The following is from ESPN.com and the AP Wire : http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2001/0803/1234918.html This one hurts. I'll let you guys turn on your blowtorches... -------------------------------------------------------- HOUSTON -- Hakeem Olajuwon, bidding farewell to Houston, said Friday his move to play basketball in Toronto was a way to express himself as an "international citizen of the world" and an opportunity to have an impact on a team like the Raptors. "This is a most difficult decision, to stretch out of your comfort zone ... go to a place to stay and a new environment," he said at a news conference. "At the same time, you just have to make that adjustment." The Houston Rockets completed a sign-and-trade agreement Thursday night that sent one of the city's greatest sports heroes to the Raptors for first- and second-round draft picks. Olajuwon came to Texas at age 17 from his native Nigeria and spent the next 20 seasons leading the Houston Cougars to three NCAA Final Four appearances and taking the Houston Rockets to NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. He said he viewed his move to Toronto "like exploring ... at this stage in my career." "Every end is a new beginning," Olajuwon said, insisting there was no bitterness after his divorce from the Rockets, for whom he has played since 1984, but acknowledged the Rockets "never were in the game" in the courtship to keep him. "Both parties believed that in a peaceful way, we could agree to disagree," he said of the outcome. "The Rockets organization has always been like a family, but in the end we both want to do what is best to do, what is comfortable." Olajuwon turned down the team's final offer of $13 million for three years. Toronto reportedly offered him $17 million for three years. "Toronto did a great job by constantly trying to comfort me, really wanted me to feel comfortable," he said. "They showed their commitment. They believe they have the right team, that I can really help them... They put the facts on the table that I can really help them. "It is much more interesting for my career right now to explore, have fun, compete." Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson, who was invited by Olajuwon to attend the news conference, had difficulty holding back tears. "We were really close," he said. "I'm going to miss everything he does. I'm going to miss him." Olajuwon called his experiences in Houston "memorable" and said he hoped to keep his home in the city, but said he was looking forward to going to someplace new, with a "new coach, new system, everything is different. That is challenging for me, to make that adjustment. "Change is good," he added. Olajuwon led the University of Houston to three straight trips to the Final Four. The Cougars were 88-16 in Olajuwon's three seasons before the Rockets drafted him in the first round in 1984. In his 17 seasons with the Rockets, Olajuwon averaged 22.5 points and 11.4 rebounds. He is the NBA's career leader in blocked shots and is a 14-time All-Star. He was named as one of the NBA's 50 greatest players and was on the 1996 gold medal-winning Olympic basketball team. Olajuwon played in 58 games for the Rockets last season, averaging 11.9 points and 7.4 rebounds and making 49.8 percent of his shots. The addition of Olajuwon and the signings of Antonio Davis, Alvin Williams, Jerome Williams and Vince Carter have made Toronto one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference. The Raptors advanced to the seventh game of the second round in the playoffs last season before being eliminated by Philadelphia. In exchange for Olajuwon, the Raptors gave up their own lottery-protected No. 1 draft pick in 2002 and a second-round pick in 2002 acquired earlier this summer from Detroit.
"It is much more interesting for my career right now to explore, have fun, compete." Uh-huh. Sounds like typical male mid-life crisis. Except this time it's at the end of the guy's career. He's sick of his wife and kids and off to Maui with the babe he met at the gym. See, this time things will be totally different. Everything's gonna be fun, fun, fun. "Toronto did a great job by constantly trying to comfort me . . ." That's one less burden for us next season. He's all yours, Ms. Toronto.
I told you, his decision was to do this because he was bored and wanted to try something new....does not surprise me.
Was he looking for words to say to the canadian media or just simply just never have anymore fashion to play for the Rockets. I'm a little bit pissed off but for one thing, I thank him for the back to back championship. Thats all I can say! Now Toronto! Enjoy what you got out of the Dream!
Hakeem is so wonderfully philosophical and comfortable with his self-centered existence. FANS, SCHMANS...
It proves what I have said all along: he knew he wasn't coming back, but he deliberately strung us along to try to screw us. Poor old CD...I'm sorta glad that I haven't seen him on TV because everything that I have read says that he is just completely emotionally devastated. Dr of Dunk: Now do you believe me when I said that it p***es me off that he waited so long to make up his mind when he knew all along he wasn't coming back?
