It's in their best PR interest, you don't want to try to sell PSL's (do they sell those for basketball?) to the new arena after taking a huge PR hit for "not wanting hakeem back". Now if Hakeem leaves on friendly terms, things will be alright and they won't take much of a PR hit, other than the obvious hit they'll take as soon as he suits up for another team. ------------------ Anyone need a C/C++/Win32/HTML/PHP/SQL/Java/Perl/x86 coder?
The Rockets aren't putting off negotiations out of respect for Dream. They have to deal with him first. They want to sign him as cheaply as possible or get something for him in S&T. Plain and simple. Dream did not create this situation. If he can use it to his advantage, more power to him. ------------------ " If all babies are cute, why are there so many ugly people?"
I wonder if you guys will be singing that tune if Mo Taylor, Shandon Anderson and/or Moochie Norris sign elsewhere because they are tired of sitting around and watching money being laid out to other free agents while Hakeem bides his time. The longer this goes on and the more teams Dream meets with, the more obvious it becomes that he cares very little about being a Rocket. ------------------ Anger is a weed. Hate is a tree.
Its the only tune I know. If our FA's didn't feel this is the best place for them, they would have left. If they stay, they will get paid alot of money. If they leave, they will get paid alot of money. They feel comfortable here. If Dream felt comfortable, he might already have signed. Other players have signed for less money, because they felt comfortable here, Othela and Kevin Willis for example. Where did it get them? Bottom line, it's a business. ------------------ " If all babies are cute, why are there so many ugly people?"
I just have a feeling he doesn't care to be a Rocket. He just wants to play and get what he thinks he should get. I personally thought there would be more loyalty involved since he has been here 17 years. But hey its his choice so let him leave instead of begging for him to come back with his outrageous demands. ------------------
It's about what Hakeem considers respect, which may be different than what the rest of us consider respect. I agree that right now to Hakeem, Money and respect may be the same. From his point of view, he sees lesser centers(Cato) getting more money than he's offered. He thinks, if the Rockets really want him they wouldn't offer him less than Cato. I disagree with his thinking because I think there is a larger picture. Looking at Hakeem's past (turning down the Nike endorsement etc.) the guy isn't about greed. But also looking at his past he is all about respect (demanding a trade when Charley Thomas questioned his honor, by claiming he was faking an injury.) First of all, I think Hakeem is going about this wrong way, but that it's mostly misunderstanding. I think people shouldn't be so quick to call one of the players to exhibit the greatest sporstmanship in the game, a greedy sellout. ------------------
Thanks for explaining. The Rockets should just screw the team and the future and sign Hakeem to that huge 10 million dollar a year deal he wants. Sure glad you aren't in management. ------------------ Draftsource.net-- the premier source for draft info. Profiles, rankings, mock drafts, and more! The Mo Taylor Fan Site
They ARE putting off negotiations because of Dream. He has to be dealt with before we can move on. It's been 3 weeks now since negotiations could take place. I think that's plenty of time for Dream to figure out what he's worth on the market. Respect is a two way street. ------------------ First the Sopranos and now Eddie Griffin... thank you New Jersey!
What I said, was "The Rockets aren't putting off negotiations out of respect for Dream." It is because they have to. And the market is still open. Before it's over, Miami will probabley have something to say to him also. [This message has been edited by Smoke (edited July 22, 2001).]
That's everyone's problem! WE're all being pulled in a few ways at once. We all want Hakeem to play 1 (or 2) more years for the Rox, and then ride off into the sunset. We sure as hell don't want him to screw the team over, and/or hurt it short, medium or long term! We don't want to change our opinion of the man from "only a few steps from god" to "will ... for money." It's unfortunate, but it looks like some of teh more negative options are coming out. Hope the trend reverses ------------------ "Hakeem gets a 3 with the final shot" - my second favorite moment of 95 finals
