crash-I'm only 19, but as far as I can remember about Dream from the 90-91 season and on, he wasn't really one to run the floor on offense. Moreover, Dream was never one to take the ball to the basket facing up.
G-R-I-F-F-I-N It is not that difficult a name to spell. I mean, he's not Radoslav Nesterovic, or Wally Sczerbiak or Joe Smith. Its a simple name.
Well acutally in the year 2002, Griffin is better then Olajuwon. However, I do not think he will ever reach the same level that Olajuwon achieved.
If you would have seen Dream in the 80s you would have seen a big man that could get up and down the court faster than most guards. If he could have only dribbled back then. There was nothing quite like watching Dream block a shot and then beat everyone down the court to finish the play of with a dunk after receiving the pass from John Lucas or Allen Level. Robinson was fast but not as fast as Dream. In the 90s Dream relied a lot less on his athleticism and started playing a lot more on pure skill. He had already lost much of his athleticism by the time the Rockets had won their first championship but his skill was so high that he was at his best. Another thing about Dream is that he was a major hot head in the 80s unlike the 90s.
I loved Hakeem; I watched him when he first came to UH. I remember his break out game against Missouri. I followed his incredible development. He is one of a kind like a Wilt or a Bill Russell. Hakeem could "coast" during regular season games at a higher level than most players in NBA history. During the playoffs he would elevate his game to almost unbelievable heights. At his peak he could dominate and control a game against any level of competition. When he decided to play his "A" game he was incomparable and unstopable. I love E.G., I think he has great skills and he will be a star, but I don't want to compare him to Hakeem at any age. Watching Hakeem play now makes me very sad; he should have retired about three years ago. It is like watching Glen Rice, who bears no resemblance to his All-Star years.
If you're counting on age alone , Griffin is better, but if you're talking about rookie yrs, there is no contest. Hakeem was already a pretty polished player when he entered the league. His only down side is that he didn't pass the ball, but as far a s offensive games, Griffin is light yrs behind. Defensively as far as reacting to penetration and quickness off the floor they're about equal, but Hakeem was a lot stronger and a better on the ball defender. To really appreciate Hakeem's defense, he's the only player in the history of basketball to be in the top 10 in steals and blks.Now thats a stat for your ass, STEALS and BLOCKS!
Dream was once in a lifetime player. We will never see anyone like him again. I do think that 20 years done the road when we talk about great Rocket big men that Griffin will be mentioned with Dream, Mo and Big E.
Eddie is not as good as Hakeem was as a rookie. The stats back it up: 20 and 10 for Hakeem, and 14-9 for Griffin as a starter. As far as pure talent is concerned, I easily feel that Eddie could be right up there with Hakeem when all is said and done. I love watching this guy play. He plays with energy, and he carries himself like a true professional. When Griffin is 22, he may well average 20-10. The Rockets have to focus on two things: re-signing Francis, and re-signing Griffin. As long as these two are on the team, the Rockets will be contenders for years.
Crash, back then a big man was challenged by the so called enforcers of the league back then. If you fought back they would leave you alone if you didn't you had the soft label on you for the enire duration of you're career. Hakeem was tested and had to whip Michael Cage and Olden Polynice ass once a yr. Big Dave never fought back and you see the label has been on him since. They tried it with Shaq, but after he whipped Derek Harper's ass, they left him alone. Kareem whipped a little ass to in the 70's plus it didn't help him being a 3rd degree black belt either.
Don't forget the big whopper Billy Paultz. Dream dropped his ass cold up in Utah during a play off game in the 80s. When Dream and Ralph played together the opposing team was always in danger of getting into a fight. Those two almost got tossed from the same championship game against the Celtics in 96 when only Ralph got tossed. As I recall they both almost got tossed at the same time in the final L.A. play off game that Ralph hit the big shot. Only Dream got tossed in that game.
Hey ZRB, if you want to compare Griffin's stats to Hakeem's - how did the MPG compare? How about FGA per game. Griffin is getting his stats the old fashion way, he is earning them. There are not alot of plays for him, and I seem to remember Hakeem running alot of that offense in his Rookie year. Plus, Hakeem was a couple of years older than Griffin.
Didn't Dream stay in college all four years? I remember that everyone was worried that when Clyde came out after his junior year that Dream would too but he stayed. Didn't Dream basically ride the bench the year Rob Williams carried the cougars to the final four and then Dream started the next three years? Its been so long ago that I have a hard time remembering.
He only stayed at UH 3 yrs. They ran plays for dream because he was that good offensively and the coach, bill fitch wasn't crazy. I guess being a Rockets fan so long that i have gooten used to a dominant big man from elvin to moses to hakeem. No matter how he does it, i just hope Griffin can continue this trend. I don't care if he does it from the 4 or the 5 spot, but looking at the league, only the Bulls and Pistons have been able to reach and win without have a very good power player. I mean if you check the last 20 yrs those are the only 2. So i think its pretty clear that we will need this type of production from inside to be successful.
You know the author asked for old-timers...who watched...physically saw...Akeem at age 19. So kidrock8 and ZRB Shut the f!ck up. You knew nothing of Akeem at age 19 in 1983 or thereabouts Go ride your bilbo bandwaggin to the misty mountains of lala lore and get lost. and you too pooh.
Crispee, I don't know if you had them that long ago, but there is such a thing as recorded tapes of Hakeem? You don't need to see it in person, because the camera shows exactly what you see in person. Age 19: Hakeem new very little about basketball. He had just recently started playing, and just started to get interested. Griffin is 19, so he's years ahead of Hakeem. Griffin has a great work ethic, but still I doubt that he will improve as much as Hakeem has, simply because there isn't as much margin for improvement. Oh, and there's is the fact that Hakeem is GOD*. There will NEVER be another Hakeem. But who knows, in 10 years, we might be saying "There will never be another Griffin". Age 21: Griffin will probably improve to become the 3rd 20-pt scorer on the team, after Cat and Francis, and will average 10+ rebounds and 3+blocks. Close to Hakeem's numbers? Hakeem was incredible when he came into the league, but it's possible, that at age 21, Griffin might be better than Hakeem was. Age 22 onwards, it's all Hakeem. * Metaphorically speaking Francis, Cat and Griff will always be competitive in this league. The difference is how much Eddie grows. If he grows to be a LEGIT 6'11, then he coulb be our C and play alongside Mo T. They complement each other perfectly. If not, we either move Mo to SF or C and probably won't be as good. But good enough to contend.
Hey, don't speak until your are spoken to. Eat all your vegetables. Where is the respect for elders and not mentioning age. Just because I don't have a DVD doesn't mean I didn't have the first VCR on the block. And Hakeem is older than he looks. I take offense to that. Just because I take longer in the bathroom than I used to doesn't mean you whipper-snappers can beat me in memory threads...grrr! btw: I'm not as old as Calvin Murphy. And I have a real hairline to prove it, not some Sharpie Shadow.
Griffin still has no low post game. Why is this? Can he not post up, or does Rudy want him to play like one of the guards? I'm worried Rudy doesn't teach anyone to post up. I think if Eddie develops a low post game, watch out. But even so, he'll never compare to Olajuwon. Olajuwon was perhaps the best center ever, if not, at leats top 3.
