I came across the below article saved on my computer. My favortie quote: "Is Hakeem Olajuwon the greatest basketball player of all time? Well, I will suggest this: Mr. Olajuwon, cloned five times, would beat five clones of anybody else." From today's Wall Street Journal -----February 23, 2001 Sports Olajuwon, Front and Center By ALLEN BARRA Special to THE WALL STREET JOURNAL As the Houston Rockets stumble toward a .500 record and a likely nonplayoff season, a great waste is occurring. Hakeem Olajuwon, one of the four or five greatest basketball players of the past quarter century and one of the 10 best ever to play the game, may be playing out his illustrious career on a team that defines "mediocrity." After playing for the University of Houston and spending his entire career with the Rockets, Mr. Olajuwon, unhappy with the franchise's decisions and the way he is being used, finally has asked to be traded. If salary-cap considerations keep any contenders from making a deal for him, the NBA and its fans will be the poorer, because he has enough left to help some team get over the top. Much ink was devoted last year to Patrick Ewing's departure from the New York Knicks to the Seattle SuperSonics; how much will be accorded to a trade of Mr. Olajuwon from Houston to anywhere? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Olajuwon and the Great Centers Statistics show Hakeem Olajuwon wasn't only a better offensive player than Patrick Ewing or Moses Malone but a better defensive player as well. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is slightly ahead on offense, but Mr. Olajuwon has a substantial edge on defense. Where's Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain? We can't make the case -- stats for steals and blocked shots weren't kept back then. Olajuwon Ewing Malone Abdul-Jabbar Games 1,119 1,039 1,329 1,560 Field Goal PCT .513 .508 .491 .559 Rebounds* 11.6 10.4 12.2 11.2 Assists* 2.6 2.0 1.4 3.6 Steals* 1.8 1.0 0.8 0.7 Blocks* 3.26 2.65 1.30 2.04 Points* 23.1 22.8 20.6 24.6 * Per Game (Numbers for Messrs. Olajuwon and Ewing don't include this season) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- True basketball fans know that Hakeem Olajuwon -- his name is pronounced "a-KEEM," but he added the "H" in 1991 -- is one of the greatest players ever. But for the sports media, full recognition has taken a little longer. Only seven years ago, after winning the NBA championship and preparing to win a second, Mr. Olajuwon was the subject of an ESPN editorial by Dick Schaap, who called him "the new standard for centers." Which was fine except that Mr. Olajuwon wasn't "new" at that point -- having just turned 32, he had been setting the standard for centers for nearly 10 seasons. (By the time he won his first championship ring, he already had been on nine All-Star teams.) The Greatest? When you add up all of the contributions Mr. Olajuwon has made on the court, it is possible to make the case that he is the greatest player of the past 25 years, Michael Jordan not excepted, and hence the greatest player ever. With a switch of supporting casts, Mr. Olajuwon's team probably would have won about the same number of games, and probably the same number of championships as Mr. Jordan's. How would Mr. Olajuwon have fared if he had the assistance of another Hall of Fame superstar in his prime for several consecutive seasons, as Mr. Jordan did in Scottie Pippen? (He didn't get to play alongside Clyde Drexler until Mr. Drexler was 33, and Charles Barkley was nearly 34.) It can certainly be argued that no player in the last two decades was so much of a one-man force. In fact, the term "one-on-one" is particularly applicable to Hakeem. In head-to-head postseason competition with the other great centers of his time, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing and Shaquille O'Neal, the Rockets prevailed largely because Mr. Olajuwon dominated the opposing center. Postseason Performer As an all-around, postseason clutch performer, he is without parallel. For instance, Mr. Olajuwon has played 140 postseason games to 135 for Mr. Ewing. But look at the difference: Mr. Olajuwon has averaged a .528 field-goal percentage to .471 for Mr. Ewing, 26.6 points a game to Mr. Ewing's 20.6, has blocked 468 shots to Mr. Ewing's 299, has stolen 238 balls to Mr. Ewing's 121 and tallied an amazing 456 assists to Mr. Ewing's 271. If there is something the numbers alone don't tell, it is how well Mr. Olajuwon has played "outside" ball for a center -- much more so than any other big man in his generation. No other center was so effective at the perimeter, out and away from the basket where most centers stay as if their size 16s were nailed to the floor (which explains why he has a slightly lower shooting percentage than many other centers: He stretched defenses by shooting from farther out, shots normally taken by guards or forwards). Is Hakeem Olajuwon the greatest basketball player of all time? Well, I will suggest this: Mr. Olajuwon, cloned five times, would beat five clones of anybody else. -- Special research for this article by Josh Trupin. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Another Look A couple of weeks ago, we introduced you to the Hoops Grading System, a stat similar to our Max Points, but better. For our comparison, let's go a step further: The Defensive Hoops Grading System*, which reflects defensive stats (defensive rebounds, blocks and steals.) Here is Hakeem Olajuwon compared to the other three great players of his era: PLAYER HGS Michael Jordan 34.21 Magic Johnson 34.12 Hakeem Olajuwon 33.55 Larry Bird 30.52 PLAYER DHGS Hakeem Olajuwon 13.60 Larry Bird 8.67 Michael Jordan 7.50 Magic Johnson 6.82 *The formula: 1.4 pts for field goals made, -0.6 for field goals missed, 1.0 for free throws made, 0.85 for offensive rebounds, 0.5 for defensive rebounds, 1.0 for assists, 1.4 for blocks, 1.0 for steals, -0.8 for turnovers, add all stats, divide by minutes played, multiply by 48.
