Lets be real, MJ wouldn't be MJ in Houston. There wouldn't be Pippen/Phil and I doubt there would be any titles. MJ would probably end up bolting for LA or NY or Chicago the first chance he got. Hakeem IS a part of H-Town. From the University of Houston to the Rockets. He spent most of his life in this city.
Akeem was consensus best player. He was dominant in college. Also dream took the rockets to finals in 86. Way before jordan went to the finals
Classy post Though actually need to have varying differing selections to have ANY kind of valid poll, public or non-public. I don't see a poll here at all. Of course its an easy choice - ONLY ONE POLL CHOICE IS PROVIDED
MJ wasn't considered GOAT within his first 6 years, but was considered greatest in game at that time. (Arguably, of course.) I think Hakeem and Clyde with Blazers is at least 2 rings. The Blazers had 2 Finals appearances with Kevin Duckworth (RIP) at center. Put in HAKEEM THE DREAM instead? If Hakeem and Clyde could win a ring and go to Finals in old age, their younger selves woulda been something. Then add Rick The Ruler Adelman as coach? FORGET IT. If Adelman could make Duckworth into an ALL-STAR, Adelman would be "Phil Jackson"-like to Dream. Like Phil was to Shaq. Jordan would probably be considered greatest in game in Houston. He'd still get scoring titles, win Dunk Contests and drop 60+ points in playoffs. But just don't see Houston front office getting him the pieces, and I don't see Jordan having the patience to stay. He'd have to go the Barkley / Moses Malone / Shaq / (Lebron) route going to another team to get his GREATEST success With how it shakes out, its looking like Hakeem is actually the SURE ring winner regardless of situation, and Jordan is the more unsure. With Phi Slamma Jamma West ironically beating Houston and Jordan every year in the West, Jordan's shine gets diminished. The reason this post is getting long winded is cuz I've hardly EVER actually gave any lengthy thought to this until now...which has to mean I've never felt any regret of wishing there was a Jordan selection over Hakeem.
Jordan didn't win anything until Cartwright joined Grant and Pippen. Nor could he have had later success without Rodman and Kukoc. You can't win without a team. Hakeem would have had a lot more success if the 86 team remained intact and healthy.
Saleem is a true rockets fan instead of that harden hater he is responding to. Clutchfans is named after clutch city. Clutch city is the greatest rockets teams of all time .
Is this a "knowing what we know now" type of question? As in, MJ still wins six rings and Hakeem two? Or is it pick Hakeem and get the results of what actually happened vs pick MJ and get some type of unknown alternate reality?
It was maddening being a fan of the Rockets after two key things happened to our team. The White Powder Disaster and Ralph's injury riddled career after the '86 Finals. After the '85-'86 season, Fitch didn't have enough talent surrounding Dream, and Hakeem didn't have the right coach after the departure of Bill Fitch, not until Rudy T got the gig. Before Lucas, Wiggins, and Lloyd were tossed by the league, and Sampson was injured, the Rockets were a very deep team. We did have quality guards and wings. In Sampson, we had the perfect compliment to Olajuwon, in my opinion, a guy who, being a natural center pre-Hakeem, could swing between the 4 and the 5, stepping in without a hitch at center when Dream got tossed for busting somebody up, or got too many fouls. It's no accident that the country's sports media considered Houston to be the new dynasty of the NBA, just needing seasoning to rack up the trophies. It was no accident because it was true. True until coke took out several key players, and a terrible fall by Ralph in Boston turned who should have been Dream's sidekick for many years into a shadow of what he once was. Luck wasn't kind to the Rockets.
There is a great chance that if those two switched places, neither of them would be that highly regarded today.