Here's my favorite part of the press conference: Hakeem Olajuwon, bidding farewell to Houston, said Friday his move to Toronto is a way to express himself as an ``international citizen of the world.'' What a cop out. Old School
Not completely. My opinion is that Rudy/CD knew about this further in advance than any of us know - that's just a hunch. I think a lot of the delaying may have been to see what they could get and how best to go about it. However, your original statement is more plausible now that Hakeem has basically admitted it than it was before when it was just speculation. There're things that just don't tie together with Hakeem's responses now. Hakeem says that it was difficult for him to leave Houston, yet Houston was never in the running. He told rockHEAD in the store that he wouldn't be working here which is beginning more and more to sound like he meant "Houston" and not jokingly "Whole Foods". Ah well, all I can say is if anybody comes into the chat during games against Toronto, don't expect me to be there; I couldn't bear to watch that man play an entire game in another jersey... I'd puke.
Thank you Mr. Olajuwon. It's nice to know that my judgement of your actions was on the money. Unfortunately feeling vindicated in this matter is a small consolation to watching the team lose out on opportunities to improve itself in a futile attempt to give you what you said you wanted. When you retire as a Raptor (or any other type of dinosaur) feel free to stay in Toronto as long as you wish.
Aww, poor Dream, Houston's 3 yr $13 million contract just couldn't support him after he was so used to making the $16 million last season. No wonder the Rockets "never were in the game". I hate to sound bitter, but it was all about the money I'm afraid. It wasn't about exploring new options, or a change of scenery, it was about the dough. I think in 5 or 10 years when looking back on this, Hakeem will realize that it would've looked much better on him if he had just retired or stayed one more year.
Na, it's not just you. I read that and all I could think was "it's so sterile". His responses that were so nonchalant, but in all fairness, you really can't tell unless you saw him.
The Rockets were never in the running because they treated Hakeem like Greg Ostertag. In a way, I am happy Hakeem is gone. Hopefully in Toronto, he will receive the respect he deserves. Obviously, he doesn't get that from fans in Houston anymore, and he certainly didn't get it from the team. Hakeem deserves better. I hope the fans in Toronto appreciate him.
I TOTALLY agree with Will. This sounds just like every flaky woman I have known, who wants a change, but won't admit it until the change is imminent, and then comes back and says "I knew that I would be doing this all along". Hakeem could not have stated his intents more pathetically. I love ya, Hakeem, but the way you decided to handle this will lead you to regret your decision. Until then, enjoy trying to find your "fountain of youth" (P.S. I can see the effects of a new city allowing him to do more in Toronto this year than if he ever would have done in Houston, ala Elie. So if he does have a good year next season, it doesn't necessarily mean he would have had a good year here)
ZRB -- i totally don't understand that sentiment. This guy has been supported in this town in a way no other athlete has. In many Houstonians eyes, he can do no wrong. But the fact is, he strung the Rockets out. He was disappointed that his market value wasn't higher than it was...and he resented the Rockets because they wouldn't pay him even close to the kind of money he made last season. It was not in the best interests of the Rockets to hamstring the future by paying for the past. Hakeem's responses to this whole thing have been largely unsatisfactory to this former season ticket holder. You want to believe that an athlete who has the rare possiblity of retiring in the same town he began his college career wouldn't dream of passing that up. You want to believe he's a Tony Gwynn..a Cal Ripken..but, alas, he's not. The ball was in his court, and ultimately his pride kept him for accepting a comparable offer...a three year deal for a 38 year old man...from an organization and a city that has more than compensated him..they embraced him...they made him an icon...a legend. I'm very sad to see him go. But to act as if this is all the fault of CD and Rudy is just absurd. Ultimately, Hakeem had his mind made up. He talks about how much fun it would be to play somewhere else...he talked about playing for Vancouver years ago...he says change is good. This was his move...these were his feelings.
The Rockets were in the running, until they offered 4 million dollars. That is well below Hakeem's market value. He probably made up his mind to leave the Rockets after that pitiful offer, but not before. Hakeem said all that stuff about "change being good" because he is a classy guy, and didn't want to rip into the organization that has completely disrespected him for the last two years.
ZRB, On behalf of Hakeem supporters, I just want to tell you that you're doing a good job. Don't give up, don't ever give up.