Wow that article gave me goosebumps, I wish the guy would just get the recognition he freaking deserves!!!
Shaq was better IMO, the case they made for Hakeem vs Ewing doesnt hold true against Shaq, and while the case he made for Hakeem not getting to play alongside Drexler untill his 30's is true, lecagy's arent made on what IFs. MJ left nothing to prove and him dominating on the perimeter makes it that much more impressive. Shaq dominated in ways Hakeem can only dream of
PS Him sayin Kareem was only slightly better than Hakeem offensively is the understatement of the century, your talking about the greatest offensive center of all time
Really? In what way? Are you equating dominance with sheer brute force? Because that is the only thing Shaq had on Hakeem. Hakeem wasn't a weakling either. In fact, early on he was mostly known for force, quickness, and explosiveness. Later on he added the finesse part to his game. Both were dominating on offense. Their styles differed. Hakeem was clearly more dominating on defense, however. That by itself makes him more dominating for the full length of the court. Add to that that you could exploit Shaq's free throw handicap and the fact that he would not come outside of the lane on offense or defense. When I compare the two, that is what stands out the most to me. Hakeem did not have glaring weaknesses that could be exploited against his team while Shaq had some. If anything, Shaq has never won a ring without another superstar in his prime playing by his side. Hakeem has. Shaq could only dream of dominating like Hakeem dominated 94 playoffs all by his lonesome en route to a championship.
You credit Shaq for dominating we'll assume with unmatched interior strength and atleticism at his size. Then there's extra credit for Jordan dominating as a perimeter player. Couldnt Hakeem get credit for his perimeter play? Shaq could only DREAM of shooting 17 footers, fadeaways, and dream shakes. Not like Hakeem was some lightweight fairy. He did flex some inside muscle, before Shaq came in the league and re-defined what interior strength was. Understatement of the century I know is hyperbole, but you're making it sound like its about Brad Daugherty or something. I dont think they're trying to slight Kareem. Hakeem's a top 10 scorer all-time. It'd be hard to say Kareem's waaaay better.
I just had to go to you tube and watch the Olajuwon highlights. Brought a tear to my eye. I forgot how damn athletic he was. We were spoiled for many years .
I went to You Tube for the same thing and decided to look for old articles on my computers of Hakeem. I think this quote pretty much closes the Shaq and Kareem comparisons.... "Is Hakeem Olajuwon the greatest basketball player of all time? Well, I will suggest this: Mr. Olajuwon, cloned five times, would beat five clones of anybody else."
I see flames coming for you, Chronz. The amazing thing about Hakeem is, if he were four inches shorter, he'd still have been an all star small forward. If Ewing, Shaq, or Kareem were four inches shorter, they'd be P. J. Brown.
I am a really, really, really big fan of MJ. I love players with killer instinct, passion, and sheer will to dominate. Thats why I also like Kobe. Assassins. But I have always said Hakeem is the best player I ever saw. Close. Very close. You can always argue the point if MJ is in the picture. But in terms of all-around dominance, the big man goes before the shooting guard. (I think there is some bias in this analysis...yes? )
