Hakeem played both ends of the court. So Hakeem was far more valuable. Seeing Charles running a fast break while he was in Philly was one of the most badazz things I ever saw in my life though.
Hakeem peaked higher than Barkley did. When Hakeem was great, he was batter than Barkley. It's a good comparison, because they were both small for thier position. However, I believe that Barkley had a longer shelf life than Hakeem. I believe that all the years that he was on the Rockets, for example, Barkley was the best player on the our team.
If I were having a milkshake and fries on a summer day I would pick Hakeem That being said, I mostly drink beer, so Charles would be the preferable companion. Wrong thread you say? Perhaps I'll start a new one. Drinking a Beer: Barkley or Olajuwon? note: Hakeem is Muslim and I'm pretty sure he doesn't drink. I hope this knowledge does not influence your decision
"If there is an element of the offensive game, Chuck had it. Dream had a million post moves but I never wanted to see him shooting a 20 footer. " -And you would want to see Barkley shooting 20 footers or worse yet those momentum killing low-percentage 3's he just couldn't help but hoist up at the most inopportune times? Let's not delude ourselves: Barkley was a decent outside shooter, but it was hardly a weapon. "As for Kevin Johnson, many people around here can tell you that a dominant big man trumps a dominant little man." -Totally missed the point. My point was that even with Kevin Johnson completely DOMINATING the PG matchup the Suns lost. If Barkley had been able to perform as well as Olajuwon did in those series, the Suns win going away and Barkley actually has a title or 2. But Olajuwon was far and away the best player on the court in those series. Put it this way: Swap Barkley and Hakeem in 94 and 95 and do you think Barkley leads the Rockets to 2 titles? Hell no. Suns would beat Houston 4-0 both years.
