According to the Rockets Hakeem's MRI came back negative -- he will miss the rest of the preseason but should be ready when the season starts. ------------------ NOTHING BUT .NET CLUTCHCITY.NET
Great News!!! Thanks Clutch ------------------ In order to be a success in life, you need 2 things: 1. Don't tell everything you know.
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Geez Hakeem slows down the game!! He should take Colliers place on the roster! When hakeem was in the Rockets were down 15 points. Hakeem goes out and the Rockets win big! Hakeem is a legend, and I've got nothing against him getting his money!! After all he did play while being underpaid for all those years. Rogers and Cato can do a good combo of playing center!! Thomas and Taylor do a great job playing the powerforward!! Hakeem should just watch the game from the bench. ------------------ The guns are cocked and the soldiers are in place, it's time to march and let the battles decide the war.
vince,,,i agreed until you said Rogers could play center. Are you basing that on who is the tallest or something? Mo "maybe" can fill in a little at center in a small, fast lineup. But not Rogers. If either Hakeem or Cato go down, we are in trouble at center. another reason why I keep preaching that we DONT need a damn SF in next year's draft. We need more beef!
Dream will be fine. RT is known for using hid players strength to the teams fullest advantage. We know he cant run with Steve. But i do expect to see smart play, good positioning on offense and D, and effecient shooting. Add that good stuff up and i dont doubt Dream will have an impact on this team. ------------------ I'ma need more than 6 and a half rebounds a game from the PF
FT...although I'm not at the provocative extremes that vince loves...hakeem does not have good offensive positioning. He has never, ever, had to worry about positioning until Francis. Hakeem was always the focal point of the entire offense. We positioned ourselves around his Dreamness. He has never had to learn to position himself weak side, much less at the high post. He does not exhibit much instincts for it. I agree that he can hit the open shot and still play low post...but it is a huge stretch to say he knows anything about Rudy's new motion offense featuring guard play. As painful as it is for me to say...Dream shows little ability to play the high post.
heyp: I read in the houston chronic that carlos is weighing right around 245-250. He has the mass of Dream, he has the ability to board like dream. It sounds as if he's playing adequate to above average defense as well. It seems like he's fine at the 5. ------------------ "Everyone I know has a big but... come on Simone, let's talk about your but."
HP “He has never had to learn to position himself weak side, much less at the high post. “ During the Sir Charles era, Barkley had the ball in the low post a lot. Unless Dream was in his back pocket or on the bench, he had to be weak side or high post. Where else could he have been? “...Dream shows little ability to play the high post.” Throughout his career, Dream has shown the ABILITY TO LEARN, the willingness to work hard and the desire to win. He redefined the center position and became one of the greatest players in the history of the game. If they followed your logic, Kareem Abdul Jabar would have retired after 10 or 12 years and Nolan Ryan would have quite when he left the Astros. I find neither merit nor basis in reality for your remarks.
Achebe, Yeah...I saw that. But he doesn't look as big as Dream/Cato to me. He looks like Lewis. smoke, Rudyball did not utilize the weak-side or high post in Hakeem's heyday. There were no weak side plays. We never passed the ball through a high post center/PF like San Antonio. No pick-n-rolls like NY/Ewing. Why do you think Rudy bashers exist. As for teaching an old dog new tricks: Smoke, that is just my opinion. I simply do not agree that Hakeem exhibits "good positioning" as FT said. And I do not agree that we should try to make him learn it. Doesn't mean he still can't play. ------------------<font color="dedfdf"> [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited October 21, 2000).]
Smokin, Oh, and I love those new tricks the old dogs Jabbar and Ryan learned late in their careers...I recall vividly Ryan adding multi-speed change-ups and splitters after he lost is fast ball. And I remember how Jabbar diligently devoted himself to playing solid defense when he lost his sky hook. And it is amazing how Malone learned to kick people in the balls to get spacing when he started losing his power game. thx for the history lesson. Anyone else got a history tidbit about how a hall of famer added something to his game once he lost his greatness? <font color="f7f7f7"> [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited October 21, 2000).]
