Can't Believe I Agree with Dale Robertson

It's true!

<i>Let's toast, rather than roast, Hakeem's exit
By DALE ROBERTSON
Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle


Joe Namath left the Jets. Johnny Unitas left the Colts. Joe Montana left the 49ers. Pete Rose left the Reds. Roger Clemens left the Red Sox. Patrick Ewing left the Knicks. And Troy Aikman would have left the Cowboys if anybody had truly wanted him.

Locally, we've already waved tearful bye-byes to Earl Campbell, Warren Moon, Nolan Ryan, Joe Morgan, Moses Malone and, most recently, Cynthia Cooper, although at least Coop comes back as one of the "bad" guys Monday night only in the relatively benign role of coach.

The list of sad farewells by illustrious jocks is lengthy, and fans of few teams in few markets have been spared the pain of separation from a beloved hero. Nothing is forever in sports, or anything else. So, Hakeem Olajuwon's departure from the Rockets might be a shame in a best-of-all-worlds context, but it far more closely conforms to the rule than the exception.

<b>And it does not require further breast-beating by any of us.

Yes, Hakeem could have stayed if he really had wanted to. Yes, the Rockets could have kept him if they'd made a tad more of an effort. But assessing blame and getting angry with one side or the other is a waste of time, energy and expensive newsprint.</b>

Olajuwon gave the Rockets the best 17 years of his basketball life and made their two NBA championships possible, for which Houston owes him a permanent debt of gratitude. The Rockets, in turn, paid him outrageous sums of money and, a recent faux pas or two notwithstanding, a comparable amount of verbal homage.

If Hakeem's ego needed any more massaging than both the organization and the city gave him over the last two decades, his ego needs working on.

The long and short of it is this: Dream was good for us. We were good to him. Why risk ruining a beautiful, immensely satisfying -- for everybody -- relationship now? When he returns next March as a Raptor, let's show him as much affection as we can muster. A single boo will be uncalled for, and a reasonable cause for immediate ejection from Compaq Center.

For his part, it's to be hoped he'll always say kind things about us and stick to the high road when speaking about the Rockets, who paid him some $33 million these last two seasons without a punched playoff ticket to show for it. For much of that period, he was dead weight, until finishing with a flourish.

The Rockets gave Olajuwon a fair offer in the context of their present needs and future direction. If Toronto offered him a better one -- $4 million is $4 million even for a chap who has jillions -- it's only because their current circumstances and aspirations are different.

With Vince Carter re-upping, the Raptors might be on the cusp of conquering the East. Dream wasn't going to be a part of any more victory parades in Houston, either as the team leader or role player.

In Toronto, he has a reasonable shot at making the NBA Finals, and who knows what might happen once he gets there?

Should the Raptors go the distance, shout hooray on his behalf. It won't have come at our expense. The 2001-02 Rockets would have been a better team with Hakeem than they will be without him, but the difference ultimately wouldn't have been that striking.

Rudy Tomjanovich won't say so, but there's a reasonable chance he'll coax the Rockets further back toward legitimate contender status without the burden of having to be hyper-conscious of Olajuwon's feelings. Keeping Dream content isn't the easiest of tasks, as Tomjanovich would be reminded the hard way over the first half of last season when he clearly neglected his responsibilities in said area and wound up with an angry camper on his hands.

Owner Leslie Alexander, rookie diplomat, had to step in and clean up the mess, after which Hakeem became a reasonable facsimile of his former self for the duration of the year. Dream's apologists blamed his clearly desultory play early on as being the result of his horrible misuse.

Others more cynically concluded it was because he was sulking, and that his almost miraculous resurgence was motivated by monetary concerns, the result of his concluding he could squeeze a few more bucks from the game.

Remember, he was supposed to retire after last season.

But, again, further debate on the subject is non-productive. It's pure conjecture anyway. Tomjanovich's overriding task from today forward is to find a way to get Kelvin Cato's head out of his nether regions, or to rustle up someone else to serve as a complementary accessory to a young, athletic, up-tempo team.

The Olajuwon of old would have been impossible to replace. Losing the pushing-40 Olajuwon is a pity but hardly catastrophic.

Mistakes were made on both sides, but they're all forgivable. It has been a great ride for everyone, so keep the memories sweet.

Let Dream go in peace. And let the Rockets let him go in peace. </i>

DAMN! That is a serious rip of Blinebury!!!