I thought that you were "anti-Hakeem", Francis3. At least ZRB thinks so. You see, ZRB, no one here hates Hakeem Olajuwon, but some of us didn't agree with the way he left. Some have been vocal about it like me and others have not, but I think it is silly to label someone an "official adversary" to the pro-Hakeem club when that adversary, Francis3, started this thread cheering for Olajuwon. Call me crazy, but I don't think he (Francis3) is an adversary to your club. He is just like the majority of us....happy for Hakeem because he feels wanted in Toronto, but more concerned with what goes on with the Rockets.
He could still be getting it done for us, but we let him get away to sign the most overpaid BACK UP point guard in the league...thanks a lot CD and RT. GO Hakeem! All Star in '02!
Man I am going to start penciling in Hakeem on all the All Star ballots. Hakeem starting for the East would be freakin tite!
AWWWwwwwwww hakeeem, i luv ya!!! ITs like old times, i guess clutch abilities is something that neva goes away... Toronto's going all the way this year
For a second time I'm going to applaud Hakeem. I think what he did is fantastic and will only get better as he gets used to things in Toronto. Too bad we couldn't find a way to keep him. Despite the risk of starting a war on this thread, I'll question whether or not we would have found a way to keep Barkley if he'd been in the situation Dream was in???? My answer is yes, the Rockets would have found a way to keep Barkley, even though he was/is obviously in worse shape than Hakeem.
How about not taking on Glen Rice? Or just letting Shandn go for nothing? Then we would've had the money. Glen Rice is a collosal bust. I'd rather Griff just play more or have Torres see what he can do. Glen's just a brick layer with bionic shoes.
Actually, it was more than just the last-second shot....Hakeem took over the game in the closing moments. He scored the last 4 points for Toronto in a game that saw 6 lead changes in the last 3 mins. He hit both free throws with a minute left to put them up 1, then, as they went down the floor, he snuck around Rahim and swiped the ball away from him...It bounced to Carter, who dove for it, and both Dream and Carter called for a TO...Rahim then grabbed for it, and on a night of curious officiating, the refs called a jump ball. The Hawks got it and scored with 3.2 seconds left. Down at the other end was where Hakeem sealed the deal with a classics baseline spin-fadeaway... I see him every night now and, while he's slower and looks a little more mechanical at times, his hands on defense are still incredibly quick, he's blocking tons of shots (per minutes played) rebounding well, scoring pretty good ( Teams still automatically double-team him in the post, and when they don't he's usually just blown by his guy...), and a few times a night he makes a move that catches your breath and brings back the old days...Plus, he seems very happy, smiling all the time. It's pretty fun to watch...Mind you, he's had nights where he's had 3 fouls in the first few minutes,and sat for really long stretches, but he's had other games where he's played 40 minutes, but overall he's been getting better and better...
May 1986-NBA finals Boston at Houston- The game is about to begin- Hakeem surveys the floor- Larry Byrd, Kevin McCale, Robert Parrish, Bill Walton- some of the all time greats- he has had his 23rd birthday the previous January- he is already among his peers- his equals. I knew at this point that I was seeing someone truly special. He has led his team to the finals at age 23. While he and Michael Jordan both were drafted in 1984, it would be 1991 before Jordan would lead his team to the finals. Hakeem fouled out of this game late in the 4th. He stood at the sidelines cheering his team mates. He was the ultimate team player. Regardless of where he is playing I hope he does well and is very happy.. We Were very lucky to have him on our team while we did. Hakeem - you will always be the man!!!!
I have never seen Barkley get denied by the rim. It happened to Dream several times last season. If Food World had not chosen to retire, he would not have ballooned up over 300 lbs and he would have been in better shape than last years Dream. Dream looks rejuvinated this year, but a) it is early in the season, and b) there was no way of knowing that he would get back to this shape when he couldn't last year for some reason. Of course in hindsight it looks like the Dream could have helped us, but I for one did not forsee Francis and Mobley going down. On the bright side, Cato has been playing better when given minutes, especially in the rebounding department.
Hydra, So do you agree....the Rockets would have found a way to keep Barkley? I remember Barkley retiring because of a fairly devastating injury himself. Can it be assumed that he'd still be in as good shape (or better than last year's Dream)? Hey, the way I see it -- Dream is a proven winner. There isn't one former or current Rocket that can hold the guy's jockstrap in terms of what he did for the franchise. Barkley was a decent player, but when you add it all up he talked more than he played. If the idea was to get younger then I say mission accomplished. If the idea was only to lowball him, well that aint cool and look where it's gotten them. Though he clearly isn't the player he was, he certainly would contribute and could still produce in the clutch. I would keep him if only to mentor the other big guys. Without a veteran center around to guide them, these guys are in trouble.
Yes, I agree that they would have found a way to keep Barkley. There are a couple of differences though: 1) Hakeem had been in steady decline, and while playing well now, I would be surprised if he plays more than 50 games. Barkley had a massive injury, but it was not a nagging condition like all of Dream's problems. 2) Barkley would not have asked for as much money, in all likelyhood. I am almost certain he would have accepted the offer we made to Hakeem. Obviously, Hakeem did not accept the offer, as he now plays Nord des Lines.
