It would be Weird if Dream and Ewing went into the Hall together. I wonder if Ewing would or would not like that. Dream knocked him around pretty good his whole career.
I have never been comfortable with telling someone else who does something most of us would give our left...er..arm to do for one day that they should stop doing it when we feel they're past their prime. So what if we feel that they are no longer the player they were...whose decision should that be? What is more, who do you think knows more about either the state of their current play, or the significance of their legacy, the player in question, or we observers? But ultimately it comes down to this..IF employers feel he is worthy of still being accounted amongst the best in the world at what he does, even if he is no longer the best of the best, who are we, who will by and large never reach that distinction in any field, to tell him that he ought to stop playing ONE DAY before he wants to, memrely because it would give us a better esthetic perpsective on a career that is, ultimately, his. I wouldn't want someone telling me to quit my job, because they don't feel like I'm as good as I used to be, and they'd generally feel better all around if I stopped doing what I loved. Would you?
I'm not exactly sure where to put this, but it probably doesn't deserve it's own thread Does anybody remember that commercial Hakeem did a few years ago? Hakeem gets into a cap in New York City and says "Take me to The Garden" (Madison Square Garden). Cab driver says, "Hey, you're Hakeem Olajuwon, aren't you? You know, you really did a number on the Knicks in the finals". Then, he drops Hakeem off at some botanical garden. Then, the narrator says, "Not going anywhere for a while? Grab a Snickers!"
In the case of Ewing, nobody was willing to bite. He retired precisely because no one rated his remaining skills among the 300 best basketball players in the world. In the case of Olajuwon, there is serious doubt as to whether he would have a job if it weren't for the guaranteed contract. Its within his rights to get that money, but that is hardly being "accounted among the best in the world." Atheletes are often the last to know when its time to go. Wilt Chamberlain thought he could be a back-up at age sixty. It is not the fan or journalist's place to force someone out of the game, but there is nothing wrong with voicing an opinion.
Actually, the Raptors have stated that they want/need Hakeem to come back. Furthermore, this is supported by the fact that they recently put a trade on hold, where they would have sent out their only other legit center (Montross), once Hakeem's health status became unclear. Additionally, team and league sources say that the Raps have received a fair amount of trade interest in Hakeem, pending this latest health concern clearing up. Either way you look at it, he is still "accounted among the best in the world."
Very nice post, and I agree with you to an extent that it's his life and career and not ours to tell him what to do. However, I don't think a player or any individual person for that matter necessarily has the best pespective on his situation at any given time. You imply that the player knows better the significance of his legacy than, say, fans. I disagree. Does he really? Or could it be a case of not being able to see the forest for the trees? I think it's easier for us to see what his legacy is when it doesn't concern us what he's making (aside from its effect on the cap), when we don't interact with other players and coaches, when we experience his play as a viewer, when we don't have the same desire to keep on playing a game we love even if we're not as productive. Sort of like how a passenger on a road trip can get a better experience of the country than the driver, because the passenger can look out the window, etc., while the driver has to focus on driving. But I agree that if a player wants to continue playing, that's his right. But no one's really challenging that.
