has anyone heared on how hakeem is doing,is his health doing better.i think he will be the key to how our season will go.i hope he is well.... ------------------
Hopefully, Hakeem will come back in good shape and not suffer a severe injury. However, I think that is wishful thinking considering his age. His role will be limited and although he is still a starter, he will not get as many minutes. I do hope he can contribute significantly and end the season on a positive note. I would not want anything less for one the greatest 50 players in NBA history, and my personal favorite.
Heck, I would settle for him just being able to breathe correctly. DaDakota ------------------ All you MO-FO's better stop ripping off my lines !!
Is there any info about Hakeem? ------------------ I've posted so much that what I say must be true. The latest on Maurice Taylor
The last thing I remember hearing about him was that he was in Jordan vacationing. ------------------
Hakeem: Unfortunately he was diagnosed with what is largely considered a stress-induced type of emphysema. Basically, he gets inflammed or swollen bronchial tissues when he over-exerts his lungs. This of course happens everytime he runs up and down the floor. Even in practice. Treatments include: * Physical rest with minimal exertion in a non-humid environment. He's travelling and last week was in the arrid Middle East. * Bronchodilators for acute exacerbations of the condition. (He does not like to use them, they make his heart beat more rapidly and he does have an existing condition with irregular heart rate to be concerned about. They also have an after-effect of extreme tiredness following concurrent use and exercise. * Steroidal anti-inflammatories to reduce the inflammatory effect and thus decrease the harmful consequences of the condition. These class of drugs are very effective for the chronic side of the condition, but also have a number of uncomfortable side effects. He has used these intermnittedly with good results. * The real telltale of his present health state will be around the tenth or so game into the season. He has told some business associates and friends that if his health becomes an issue this season, he will retire. ( " .... I will not go through a year of some on, some off .... type of way. That is not right. That is not my way ..... " )
Hakeem's the man....and btw, he has his own private gyms in Jordan and Iraq (i think).....So if he needed to work out, he would....I don't think he's overweight or has a bad body or anything....I think he just needs to rest for a while....carrying a franchise for 15 or so years takes its toll on a man's health....... ------------------
Thanks for the update OP. Appreciate very much the scoop. Nice to hear about Hakeem's latest situation. This is the kind of info us lurkers like to hear. A lot more interesting than this off-season favorite pasttime.... speculating. ------------------
This is probably a stupid question, but if you need to be in a non-humid environment and you're in the Middle East, isnt that a really humid place? If so, why would he be there? Is it because he is pilgrimmaging to Mecca again or is Jordan also significant to the religion of Islam?
To a muslim, the Middle East is "home" in every sense of the word. Mecaa. He of course, is African by decent and therefore even closer to his familial geographical roots. However, Hakeem is devout Muslim and a quiet and unassuming philanthropist who has several "projects" he sponsors in the North African region. Hospitals, sports clinics, agricultural ventures, irrigation plans, educational programs, etc... . He has other such things he is involved in here (both himself, and his family, particularly his brother), including resurrecting a derelict mall into a mosque and Muslim Educational Center in the Houston area. He has been venturing into these kind of things for several years. This is not new. But keep this in mind. He is a devout man. To God. His family. His community responsibilities. He is also an athlete. But please note that his "job" as an athlete comes after all of the important things in his life are looked after. Note: 1. For someone of his age and size, he is in good shape. But this IS NEW .... He is NOT up to game shape. Maybe NOT even to practice shape. Sprints kill him. He is left winded and panting. But he is practicing with friends and some of his close entoutage. Please don't give the imnpression he has been diligently working out. This year is NOT the same as previous years, when he "grindstoned-it" and pushed the limit with other Rockets everyday for two months. 2. Hakeem has a home in Vancover where he spends time in the past including inviting B-Ball players and friends to stay and workout. He hasn't been there much at all this summer. 3. Olajuwon Enterprises have kept him busy. He is involved in a lot of new projects and he is definitely geared for a long and fruitful retirement. "Personally (IMHO)": I think he will push himself more as we get nearer to camp, and although he will be in less shape than previous years, he will start the season slow but steadily get back some form. He will get less minutes this year, and he'll be thankful for that. If he makes it through the first 20 games health-wise, he will get 12PPG and average 6.5 REBS ... and, still command some respect around the league. [This message has been edited by oeilpere (edited August 30, 2000).]
In lieu of his health woes and not being able to run up and down the court for a prolonged amount of time , wouldn't it be wise for Hakeem to come off the bench. Or start , but not play typical starter minutes? If Cato has come around and bulked up and worked on some of the weaker parts of his game maybe this would work out to get a Hakeem off the bench that is not tired and has not exerted himself much. A good, balanced out 12-14mpg would be a great contribution. Guess we will all know about Cato come pre-season...at least his appearance. ------------------ And tonight...From the Bank United Center...Your Houston Rockets and Miami Heat in Game 1 of the 2004 NBA Finals!!!!!
Actuallly, if Hakeem needs a non-humid environment, Jordan is probably a great place for him to be climate-wise...While some parts of it are wet in the winter, by summer the weather becomes dry...other parts of Jordan even has a New Mexico type climate... I knew my liberal arts degree would come in handy one of these days ------------------
houmedman and oeilpere I very much disagree based on the success of Cato and Mobley playing together, last year. I do not believe Dream is a good match with Mobley. Mobley's ISO is so much stronger with Cato's weakside slam threat. That's the only way Cato gets points, thus he puts so much more enthusiam into playing weakside than Dream does. As much as I believe Dream can still outplay Cato, Cato is the better weakside, baseline player, cause he has to be. I want Cato playing with Mobley from off the bench. And Rudy insisted on that too last year. Does anyone remember Pig starting, so Cato and Mobley play together.
Dream should start b/c he deserves to start and get his name announced. Even if that were debatable, the most important aspect of why he should start is his age. It is much more difficult for older players to cool down on the bench and then return to the game later. Dream will have enough challenges without adding that one. ------------------ GATER
I think he should start (regardless of the respect factor), and play from 18-20 minutes...... ------------------