I was watching both those guys and I don't ever remember Nolan Ryan throwing a splitter, I'm 99% sure on that one. And, he always had his change up. Abdul-Jabbar on the other hand never played any defense. If he did "devote" himself to improving then he must've got about as good as Mo Taylor. ------------------ I have a dream.........his name's Hakeem. DREAMer's Rocket Page
DREAMer, I find neither merit nor basis in reality for your remarks. Oh,,,and how about when Gretzky beefed up and started slamming people into the boards when he lost his great speed.
Hakeem only needs to do a last tour of the NBA. A final fair well to the best center of our era!!! He has nothing to prove though he could be very helpful to a lot of teams. But this team has been taken from underneath Hakeems shoes. And the Rockets did not get any bad publicity for doing it this way. When the Rockets are running and gunning, Hakeem looks lost. Remember Hakeem was the player who used to waltz down the court after every change 0f possession. Now Cato, Taylor, Rogers, and Thomas take off after a missed shot or a change of possession. That isn't Hakeems game. Hakeem was a calm player who thrived on the low post and made an art of such a simple game!!! ------------------ The guns are cocked and the soldiers are in place, it's time to march and let the battles decide the war.
"Hakeem was a calm player who thrived on the low post and made an art of such a simple game!!! I absolutely agree. Well said vinceness!!! My view of Hakeem's offense was that he was so focused on where HE was, where the BASKET was, and where the OPPONENT was,...he moved with instinct, incredible reflexes and speed, and eyed the basket with such focus, it was two times bigger to him than mere mortals. He was in a dream-state. He never really knew where his teammates were. Rudy taught them to position themselves at angles Dream could use without thinking or even seeing them. Dream had way too many other things to focus on. When you lose that incredible dream-state of focus and timing, it is hard to recover. Certainly, coming out of the mindset to now be asked to see his teammates and think about them and what they are doing is going to be tough.
hp I still must disagree. You make it sound like once they achieved greatness, they had nothing more to learn. Ryan had nothing to learn when he changed leagues? He didn't pitch a no hitter his first game in the AL. Jabar and the NBA remained the same for the final 13 years of his career? If you can't learn, than you can't adapt. They had great success because of that ability, not because the were one trick ponies. Dream's strength has been the low post. To say he has no ability outside the low post is atleast premature.
Ryan never lost his fastball and his curve ball simply got more consistent at getting hitters to wet their pants. He did not change his game. Neither did Jabbar. And Hakeem has shown nothing new in the last 4 years. This does not mean anything about his ability to still contribute outstanding defense and be money in the low post if not double-teamed and still nail the open 15-18'ers. I hope it is premature...but last year and what I've seen this preseason is not an indication he is adapting to Francis, well. IMO, this old dog is not learning this offense very well. He looks lost in our motion. Rudy's job is to feature his old low post greatness in new ways. Not get his greatness to run the high post or do complicated motion and strong picking that involves reading what Francis/Mobley are doing. [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited October 21, 2000).]
HeyPartner, When Dream was in his prime the Rockets most certainly ran the pick and roll. Remember Kenny and OT ran it all the time, with Dream in the game. I do concede that Dream may not be GREAT at postioning himself, but to imply that he can not learn is IMHO selling the man short. DaDakota ------------------ All you MO-FO's better stop ripping off my lines !!
there's a history lesson...yes I am wrong about the Kenny and OT pick n roll. Smoke and DaDakota, hey...Don't let me sound like I am "selling him short". That is not my point. let me try again...he hasn't shown adaptability yet, so why should Rudy force it. We can get him the ball in the low post in manners that really can't be double teamed. Like penetrate the lane and dish it to him. Stong-side stacks that result in the defense losing sight of his dreaminess on the weakside. Or interior passes with Mo and KT, for dreamy baby hooks or a quick turnaround. And of course, there are several ways to adapt motion around Dreams ability to hit the open jumper. What we shouldn't do is drill him to learn picking and high post passing that KT and Mo are doing. Why waste time. Why jerk his collar. He has great defense still, and he still has a great shooter's touch. The only thing he has lost is his speed and "fockass" to beat double and triple teams enough to dump it into him on a consistent basis. [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited October 21, 2000).]
