Rocket fans, are you happy we drafted Hakeem over Jordan?

first off, is that a serious question?

I haven't read any posts but I am shocked with the number of people who voted "NO". illegal drugs are not good for health.

choosing "yes" doesn't need any explanation, but here's a little something:

Hakeem + scrubs = championship
Hakeem + OLD Drexler + scrubs= championship
Jordan + Pippen+ Rodman + a bunch of scrubs = 6 championships

and by "scrubs", I am not taking anything away from Madmax, Cassell, Otis, and the rest of the gang. they are great, no doubt about it. but they are not even close to how good Jordan's supporting cast.

and one more thing:
Hakeem:
G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
1,238 1,186 35.7 .512 .202 .712 3.30 7.80 11.10 2.5 1.75 3.09 2.96 3.50 21.8

Mike:
G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT%OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
1072 1039 38.3 .497 .327 .835 1.6 4.7 6.2 5.3 2.35 .80 2.73 2.60 30.1

Hakeem is a better all around player. simple as that. he is the best player in Basketball history.

 

hmmm. odd question to be asking now. would i liked to have jordan and his 6 rings here in houston? of course. was i more than thrilled to have hakeem and the rockets two rings? you better believe it. who wouldnt, looking back, take jordan over hakeem???? im not overly upset about it though. hakeem was an all time great and we won twice with him. i will take that any draft.

 

It's not a knock on Jordan. It has nothing to do with individual talent. It has everything to do with the way basketball is played. Great centers are more important than great shooting guards. Having a player who can shut down the paint, demand double teams, and still score at will is more important than having a player who can shutdown one player on the perimeter and score at will. Nearly every basketball coach at any level in the world would agree with me.

 

Normally your point is valid. Bigs trump wing players. But Michael Jordan is a special case, he was just different from any other wing players, he striked fear in the heart of opponents like no one else in that era, and when the games was close in last five minutes, you know it's "Jodan time", he'd carry his team to a win every 8 of 10 times. That's why he was considered the greatest player ever by so many coaches and players.

Again , Dream was great and draft him #1 in 1984 was right at that moment, and no one should complain about those 2 Championships Dream brought to Houston.

 

You cannot forget that every single one of those Bulls championship teams had two top 50 players. Michael Jordan isn't that much of a special case. Hakeem was feared nearly as much on the offensive end and far more on the defensive end.

 

MJ had two top 50 players, but he won 6 titles. Hakeem had Clyde, one of the top 50 players for that year also, he had 2 rings. Besides, Hakeem's supporting case was no slotch either, they could very much hold or gain ground in regular season when Hakeem couldn't play. And sometimes team chemistry is very important, see Detroit Pistons 3 years ago.

About the Hakeem was feared nearly as much on offensive end and far more on defensive end part, I really feel it's your imagination. From the quotes by many players, they fear Jordan more than anyone else by a large margin in those years.

 

Oh well, you can go both ways. Jordan wouldn't make that much $$$$ for NBA if he wasn't considered the best player by majority of the people at that moment. If he was just one of the best, he'd make much less, I guess.

 

tinman, I love you, but character issues aside, we all know the Scottie Pippen that played in Houston had a completely shot back and was merely playing for the money he should have been earning earlier in his career.

Anyway, it's not really fair to compare players from different positions. Say what you will about Jordan's accomplishments, but Hakeem's statistical achievements stand favorably against every other center this side of Wilt.

The Rockets made the right decision.

 

if we had picked mj, i seriously doubt we would be in the same situation we are now. who can really say for sure he would be able to win 6 rings here? yes his supporting casts were entirely different, but you have to remember that houston is way different than chicago. if he had played here instead, he might have turned into just a tmac with scoring titles and no championships. remember he wasn't truly great until he started to trust his team mates, something which is comparable to kobe now since he's "trusting his team mates" now. same thing goes for hakeem. i really wish we had drafted lebron though. at least that way we would have a good PG. ( i know he doesnt play pg but who cares, he can handle the ball just fine.)

 

Jordan is no different than any other superstar. When he didn't have help around him his teams lost (and barely posted winning records at that). When he had help he won. Granted, he won more than most...but his teams were stacked. When he retired in 95 the Bulls replaced him with Pete Myers and a rookie Kukoc and went on to win 55 GAMES, and were one foul away from the ECF.

The only thing "special" about Mike is that he has been hyped more than any other athlete not named Ali.

Dream comes into the league, has a talented squad and goes to the Finals. Plays with crap and keeps losing. Gets a squad again and wins titles. Looking at the Bulls championship teams, there isn't one that I don't think Hakeem couldn't win a title with. Anyone that thinks Hakeem couldn't win championships with:

A) a SF that could check anyone on the permiter, rebound, set up the offense and score
B) quick PF's that could defend...one with a solid jumper and one who is one of the best rebounders ever
C) a tall "PG" (Harper) who plays very solid defense
D) a sixth man like Kukoc
E) a rotation of back-up centers, or PF's in this case (Perdue, Williams, Cartwright, Longley, etc)
F) a ****load of shooters (Paxson, Kerr, Armstrong, Hodges, Kukoc, etc)

is an idiot....sorry....

Give me Hakeem all day and twice on my birthday. A dominant center impacts the game on both sides of the court. A dominant guard doesn't. Yes, Mike was great but he didn't win until his team got stacked. He is only called the best because he won 6 titles.

 

Riding on the coattails of Dwyane Wade.

I think Zo did a better job than Shaq.

 

One was Pippen who was the other one?

I'm drawing a big ass blank.
it's 330 in the morning

 

In my post, I was talking about Jordan and Pippen. I don't know who choujie was talking about.

 

then by your logic shouldn't Bill Russell be the best player ever?
or maybe we should bring horry into the equation, since he's won 6 championships as well.

jordan was special because he was the dominant force in the league when domination usually meant big men. mike wasn't just a dominant guard, he was THE dominant guard, THE dominant player.

its foolish to say that he wasnt the special, just total bs. dont let the rocket red blind you.

 

"I like me."

 

Not by my logic...just general logic. Jordan wouldn't be called the best ever if he didn't win so much. Prior to winning he actually was taking a lot of criticism for losing in the playoffs. Just like every other superstar, he didn't win squat until he got help. The Bulls didn't even have a winning record until Pippen & Grant were drafted. He was on a very good team. The Bulls had the best SG, the best SF, a solid PF and lots of shooters. They won 55 games without Mike. They had a very good team. He showed me he could win with help. Magic showed me that too (5 titles in a tougher era). Bird showed me that. The only "special" folks are the ones that I have seen win with no other superstar (Hakeem & Duncan). That's different.

Also, most of the championship teams in the 80's were led by dominant permiter players (Magic after say '84, Bird and Isiah).