Why not have Hakeem, who's been resting for about 15 mins now, in the game with 1 minute left and a 4 point lead? Rudy played right into a Steve Francis doubling, and a Scottie Pippen easy ass layup in the paint taking what all of 4 secs off of the clock? At least use Hakeem as a deterrant for the impending double on Francis
That was a "play now, pay later" situation. Olajuwon is in no shape to play more than a very specific set of minutes. Those minutes have already been determined - 15 one game, 20 the next, 22 the next, etc. If you force him into action too quickly, it could cause another injury. Despite their chance to win, Rudy was right not to put Hakeem back in. Besides, what a boost for the guys on the floor not to have to rely on Hakeem to win a game like this.
Ill agree on the confindence issue. But considering the magintude of winning over a solid team like the Blazers, playing Hakeem one more minute surely wouldn't of hindered his come back one bit.
Dreamshake, I totally agree with you. His prescense(Sp) alone would have altered some shots. I think Rudy is building for the future, and letting his young guys learn. DaDakota "Nothing wrong with learning while you win."
I think Rudy is just letting Hakeem play and get his conditioning back. Hakeem can't play much more than 20 minutes a game yet, because he has about 2-3 weeks until he is back in NBA form. In the meantime, yea, he's getting the younger/new players on this team much needed experience. How the hell are we gonna kick a$$ in the playoffs if they can't buckle down in high pressure situations? This whole season is high pressure if ya'll haven't noticed. I think Rudy's lost some hair since the beginning of the season! ------------------ Tanking is not acceptable. End of story.
