I had a chance to see Hakeems press conference, I for one was very happy to see the big guy happy. I think it was very shameful to Houston for Hakeem to play for someone else. What makes it even worse is this bull$... public relations job the management gave about the situation. With all things being equal, if the front office hadn't low-balled Hakeem at 4.1m, Toronto probably wouldn't have had a chance. I think what really hurt Hakeem is when David "I tore you a new a%&??#e " Robinson got 12m per for 2yrs. Hakeem at this point is still as productive player as David and he was offered 25% of what he was offered, that's an insult right there. Its clear that the Rockets had a deal with Taylor, therefore they refused to raise the dollar per year with Hakeem. I just don't see the rockets being any closer to the playoffs this year than they did last year. The east is stronger this year and we all know the rockets have a hard time beating western teams already. Unless the Rockets sign Jackson, Cato avgs 13-8-2, or Mo Taylor plays strnger than what he has since he played in the league, the Rockets will be lottery bound again. If Eddie Griffin plays like they think he can, they might have a chance, but thats a lot of pressure to put on a rook. The grass always look greener on the other side of the fence, but now the Rockets get to have the experience that every other team have other than Miami,Lakers,San Antonio, and maybe Philly. Its always a luxury when you can get a high percentage basket 12 ft from the goal instead of 20. They will realize how much a team can run if you get the rebound. Even if it was only for 58 games, they will realize how good they had it. Good Luck Dream!
They are not alone!! We are in the process of signing our "cornerstones". I hope lowballing Hakeem was worth Anderson, Taylor, Bullard and Norris
Hakeem is history. Rockets needed to learn to play without him anyway, they're just doing it sooner than expected. Mo is a piece of the Rockets future. Hakeem is not. have a nice day.
Rockets management has nothing to be ashamed of. If an extra 3 million dollars made Dream choose Toronto over Houston, then obviously Dream didn't want to be here.
If you're asking me if keeping those players and building for the future was more important then locking up a 38 year old center, then yes it is. Do you really believe that Dream was the "cornerstone" of this team!?
Obviously there was no reason to come back where he wasn't really wanted. I think it is very hard for even the anti-Hakeem contingent to continue to pretend that the Rockets offer was not an insult to Hakeem. Either you are being disingenuous or you are stupid.
You guys don't get it, there isn't any "Anti-Dream" posters here, the people just want the Rockets to build for the future, instead of living in the past. Well I'm being, as you call me, "disingenuous", and I guess I'm "stupid", because 3 million dollars isn't that big a difference in today's market.
Hey - We've never discussed this on the board. A thought - How was The Rockets offer insulting, and Olajuwon's contract demands of $10 million a year not?
I want to be happy for Dream. It's just difficult to believe that this is what he really wanted. I can't stop thinking that this should not have happened and could have been avoided. The Rockets should have found a way to sign him. The inevitable loss in ticket sales alone will make them regret it. It's an unfortunate situation. I can only hope that Dream will be truly happy in Toronto, and the sick feeling we are experiencing will be gone. I want to enjoy watching the Rockets this season. Right now, it's difficult to be enthusiastic.
OK, pay attention - more than one thing can be true at a time. For instance all of these can be true at the very same time: (a) The Rockets have decided that Francis needs to be the epicenter of activity for this team, not Hakeem (b) Hakeem does not want to sit on the bench while KT and Bullard play in the fourth quarter (c) Hakeem thinks market value for his services is $10 million (d) The Rockets make an offer to Hakeem to avoid PR disaster if they outright released or S & T'd him (e) They make the offer a low one to send a message to Hakeem that this is no longer his team, but that if he wants to return and contribute they would be more than happy to have him back in a reduced role at a reduced rate (f) Hakeem feels like this is not showing respect since 5 spots are hard to find and the Rockets have the money to pay significantly more than their offer while still retaining FAs (g) The market says Hakeem is not worth $10 million, but he IS worth more than the Rockets offer (h) Hakeem feels the Reptiles DO respect him since they offer more money and more years and more involvement in their core plans (i) everyone wins: Hakeem gets his props in Toronto, the Rockets get extra picks they would not have gotten if he retired or signed outright and they get to sign the light crusted doughboy for way more than he is worth. See? It's not so complicated. Nobody did anything wrong or mean or anymore selfish than anyone else (the Rockets - a corporation for cryin out loud, nor Hakeem). Be happy for the Rockets and stop bagging on the Dream. BTW: 'Well I'm being, as you call me, "disingenuous." Disingenuous means that you are saying things that you don't really mean. So if you are really against Hakeem bashing but are just SAYING the opposite, then we agree . That's cool. Its kinda like opposite day.