For those interested, more comments from Hakeem. The following is an article by Jonathan Feigen and the Houston Chronicle : http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/bk/bkn/991957 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 'A new beginning' Thrill of the challenge lures Hakeem from home By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle In so many ways, Hakeem Olajuwon sounded Friday like any other player moving on. He spoke of new challenges, of championships to chase, of a new city to explore, of new teammates and coaches to get to know. But there was a tone at his news conference that was different, emotions that seemed more intense and profound. Olajuwon could not speak about where he was going without sharing his feelings regarding where he had been. He bid Houston farewell, at least as a Rocket, offering his appreciation for two decades of support and adoration. And he looked to his move to the Toronto Raptors as a new adventure. "My whole career, 17 years, were as a Rocket," Olajuwon said. "I can't escape that. I'm not trying to." Would he not have liked to finish his career where it began two decades ago with the University of Houston? "That would have been ideal," Olajuwon said. "But also change is good. "It was very difficult to make that decision to leave. The ideal situation for both parties is, `OK, you retire here; your whole career is here.' But it takes two to make that happen. I think both parties believe we break in a peaceful way. We can still agree to disagree in a peaceful way." Olajuwon chose to leave, he said, in order to "explore" the challenges of adapting to a new team and new responsibilities and to help lead a team to a championship in a way he thought he could not in Houston. "Every end is a new beginning," Olajuwon said. "This is a challenge for me to start over again. Houston is my home and, God willing, it always will be my home. The only chance to go outside and be somewhere else is now. I look forward to that opportunity and challenge. "This is of course a very difficult decision to stretch out of your comfort zone, because I've been in Houston my whole adult life. It's challenging. At the same time, you just have to make that adjustment. People do it all the time. "I just looked at the whole picture," Olajuwon continued. "First of all, with the Rockets, of course I could still be here playing. It is different to play elsewhere. You have this desire to see what it feels like. When a player is traded, you have that curiosity to play somewhere else. "The second was how legitimate a chance do you have to win it, to go all the way. I look at Toronto's team in the East. I think I can have more impact with that team than with the Rockets. I think that was a major part of my decision." Olajuwon seemed to hint several times that it did not necessarily have to come to this, though he never specified anything that was left undone by the Rockets, financially or otherwise. He did praise the Raptors' presentation. "There was never really negotiation," he said. "The Rockets were not really in the game with the offer. That was not a decision. It was night and day. It was never really about that. "I think I didn't really decide; the decision just forced itself on me. I just maintained my position just to see how things would happen. I was very open-minded all the way through, until the end when you have to make that final decision." As with so many splits that end with promises to remain friends, Olajuwon and the Rockets have said they will not sacrifice their memories with his decision to leave. Instead, Olajuwon asked Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson to attend Friday's news conference. They shared a few parting hugs, and when the finality of the split he had worked to prevent fully hit him, Dawson fought back tears and lost. "If he gets a championship, everybody here in the Rockets organization as well as Houston and around the state will pull for him," Dawson said. "He's an easy guy to pull for. The bright side is he's happy. I've got to be happy for him. I wish it hadn't ended this way. "Every time I get sad, I think of the funny things we had between us. We were very, very close. We have a lot of private jokes. I'm going to miss that as well as his outstanding play that helped us win. I'm going to miss him." He will return, Olajuwon said. But he knows it will not be the same. Told of Dawson's reaction, Olajuwon said he felt much as Dawson did. "I was so happy he was here," Olajuwon said. "There are so many fond moments, the championship years. My experience in Houston has been phenomenal. Houston will always be home. Going out is more like I'm exploring. At this stage of my career, I want to have fun and enjoy myself. "My career is maybe more interesting making a change. Change is difficult. Sometimes it's good. I'm just happy everything ends well. This is not about confrontation between myself and the Rockets organization. It ends peacefully."
Man ZRB you don't get it, money didn't have anything to do with it. Dream didn't want to come back. Look at the key phrases that all but state this: Read that again, when he says agree to disagree it means NEITHER side could come to a conclusion not just the Rockets! He wanted to do what was comfortable, meaning he feels like he is a better fit with Toronto then with Houston. I really feel that he knew he didn't fit in with the Rockets. People are determined to solely blame this on the Rockets, it was BOTH sides! The same people who complained and said "Get off Dream's back, you can't begrudge him for being a business man and trying to get the best available deal" are ripping on the Rockets for DOING THE SAME THING! Dream asked for the sign-and-trade. The Rockets didn't have to do it. They could have been nasty, make him sign a lesser contract deal with the Raptors, and had cap space. But they let Dream get paid one more time. It's getting tiring listening to people act like Dream is the perfect person who makes no mistakes, and is the innocent victim while the big bad Rockets rake him over the coals, because that isn't true at all.
