The only person I can think of would be Wilt Chamberlain, and I doubt he could do it. If a prime Shaq or Robinson couldn't it speaks for itself.
Just wanted to add my voice to the chorus of WTFs. This would be a very bad thread other places on the BBS...on the GARM, though, I need to be careful when designating a thread as one of the worst ever.
Maybe if the question was "could Dream shut down Artest" it'd be worth talking about. But then again, maybe not... Dream was agile like a cat defensively with those long arms and fantastic footwork. On the original question - I agree with almost everyone else! Dumb thread and ridiculous question. I haven't ever seen Artest guard any centre - let alone the greatest one of all time...
You must not have watched Hakeem play because he would've tore up artest and anybody else, dumb question by the way
A better question might be if Chuck Hayes could shut down Hakeem. The answer is no, of course, but it would make a little more sense to ask it. Hakeem, if I remember, did very well against smaller players. Really big centers -- like Eaton, Sabonis -- gave him some trouble at times. If the 2008 Rockets had to face the 1995 Rockets, Yao would probably be our best defensive matchup.
And he would be dancing circles around Yao , unless of course, Yao learned the Mark Eaton way and just put his hands up instead of going for all of the Dream's fake. Meh, Hakeem would of just taken him off the dribble or something. Greatest Center of All Time
in order to stop Hakeem, you need a point guard that has quick hand, a strong PF that can body up, a fast small forward to shut down one side, and a 7'2 with 35 inches of vertical to block his shot.
guys, dont get me wrong. i am a big hakeem fan but I dont see why this question has caused so many issues with the posters here. Lets be objective and look at the facts: - Artest is one of/maybe the best defender in the nba today - He has unusual size/speed/strength - Many reports have Hakeem listed at 6'10 and Artest at 6'8. so from size/strength standpoint, they are very comparable - The league is different today for big men and David Robinson is deemed by many as a very soft player. Artest is probably the unsoftest player in league so by saying David Robinson couldnt guard him doesnt mean Artest cant. Anyhow, there is no way we will ever know but dont discredit Ron. I wouldnt bet against him...
Can't we have some type of filter on the forums these days....I mean, threads like this are just horrible on so many levels.
You know who I reckon would have totally shut down Hakeem? Chucky Brown. Under rated doesn't even begin to describe him. With more playing time, it would have been like Russell, Wilt and Dream combined.
