Still no Rocketguy huh? He must be busy preparing his rebuttal! ------------------ My doctor says I am bipolar. I am going to get a second opinion. I have never had intimate desires for polar bears.
Rocketguy's rebuttal is up: http://www.bskball.com/houspge.htm RAPTOR MANIA . . .HERE WE GO AGAIN It was only a matter of time before our friends from Canada started up the whole "mis-understood" and "wronged" appeal again. Now that we're supposedly competing with the Raptors for the services of Hakeem, it's natural that a little rivalry would pop up. So here goes. First of all, make sure you have read Sniper's column today before you read this one any further or it won't make much sense. Sniper if the Raptor columnist here at BskBALL. "Do they have TV in Toronto?" Of course they do. If you read that comment over again you will see it in reference to a Peter Vecsey story that the Raps were going to offer Hakeem $20 million for 2 years. My comment was that if they ere really willing to do that, they must not have seen him play for at least 4 years. Either that or the time zone is different in Canada and it's still 1995. Hakeem is only worth $10 million in his own mind - and that of his agent. "Why is basketball so primitive in their thinking (about Canada)?" Well, because that's all the players talk about. Kevin Willis and Othella Harrington are two that I can think of right off hand. I follow the ex-Rockets and I was privy to post-trade comments from both players. Both were glad to be back in the US and away from the Canadian economy. I seem to recall Antonio Davis expressing concern about that, too, when he was in Chicago and talking about his impending deal with the Bulls (that didn't happen). McGrady just wanted to be back home in Florida, Christie was burned by themaliciousr so he thought. I discount their comments. Maybe if y'all stopped doing whatever it is y'all are doing to these guys they would stop spreading such malicious and ill-informed rumors. I assume that's what's happening if what they're saying is just BS. "(Those statements about Canada is like) Canadians assuming that every American is a serial killing, beer drinking, pizza eating, skin headed FREAK." I like pizza. Don't you? Most of my friends drink beer - most NBA players I know love beer AND pizza. Maybe you should offer them some. Lots of skin heads here, too - maybe even enough to make a comparison legit, same goes for serial killers. It's a scary world! My point is that the generalizations, when coming from many different sources, often reflect SOME truth. Regarding Hakeem: "Nobody wants him to play 40 minutes a night That's what got him injured last season." Sorry, have to disagree here. I know you aren't as familiar with the Rockets locker room as I am, so I am merely going to inform you of a few things you may not know about the Y2K Hakeem Olajuwon. First, Hakeem did not log 40 minutes one single time last season. He averaged 26.6 and usually asked to be taken out if he played more than 5 consecutive (game time) minutes. The Rockets did not ask him for more, in fact, Rudy Tomjanovich tried to save him for key situations. He would start him for the respect issue, but then let him sit for stretches in the middle of quarters when the running team had it going. Hakeem's reaction? HE DEMANDED A TRADE!!!! He said we weren't using him enough! Here we're trying to save his fragile body and he complained about it. If you think that getting Hakeem means you are getting an elder statesman of the league who will come in and work with your young centers and forwards and be a good influence, think again. Hakeem is no longer interested in developing young players. He is not taking the role model responsibility as seriously as he used to. He WILL NOT play 25 minutes a game and be the perfect fit you think he would be. He WILL play 50 games if you're lucky and he WILL expect to have the ball any time he calls for it when he's on the court. Be sure you know what we're taking about here. This is NOT Hakeem Olajuwon of the 90's - this is a new Hakeem that the fans of Houston are getting to know . . .and not liking very much. KELVIN CATO Yes, I say start the lazy coward. And you can laugh, just as the rest of us cringe at the thought. Cato makes $6 million a year and doesn't average 6 helpful stats a game. He's happy sitting on the bench collecting his check and as many girls' phone numbers as he can. The bad part is, the Rockets seem content to discipline him by making him sit . . .which is what he wants to do anyway. It's like throwing Br'er Rabbit into the briar patch! He's right at home. I think it's time to start making him work. Make him get out there. He doesn't know what to do with the ball in the post, so he doesn't ruin our running game by demanding the ball. Francis is good enough to give Cato 3 or 4 dunks a game, so he will get some points if he's in. By osmosis, is nothing else. It's time to put him on the floor and make him participate. If he continues to play like he has, the players will let him hear it, the coaches will let him hear it, and the fans will let him hear it. I'm not convinced any of that matters to Cato, but he should be held accountable for the cap space he is wasting. The main thing is, he doesn't get in Steve Francis' way, like Hakeem does. STEVE'S TEAM This is Steve Francis' team now. Steve is a free agent next summer. The Rockets have to consider those two things when they negotiate with Hakeem. Hakeem thinks it's still his team and he expects to be treated like a current MVP. What message does it send Steve Francis that the Rockets want to continue to allow that kind of thing? Stev has turned this team into an exciting run and gun team. Alley-oops, steals, fast breaks - that's the Houston Rockets' new identity, and we have Francis to thank. How many dunks did Hakeem miss last year? I'm glad they don't keep that stat. I saw every game he was in and it was sad. Dream had a nice resurgence at the end of the season, which would have been the perfect note to retire on. We all would say, "Wow, Hakeem really gave us something to remember." He could have retired with the honor and grace that he showed throughout most of his NBA career. Instead, he is letting greed cloud his memory. Houston belongs to Steve Francis. Hakeem gets in the way. Cato doesn't. We can no longer afford to lay the success of this franchise on the health of a man who misses 30 games a year (and is in rehab for 20 more). We're already overpaying one ego maniac. If Hakeem won't play for $5 million, let him go wherever he wants to. The team will still be here and it will still be one of the most exciting young teams in the NBA. I, too, hope the Dream, in his current state, ends there in Toronto. Hail Canada! Now on the Message Board: Lots of Raptors talk; The Rockets have a lot to offer in a trade scenario . . . Now on TheRocketGuy.com: The Pig Miller story; Rocky Mountain Revue Coverage! ------------------ My doctor says I am bipolar. I am going to get a second opinion. I have never had intimate desires for polar bears.
