20 Years Ago: Rockets nearly trade Olajuwon to the Clippers

Any more info on Stanley at the time? Did he have cant miss potential? Interesting that he was a Magic. Sounds like he was Shaq/Dwight, before Shaq/Dwight. And what's up with Orlando and their disgruntled centers? Lol

 

Patterson was one hell of a GM. actually Clutch City is because of his GM work. Dream (resigned under paterson, Thorpe, Kenny, Vernon, Horry)

 

Stanley Roberts was a skilled big man, he was just fat and slow.

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I would have fell in that same boat to. I became a Rocket fan because Clyde (favortie player at the time) was traded to Houston. But without Olajuwon, Clyde more likely never makes it to Houston.

Also the date of the article got me thinking. This all took place during the 1992 offseason. That means it was after the Magic had drafted Shaq 1st overall. From the Magic's perspective, I'm sure they were more then willing (and probably even wanted to) to move Roberts with Shaq now on board.

 

I remember better the proposed Heat trade...I BELIEVE that proposed trade came AFTER this deal fell through....can someone verify that?

I was convinced Hakeem was going to Miami.

 

There was also a trade rumor that had him going to Indy for Reggie Miller and Rik Smits.

 

Man I never would have known. You learn something new everyday.

 

He had a twin brother in the 80s named Akeem.

 

He had a mentally challenged smaller brother, they disowned him so he changed his last name to Olawakandi.

 

Its all comical now about the situation, but it was a bad feeling because of the moses situation 8 yrs earlier. I laughed when people on this board when posters talked about the howard situation and the distrust with management he had. Well, Dream had the same issue and was nearly traded 2 times. Dream has alway been a prideful man and when someone accuse you of faking an injury, it got ugly,real ugly. The rockets were in position to make the playoffs that year too, but lost like 6 or 7 games in a row to end the season.

The moral behind the story is one in which orlando couldve read and learned, concede with your superstar becuase you never know when you will get another. The rockets have had stars since then,but they havent had Hakeem like player. Tracy nor Yao were on his planet healthy or not. No need to even mention francis. Orlando shouldve kept howard or traded him to a team where they couldve gotten high lotto type talent and they didnt.

 

100% real

 

One thing I remember well about that season is that we started the season 0-2 because we played the Sonics in Japan the first 2 games of the season. We ended up tied with the Sonics at the end of the season but because of the tiebreaker (head to head record), the Sonics got homecourt when we met them in the playoffs.

Game 7 was in Seattle (instead of Houston) and we barely lost. We probably would have won that game if it was in Houston (home team was 7-0 in that series) and it would have been in Houston if we had won just 1 of those first 2 games of the season in Japan. If we beat the Sonics that year, I think we would have gone all the way.

So in essence.....if not for the 1st game of the season that year, we may very well be talking about 3 championships in a row instead of 2.

Of course the other part of the story is that, if not for that long flight to Japan when Hakeem and Thomas straightened everything out, he might have been traded that year.

 

yeah I'm pretty sure we all thought he was headed there and Seikaly was coming back. Who was somehow "promising" hahaha..

I wonder if we would have ended up with Seikaly and Miner..and if the Heat would have had Olajuwon and Horry. bizarre world NBA

 

If the Heat have Olajuwon, and we don't, do we still have the first pick in '02? More importantly- do the Heat get Wade, and subsequently Lebron?

 

NBA teams probably thought it was 320 pounds of muscle, and became interested.

 

Not to derail, but **** John McMullen

 

Rockets woulda been in rebuilding mode alot earlier if we would have traded Olajuwon for these Clipper bums.

 

Like some of you guys I would'nt have been a Rockets fan either! I started being an avid fan in 93 when I was 8 years old. When I saw the Dream play in the playoffs I was sold. Rockets fan for life. Man now that I think of it, had Olajuwon gone else where I'd be a Spurs fan being that I'm from the Valley (Viper Country)

 

IMO it just goes to show you that you never really know what will happen.

 

I had no idea. Thanks for the History lesson.