ZRB, I do not consider myself a Hakeem-basher just because I tell it like it is. Those who consistently ignore the signs (out of their self-professed loyalty) are the ones who may be deluding themselves. The truth is that Hakeem cannot physically handle the minutes. It is also true that we are a different team, his role has changed for the minutes that he does play, and he refuses to accept that (as both a team player and an aging, overpaid superstar should). Also, I am more comfortable with Rudy's assessment of what is good for this team than any of the individual players, who may have their own, unintentionally self-serving motives. BTW, you made 'select bunch of internet-fans' sound derisive and belittling. All of us here are just as 'important' as any celebrity, athlete, or politician (oops, more-so for them ). ------------------ Cohen
My point was that no one has the right to place themselves above the guy and judge him. Some people act as if they are flawless people, and that they clearly know what Hakeem should do better than he does. Well, that is just wrong. ------------------ "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning how to put food on their family while being put to death."
Now that´s mature. I´m not sure i can live with being called a moron by someone as knowledgeable as you. As far as the name of the song goes, guess I´m a David Lee Roth fan at heart, and that caught up with me. Funny, as I even have the cd, F.U.C.K. (For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge). **** happens, i guess. So now it´s WRONG to gain money through endorsements and advertising? You crack me up! If we are going to talk about off-court stuff, i really want to see how you are going to justify that ugly building Hakeem owns... That strikes me as a helluva lot more selfish than just making money on endorsements. BTW, Barkley (who was all about himself) CARED a lot more about the development of Steve and the kids than Dream EVER did. Do your research if you doubt me. He would blast Francis when he lacked effort, and would generally act as the team´s mentor and older brother, something Hakeem NEVER did. Hakeem never trashed the city of Houston? He is trashing it NOW! It´s preposterous to compare him to Francis! Francis didn´t have any HISTORY at Vancouver, he said that he didn´t want to play there from the start! You wanna compare that to someone who is nearly sinonimous with the Rockets and the city of Houston? Hakeem´s loyalty is EXPECTED! That´s the whole point! Neither Pippen nor Francis had any emotional attachments to Houston or Vancouver as Hakeem has ties here! THAT´S why this hurts so much! Notice that i don´t approve neither Francis nor Pippen´s behavior! But i find theirs to be more understandable than dreams! You are choosing to see the subject in black and white, and that´s not how things are. It´s not as simple as "you bash Hakeem, you are bad" "I defend Hakeem, i´m good". There are shades of gray to be seen. Can´t you see that most people (myself included) who are bashing Hakeem are doing so because they are DISSAPOINTED in him? And if there is dissapointment, it´s because there was BELIEF before? Because most of us really CARE about the guy and expected to see him retire as a Rocket? I still remember how sad i was to see Ewing leave the Knicks. But i thought, fortunately that would never happpen with Dream. CD and Les would never pull that off, and Dream would retire before playing for another team. So much for that thought, huh? Oh, and you still didn´t answer my arguments, like the one about how suddenly dream wants to win again. It looks like he has come to his senses, but i´m holding my judgement until i have proof that he truly means it. Those statements sounds awfully suspicious for someone who was almost demanding to be waived a couple of days ago. I pray they are true, though. ------------------ "Dream another dream, this dream is over... Dream another dream, this dream is over... Dream another dream..." - from the Van Halen song, "Dream Another Dream". Fitting, isn´t it? [This message has been edited by Thanos (edited January 22, 2001).] [This message has been edited by Thanos (edited January 22, 2001).]
Those who do not respect hakeem make me sick!! he has done so much for the rockets and the city. ------------------ "Here's the kicker... it doesn't matter if you believe this or not because I'm sure you don't, but it already has created enough doubt and makes enough sense to make me and I'm sure anyone else wonder why in the world you would make such a narrow, closed-minded assumption that my Jesus Christ has suddenly become your cat." ***Clutch slays the religion basher known as DREAMer
Damn, Freak! You are getting killed over here. Not that I agree with you on this one necessarily, but I thought the BBS Hangout had gotten rough!!! ------------------ Me fail English? That's unpossible.
OUR starting PG didn't undermine the system, VANCOUVER'S projected starting 2 guard did! What he did in Vancouver has NO affect on what he does in Houston. Does that mean we should not sign Chris Webber because of the problems he had off the court in Washington!? And if we go by that line of thinking we should just let Dream go for getting into fights early in his career and hurting his team by getting thrown out right? The fact is Francis made a mistake in VANCOUVER, why should we be all for getting rid of Francis for something the Grizzlies had to deal with? I don't remember Francis trashing the city of Houston, he did want out of Vancouver and they dealt with it accordingly. I do remember Dream demanding to be traded or waived, and that may not be undermining the draft process, but it IS undermining a contract he WILLINGLY signed! ------------------ Rocket fans UNITE to bring Pig Miller back home! WE NEED PIG! OINK! OINK! OINK! [This message has been edited by RocksMillenium (edited January 23, 2001).]
ZRB Does your following quote apply only to Hakeem or does it apply to the president as well? "My point was that no one has the right to place themselves above the guy and judge him." ------------------
Julie, Does your unfailing respect for the man mean that if Hakeem was 60 years old and still wanted the ball that you would give it to him? ------------------ Cohen
I fail to understand how loyalty CANNOT be reciprical. Hakeem has lived an amazing life. He's made himself a millionaire by having a job that is enormously fun. In the process, he's achieved the pinnacle of personal and team-oriented success. He DOES owe Houston loyalty for providing him with this opportunity. He DOES owe loyalty to the millions of fans who worshiped him for years. Professional athletics, admittedly, has been allowed to grow increasingly mercenary with the current free agency rules. That's what makes Hakeem's long tenure so uniquely special. The Rocket's picked him, nurtured him, trained him, surrounded with talented players, paid him, and worked through tough times. In the end, it worked out. But the success is shared. There's no telling if he would have done as wlel in say... Golden State. Hakeem is now in the twilight of his career. For the first time in years, he's no longer on a contending team. Now, we had the opportunity to see what he's truly made of. I don't think any of us liked what we saw. Admittedly, he was faced with adversity. But I think I just expected more class. I'll never hate Hakeem-he's been a great player and guy for a long time now. But I can'th elp but be a little sad. ------------------ Shandon Anderson rocks. The lottery sucks. Playoffs 2001.
