OT was a good player. Very good when he was on the court and Dream wasn't. Dream was a great player. Greater yet when he was on the court and OT wasn't. They just did not synergize well. (It is why I want a Murphy or a Raef at the 4 or at least a Garrity as back up 4 rather than a Shelden Wms -- or JuHo, Stro etc.)
I trust Robert Horry with this one. When he's all done knocking down big shots, he'll set the record straight once and for all. And I'll be shocked if doesn't side with Olajuwon.
All these self proclaimed experts need to listen to the player that played with both. Horry, has actually played with Shaq, Dream and Duncan. he has been ON THE COURT and PRACTICE with them. . Just last summer he said Hakem was the best big man he has ever played with. Cassel said the same thing when comparing Dream to Garnet
Hakeem is the greatest player ever to play in the State of Texas. Duncan is second. Nobody else comes even close. Hakeem almost singly destroyed every center or power forward that was matched against him during his peak. Duncan is a very fine player but when Karl Malone got physical against him while he was with Shaq,Duncan cracked under pressure. Hakeem never had such problems even during our defeat against the Jazz he was the best individual player on the court but our team was weaker and this along with the thuggish mentality of the Jazz led to our defeat.
In a league of his own: The Dream. I don't care if Duncan wins ten more championships he will never be the all around great player that Hakeem was. Jordan, Wilt, and Hakeem, the three greatest players of all time.
Duncan dropped a lot in my estimation when he kept missing late free throws in last years Finals. He was always third in my book, but he is now further behind Moses Malone... a guy who really led a bunch role players to the Finals... a guy who did destroy people with relentless force.
This reminds me of a time last year, when I thought I'd take a look at a Spurs fansite to see what Spurs fans thought of the Rockets acquisition of Stromile Swift... instead I saw a thread debating the best centers of all time... Most of the Spurs fans had Hakeem at 4 or 5, with Wilt Chamberlin, Bill Russell, Kareem, and Shaq ahead of Dream.... lucky for them they all put David Robinson behind Dream, otherwise I wouldn't have been as nice as I was in this, my reply to their thread: ----------------------------- "Hi folks, I'm new here and thought I'd drop my 2 cents in. Hakeem is the greatest center of all time. Sure, Wilt and Bill Russell had better career and single season averages... averages that seem almost superhuman. The reason for this is because back then, most guys weren't as tall as them, and secondly, there were no goaltending rules, three second rules, etc... so essentially, they could just sit in the lane and tip in missed shots or dunk on people all day long. How else do you think somebody could score 100 points in a single game? If the rules had never changed, Hakeem's numbers would have eclipsed those guys, even given the fact that the average player skills and size have gone up over the years. So, taking into consideration the difference in eras, why didn't I pick Shaq over Hakeem? It's not just because I am a Rockets fan. Here, take these guys words for it: In a recent interview of M.Jordan that appeared in Cigar Afficianado, the interviewer asks Michael to name four other players he would choose around him to create the best team ever. Here was his team: Michael Jordan - shooting guard Magic Johnson - point guard Scottie Pippen - Small Forward Larry Bird - Power Forward Hakeem Olajuwon - Center In his answer he goes on to explain each pick. I dont have it word for word, but he mentions Hakeem over Shaq, Ewing, and others. His reason was that Hakeem had more dimensions to his game especially on the defensive end. He notes that not many people know, but Hakeem is Top 10 in steals all time, and from a TEAM standpoint he would choose Hakeem. Okay, so Hakeem gets the endorsement of arguably the best player ever, but he was a shooting guard, so what does he know? Lets ask a center: During an interview on the Dan Patrick radio show, when asked who was the best center he ever faced, the Admiral politely equivocated for a while, then said it was between Hakeem and Shaq. A moment later, he said Hakeem. In Robinson's words, if there was a guy you needed a basket from down the stretch, he would pick Hakeem (over shaq). Hakeem could beat you so many ways (he would know) and was a complete player on both ends. Hmmm. The Admiral was always such a gentleman though (and an officer!). Let's ask Shaq about the smack-down the Dream