrior, the Dream! Some of you might recall his early days (for me the 1986 finals, - first time. I then thought this "basketball" might be a fun thing to watch) in which he was just a young, raw, enigma of tremendous talent. His leaping ability to block shots was already legendary at U of H. Do you not think Hakeem clearly means it when he speaks so highly of his adopted city? He loves it here, but what do you do? Suddenly your mind and body tells you it is not time to stop. You believe you can still play with a resemblance of greatness, although you might be only a shell of your former self. His decision to continue is likely not for more money, but for passion and doing what you feel is right and what you’re comfortable with. 1. If Hakeem retires (and stays a Rocket), he may please only a few fans, but he will live his last day knowing he still felt the passion to play. 2. If Hakeem stays with Rockets for one more year (regardless of salary), he will be making his preferred decision, but he realizes his presence might not be best for the team, regarding potential acquisitions and the like. 3. If Hakeem plays for another team, he will find it disheartening to leave Houston, but he will have the satisfaction of fulfilling his passion and not hurting his team. I truly believe Hakeem prefers to stay here, but realizes the intangibles that could cause difficulty for the team. It will be a hard decision, no doubt, but we all make very difficult decisions in life and sometimes you gotta do the next best thing. Hakeem may be missed but I feel his decision will be to do what is best for the team. For the good of the team, I think he will do what is right and be the ultimate team player by sacrificing his personal desires to better accommodate the team..... ------------------ Sometimes you gotta do the next best thing!
Quick, somebody call the paragraph police.. Hakeem will do what is best for the team? Puhlease.. Hakeem will only do what's best for Hakeem. ------------------ My dream job is to be a Houston Rockets towel boy.
