[espn]Hakeem Olajuwon, 47, looks like he can still play ‎

He seems to help Kobe and Howard out in workouts.

why couldn't he be a coach for our PF's? I just don't want to see him working with other teams players. Is that selfish of me? Pay him just to keep a Rockets logo on him.

 

Are you joking? I don't really think you should make unsubstantiated claims about players without any evidence to support those claims, especially when those claims are as serious as steroid use in the NBA.

Everything else you said, I agree with. Howard would go down in history as one of the best ever if he could develop a good post game with good footwork. He should work out with Dream more often.

 

He's not any guy, that he should be a hard-working blue-collar coach like Patrick Ewing or something. He's the best center of all time. It would be disrespectful for him to be mucking around with role players and 2nd and 3rd choice PF's. And chances are they couldn't live up to his teachings anyway.

It's only fitting that the best players of our time get time learning from him. Our guys can improve just as much from just watching film of him. They're not at the stage where they need to learn the finer points of his game, they're still working on the basics.

 

You know what I can't seem to figure out about comparing Dwight Howard to Hakeem Olajuwon, juicystream?

Why anybody bothers.

If Howard is looking to emulate anybody, he should look towards Alonzo Mourning. He looks and plays more like Mourning did than anybody else I've ever heard or seen him compared to.

Even comparing Howard offensively to a prime Shaquille O'Neal is insulting to O'Neal, in my opinion. Shaq had (an still has, surprisingly) excellent footwork for someone of his massive size (one year Shaq played at over 350 lbs!), and much more polish to his low-post game than people realize, because O'Neal was so physically overpowering, nobody noticed how much work he routinely did to get into position to plow through defenders before he ever got the ball.

Howard doesn't have the skills that either Olajuwon or O'Neal had as low post players. Typically, when people talk about playing down in the paint, they're referring to playing with your back to the basket (whether they know it our not). Generally, the only thing strength is good for in those situations is to maintain as close a spot to the basket as you can.

If you can't move your feet well enough, and use your body to seal defenders on your hip, you can usually be contained pretty effectively in the half-court. As Howard tends to be from time to time.

Howard doesn't seem to have ANY technique that he can rely on offensively from a post-up position in order to create a mismatch. Olajuwon's game offensively rocketed (sorry about the pun) when he added a jump-hook to his game sometime during the 1992-1993 season. Hakeem already had some devastating footwork, which got him separation from his defenders routinely. Hakeem was playing offense more like a forward than a center anyway (facing the basket, essentially). But that jump-hook put people at his mercy.

Olajuwon's game was built on counter-moves. The jump hook was a counter for defenses who were prepared to take away his baseline shot. Once Olajuwon got to his spot on the left block, you were done. He would take that hook shot into the lane, or spin baseline for the "Dream Shake".

Just for starters.

Howard doesn't have that kind of polish. He won't learn it overnight. He has to do what he does best. He's quick, fast, strong, and inhumanly athletic. Moreso than Mourning was.

'Zo generally faced up defenders on offense and attacked them with quickness. Mourning also had a decent shot at about 15', too.

Howard has a'ways to go before he's a legitimate first option offensive player, to me.

Sometimes, it's not about the teacher. It's about the student....

 

He looks great. Always good to see someone heakthy after they retire

 

Relax dude, Howard can workout with anybody he wants.

Its not everyday that you get thought lessons from the greatest center to ever grace the NBA. He's just taking an opportunity and using it to his advantage. Don't see anything wrong with that.

 

Forget about him "mucking around with role players and 2nd and 3rd choice PFs". Why not tutor a young man named Yao Ming? For starters, he could teach Yao Ming to dunk. "When you're close to the basket and you're a foot taller than the guy nearest you, f-ucking dunk the ball."

Thus, endeth the first lesson.

 

Yao can only learn so much, his skillset is not the same as Hakeem's......Dream used quickness, Yao needs to use leverage and height.

DD

 

I don't see anything wrong with Howard learning whatever he can from Olajuwon either, ASidd_1990.

I wasn't suggesting I had a problem with it. Or so I thought.

I think that it's still easy for a lot of people to underestimate just how good Olajuwon was offensively. And that somebody can look the part physically doesn't necessarily mean that they can ever be as good as the original.

It's to Howard's credit that he's seeking out the best tutor (no disrespect to Patrick Ewing). It's to Howard's credit that he wants to improve. And possibly be great.

Howard's young enough. He has time.

But I still hear people mentioning Amare Stoudemire as Hakeemv2......

Never going to be as easy as Hakeem made (and still makes) it look, my friend…

 

Right on spot DD...

The best tutor Yao could have ever had would have been Kareem... But unfortunately, that never happen..

 

I'm not a DHoward fan...don't really like his personality.

But I respect his work ethic and the fact that ha wants to get better. I'm sure he will work with more greats in addition to Akeem. But the fact that he is looking for ways to improve his game saya a lot about him

 

Now maybe his teammates won't be as reluctant to pass him the ball during clutch situations. The only thing holding Howard back was his inability to make a shot past 5 feet. With Hakeem's post moves now incorporated into his game I do think he'll actually be a leader for his team down the stretch now...

 

I think Kobe going to Dream last year has made some of the young guys realize how good he was....and now Dream is in vogue.

DD

 

I think Ewing just told Dwight I give up, just go work out with the guy who killed me in 93.

 

The glaring thing about Hakeem that people still dont do properly is how efficient he is with his moves.

He just needs one dribble and then he makes a move in one direction or another. It limits the defender's time to react since within a second of getting the ball in the post he's doing something with the ball. You can contrast that to a lot of centers today that get the ball take their time and then decide what to do. That gives ample time for double teams to form and help to show up.

All centers (Yao included) need to learn to be more decisive when they get the ball, rather than waiting for what seems like an eternity.

 

come on guys.. i love dream as much as the next Rockets fan but he CANT PLAY in the NBA anymore. .not even close...That is all just a pipe dream.. Just look at the dream in the Pro's Vs Joe's he couldnt really handle some of the NFL players who are athletic that could ball a little. Also let's not forget why the dream retired. His body started breaking down and he was just a mediocre center and that was 10 years ago. He could however maybe play in China like all these other NBA players..

Shooting around in a gym and showing someone some moves is a lot different playing in a fast physical NBA game.

 

also does anyone know if that gym was Hakeem's house??

 

Hakeem put in almost 24 mpg his last year in the league, with Toronto, finishing at 39 years old. He wasn't bad at all, rallying 7 ppg, 6 rpg and a very efficient (for a backup big) 14.4 PER. Plus, he still had over 1 apg and 1 spg. And 1.5 bpg. Hakeem was one of the best 5 category stat filler ever.


Still, it's not like he was still taking the league by storm. His FG% had dropped to 46%. Hakeem could not play today. He still is silky smooth, though.

 

Once again ASidd gets his facts wrong... It was 94...