handed him in the Finals (taken from 6/12/05 article in the Houston Chronicle): "I studied those tapes, especially in the weeks and months right after that series was over," O'Neal said. "Hakeem is the man at the very top. I tried to incorporate some of his moves into my game. But I must say that I'm incapable of re-creating that footwork. It's hard for me to believe that all that was 10 years ago. It shows you that I've been here a long time. I've been here a long time and had to put in work to get to where I am. A lot of it started with that series against Houston. That was the first time that I almost made it, and I didn't want to feel like that anymore. So I made a promise to myself that if I ever did get back I had to dominate. I didn't ever want to have that feeling again. It all started with Hakeem. In my mind, it all ends with Hakeem. He's No. 1. No question. Always will be. I saw it up close." I could just leave it at that, but how about just asking a guy who has played with Hakeem, Shaq, Robinson, and Duncan (who is really more of a PF in my mind, but in today's NBA, Hakeem would probably play PF). During an interview during this last post-season, when asked who the greatest big man he ever played alongside was, Robert Horry replied without hesitation "the Dream, no question. He could do things that nobody else could do". Oh yeah, and furthermore, Dream should be #1 on all of your lists as well for his contributions towards making Tim Duncan a better player, lol: (see http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/printstory.mpl/sports/3219402)" ----------------------------- A couple of days after posting that, I checked back to see what people had thought about those quotes. For some strange reason, I couldn't log on to the site, and a few days later, it was gone completely. They probably just moved servers or changed their URL... but I like to imagine that after reading about how their heroes had a hero of their own, in the name of Hakeem Olajuwon, that their monitors burst into flames and their servers melted into puddles of bubbling plastic and silicone.
Thanks. I think that due to Dreams size, speed, and skills, that if he were on the Rocket's today, he would undoubtedly be the PF due to the size advantage of Yao. It'd be like the twin towers all over again, only with the part of Sampson played by a 7'6" guy from China. On most other teams, depending on the roster, he could be either a 5 or a 4. I shiver at the thought of what the Rockets might look like with Yao, Hakeem in his prime, and Tracy in the frontcourt.
Your previous post was a pleasure to read. Thanks. It's bizarre, to me, how those Aggies keep carrying on about Hakeem's age. Anyone who saw him on campus could see that he was a very young guy. In other words, the age he claimed to be. Without solid proof to the contrary, I'd never believe otherwise. Are those dudes up the Admiral's jock, or what?? Even Robinson would be embarrassed!
Your welcome, and believe me, it was a pleasure to post, especially considering I posted it on a Spurs fansite. I agree completely about them all man-crushing on Robinson, but the guy is such a class act that even when I had a prime opportunity, I couldn't bash him, other than to point out the obvious, that the Dream didn't just have that nickname because it rhymed!
No question about it. Robinson is a class act, and was a great center. Just not in the same class as Hakeem, but who is?
The reason people don't take you Hakeem lovers seriously is because you say things like Hakeem was the best center of all time, or even the best player of all time. I'm sorry, but that is nonsense. Hakeem is AT BEST the third best center of all time. Wilt and Kareem are the top to centers, and there are arguments for others like Russell. One could certainly pick Magic or Oscar before Hakeem as well. Hakeem was a great player, one of the best of all time, but he was not #1.
Hakeem IS THE BEST PLAYER OF ALL TIME... hate it or love it... he is the best dang player to ever touch a basketball...Wilt was great, Kareem was great too ..I like both of them , but they aint better than Hakeem.. they didn't even come close to doing the same things hakeem's done...
You sir, are a homer. That is fine, and most of us are to some degree. Unfortunately, the level that you take it to means you cannot be taken seriously in any serious discussion of the game or its players. There is no point in continuing this discussion. Have fun in your fantasy world.
It's all just a matter of opinion anyway. Suffice it to say that you and the others here that don't think he's top 3 great don't agree with those of us here that do.