I'm not sure where this argument is going but did San Antonio get what they wanted out of the deal...NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Robinson is back good but they lose the only athletcisim they had with exception of Daniels... Now they had to take Steve"bad knees" Smith or get nothing.... So that argument is crap.....
MPG PPG REB Assists Blks Steals Softie 29.6 14.4 8.6 1.5 2.46 1.00 Olajuwon 26.6 11.9 7.4 1.2 1.52 1.20 -These numbers are very close. Robinson's numbers deserve an ASTERISK *-Gets to play next to the best PF in the NBA, Tim Duncan, which dramatically helps his stats -Robinson's contract offer from Spurs: 2 yrs, 20 MIL -Hakeem's contract offer from Rockets: 3 yrs, 13 MIL You can't honestly tell me that Robinson is worth his contract and Hakeem isn't worth at least $6-7 MIL per year, which if the Rockets offered, Hakeem is more than likely retiring a Rocket. But of course, the Rockets had a soft, slow-footed, can't rebound or play defense PF to pay a ridiculous sum of $8 MIL a year to.
In real terms, Olajuwon didn't want to play in Houston. THe Houston offer was still more than the Raptors if you consider the taxes in Canada. Olajuwon has always been good at spinning the PR on the situation. I loved watching him play but the guy is a whiner and always has been. He always said he would like to end his career in Canada. There is more to this story but I'm afraid we'll never really know the truth.
it's all academic from here on end. Dream is gone. We're stuck with Cato. so let's pray that rOcks are better off now.
Robinson can actually play for more than half the year. I have no problem paying Hakeem 8 million per, but there should be a clause in his contract about injuries. As long as Hakeem in on the court, he is a solid player. I just dont think he can make it for more than 45-50 games. That is why he is not getting paid as much as he would like.
Huh, conveniently forgetting some numbers? 80 and 58? That's the number of games played. Notice Robinson is YOUNGER, in better physical shape, and got less years. By your logic, Hakeem's numbers should decline even more so now that Mo "Antonio Davis is my b****" Taylor is no longer his PF, since he had to carry all the burden when he was here. Robinson was far more consistent than Hakeem this past year. If you want more close numbers, I'll post them again, just in case you missed 'em the first time. GP: 78 82 MPG: 35.0 33.8 PPG: 13.7 11.3 RPG: 10.1 9.7 SPG 0.28 1.04 BPG: 1.94 1.28 TO: 1.73 1.37 FGA: 11.1 8.4 FTA: 5.4 3.5 FG%: 43.3% 50.1% FT%: 75.4% 79.0% Both of these players signed new contracts.....and one of them signed for a starting salary more than twice the other. Justify paying that much more per season to Antonio Davis over Clarence Weatherspoon. Robinson was overpaid to keep TD from flipping out. For any random team, Robinson would do more, because barring a freak injury, he'll stay healthy all year. Can't say the same for Hakeem.
Its no question that this is Francis team, but given the opportunity in a close game, Francis could have had a safety net of sorts. Does anyone think that if Kareem would have wanted to come back after he announced his retirement that LA wouldn't have made a way? Someone made reference to Kenny Thomas and Matt Bullard. Anytime a team draft or signs a person that plays the same position that you do, that team doesn't think to highly of you. They drafted Thomas and a year later they sign Taylor. Personally, I think Griffin will eventually play the 4 spot and Taylor, Thomas and someone else will be sent packing. I really hope this site is still as fresh 2 yrs from now as it is now. I'm willing to bet, Taylor, Thomas, and maybe Cato will be packaged for Duncan in a sign and trade. Hopefully this contract motivates Taylor, but being realistic, he'll probably go backwards.
