Much man love for the both of them. Shaq has always said that Dream was better. But Shaq being my chapter fraternity brother (Omega Psi Phi - Chi Tau) he's still in the top 5 (Kareem, Russell, Wilt, Dream, and Shaq).
A bunch of guys 4-5" shorter than him in an era when there were hardly any true centers. And he didn't have much of an offensive game. IMO, if you took Hakeem and Russell in their primes Hakeem would destroy him...as would Shaq, Ewing, Robinson, most of them. Russell was Amare like when the NBA was still shooting set shots. Overated...IMO. DD
Russell came into the league in 56-57, when there were only 8 teams. He was 6-9, 215. Other bigs from that season in his division were: Syracuse Nationals - Hopkins (6-8, 205), Kerr (6-9, 230), Schayes (6-7, 195) Philly Warriors - Armstrong (6-8, 220), Davis (6-8, 205), Hitch (6-8, 200), Johnston (6-8, 210) NY Knicks - Bergen (6-8, 210), Felix (6-11, 220), Jordan (6-10, 205), Shalvik (6-8, 200) http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_1957.html I don't think it's necessary for me to list the other teams. He clearly had guys just as big as him, and remember back then dudes were measured barefoot and didn't weight train. I also believe Wilt was in the league for a lot of his career, and since there were so few teams...they actually squared off against each other more per season than say, Yao sees Howard today. You are right that he didn't have offensive game. Transplant any great center to the past and you also have to take away all the advantages they get from playing today, just like you have to give an old player those same advantages.
Anyone trying to make a case for Shaq is "nuts" and apparently didn't see or remember Hakeem's play. Hakeem did it on defense, offense, steals, assists blocks, rebounds and ft's. You knew what Hakeem was going to do but just couldn't stop it. You knew the Rockets were gonna go to him but it just didn't matter, there was nothing you could do about it. You could look at the stat column in any category in the NBA and he would be in the top 5 or 10 in every category. Shaq was good, great even, but not at the same level as "The Dream". There was one easy way to stop Shaq and it is also the reason he didn't get more rings, It was called the "Hack-a-Shaq", the man couldn't make free throws! or any thing other than a shot within 6 or 7 feet. He had a few moves but his favorite was just going right threw you or over you. Shaq all ways refers to how great Hakeem was and was kind like a mentor in the since that after the Rockets sweep Orlando, Shaq had to reavaluate himself and his moves and tried to implement some similar moves. Teammates and opponents offen said being on the court with Hakeem was kind of like a dream. Hence the name Hakeem "The Dream".
Put it this way, Shaq would probably be a top 5 center of the league for all time but Hakeem would be a top 3.
Uhh. Dream was a powerhouse too. Just because you see all the fancy moves in the highlights, doesn't mean he didn't dunk on people. He dunked on people and faced quadruple teams. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zMrcBdXU9Nw&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zMrcBdXU9Nw&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
I believe even Charlie Rosen admitted that Russell was too small and lacked the strength to guard modern Centers. Russell is very overrated IMO.
The thing that annoys me off about this debate is people using the championships as a barometer. Hakeem never played with anyone like Kobe or a healthy Penny or DWade. Clyde just wasn't that class of a player when he finally got here. Plus, Shaq got rolled any time he played one of the great teams of his era. Hakeem beat the Showtime Lakers and the bully Knicks, and Shaq's Magic. Shaq did beat the Nets I guess.
This is confusing. Healthy Kenny Smith > Healthy Penny! <object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vs-8YmhhgYk&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Vs-8YmhhgYk&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>
Of course this argument intentionally skips over the fact that Shaq has played in 203 playoff games as compared to Hakeem's 145 I don't find too much glory in 3 straight 3-1 first round flame outs in the prime of his career the way Solomon does. Mind you I'm not saying they were Akeem's fault, but if that's the way he wants to argue it doesn't really look great for Akeem.
this is why i hate comparing great players b/c it can get ugly. both are GREAT, dominant, and all-timers. and we should all leave it at that. but i repeat: hakeem is arguably the greatest 2-way players of all time. gotta put that in there everytime i talk about hakeem.
I agree that Hakeem is better than Shaq. But the article has some very confusing logic. It's a good thing that the author is not a lawyer. What kind of a case is he making?
like shaq said hakeem was better!! dream is one of the top 3 center all time w/ wilt and kareem as the other 2.i think bill russell overrated also.
Shaq might have an edge over Olajuwon. Athleticism. Homerism aside, Hakeem's athleticism was amazing, but I think Shaq's was even better. Obviously, Hakeen was very good at faking people out of their shoes, and getting easy baskets. However, Prime Shaq (2000-2002) was ridiculous. He would power over people, yeah, but he's also pretty damn quick for a 7'1", 285 pound dude. The case for Shaq or Hakeen is the same debate as the case for Kobe or Lebron. In the first three and a half quarters, I would take the guy whose strength is unmatched by the person defending him 9 times out of ten, being Lebron and Shaq. However, in the closing minutes of the game, I would take the smarter, more nimble fella. Being Kobe/Olajuwon.
