Stick a fork in him. He's done. I though it would be o.k. for him to hang out and be on our team. I thought he would give the young guys confidence and they might play better. But, this is getting absurd. He can't play more than a couple of minutes without buckling over and gasping for air. Some people talk about the Rockets being loyal to him. We have been. We didn't trade him when we should have and we've given him tons of cash. This deal about kissing his ass because he won two rings pathetic. That's his job! To play his ass off year in and year out and do whatever it takes to win. He needs to be loyal to us. He has to realize he is a tiny shadow of his former self. He is going to eat up 16 million is cap space next year and for what? I'm tired, I don't think I'll play the rest of this game or the next one. When I do play, I'll walk up and down the floor everyplay. He is ALWAYS the last one down the court and it's just sad. When announcers can only talk about what you did in the past IT IS TIME TO RETIRE. Has Dream done anything in a game after his surgery that people would talk about and praise him? I don't recall anything. It's always...."back in '95 or during those championsip years"......Dream, if you want to save the last tiny bit of respect people may still have for you, RETIRE. You are bringing us down as a team and you are making yourself look foolish.
Ummmm Freak, I'm not sure exactly what you're trying to say. Maybe you could be a bit clearer. While many may agree with you, including me at times, I think you've been unnecessarily disrespectful to the Dream. Your points are valid, but your harshness is unwarranted. Choose your words carefully. Take care.
I do agree, a little harsh. But there are some good points here. Anything from Hakeem that is pre-1997 is simply amazing. He has had a long career, and is one of the best centers of all time, bar none. Sure, he did win Houston 2 titles. There is something to be said for that, Hakeem is Houston Rockets basketball, and all that it implies! Hakeem is old, and has recurring injuries, fatigue, etc. I don't think that this is unusual for a guy that has played his heart out for so many years. His body is battered and battle weary. He can't keep up with the speed of the likes of Garnett, Duncan, or the strength of Shaq. Like Ewing, it is time for a new role. Hakeem is still a defensive presence and a leader. As much as it pains me to see him struggle, I am totally in agreement with Rudy's decision to remain loyal to Olajuwon. Just like the Larry Birds and the Kareem Abdul Jabbars, there is a bond there, and there isn't anyone that should see Hakeem in another team's jersey. That soils the team's sense of loyalty, as well as to some extent, soils the players image. Hakeem has been a franchise player, a Houston franchise player. Let's remember him as such. We do owe him that. He has paid his dues as a Rocket. This may be his last year, he will retire respected as a champion.
Having Hakeem as a Rocket is a morale boost for the city. I do hope he hangs it up this year, but I want him to have played his ENTIRE career in Houston. If that means one more year of drudgery, so be it.
Freak, Reading your post turns my stomach. First of all, even if Hakeem retires RIGHT NOW, most of his $16 million salary for next year will count against the cap, and we will be no-where near coming in under it. That is a fact and there is no way around it. So if you get your wish, Hakeem sits out, does nothing and still counts against the cap. The $16 mil balloon payment next year is a payback for Hakeem accepting less money throughout his career in Houston. Would you deny him that? If he retires, he doesn't get paid AND it STILL counts against the cap. Finally, Hakeem has been an absolute model franchise player. He doesn't whine, he shows respect, he doesn't showboat AND he certainly doesn't slack off. You are very quick to jump on the bandwagon about him being lazy, and "walking up and down the floor everyday" Hakeem says there is something wrong with him(feeling so fatigued), Rudy T say that whatever it is, "It's Scary". For all the professionalism and character shown by Hakeem in his distinguished career, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Every time I walk up the steps to enter the Compaq centre and I see Hakeem warming up I feel honored to be graced with the presence of such a legend. Calling for his retirement and questioning his work ethic shows disrespect.
I hope Dream announces his retirement quickly, just so the rest of the NBA can honor him for the last of this year. To me it is honestly sad to see such a legend just going through the motions. I know it must have been tough for Larry Bird fans to deal with his injuries, but at least he was effective when he was in the game. Who was the last legend to have such a bad ending? During my time I have never saw something like this (well maybe Moses Malone after his Sixer days) but Dr. J, Magic, Larry, Isiah, Larry, even Charles went out of the league still being All-Star (or near All-Star caliber players). I feel sorry for Dream, and even feel worse for the young viewers who never saw Dream in his glory and will only see a broken down, wheazing, ex-superstar.
Man you guys are tough. There is no doubt Hakeem's ability has been "eroding" as NBA anouncers love to call it, but last year he was, while not dominant, at least productive, and good enough to draw double teams. He's having a bad year, but he's coming off surgery for chrissake! How many of you guys could have surgery and return to playing pro-level sports? Coupled with that he's complaining of a fatigue problem that he can't explain. I don't don't think Hakeem is one to make excuses for poor performance by feigning injury. Do you?
Have you ever considered that this is all a ploy to get a chronic anemia diagnosis and medical disability exception? Problem is: I know Dr. Muntz and he won't fudge a diagnosis. What we need is a friendly and unscrupulous doctor to check out Hakeem. hmmm....does Dr of Dunk have an MD.
heypartner, quoted from the NBA Salary Cap FAQ. No way we get out of Hakeem's contract for next year. 45. How do retired players count against the cap? With one exception, retired players continue to count against the team's cap as long as their contract is in effect. An example is James Worthy, who retired in 1994, two years before the end of his contract. His $7.25 million salary for 94-95 and $5.15 million salary for 95-96 counted against the Lakers' cap in those years. Note that a retired player may or may not actually be paid for those seasons (Worthy -was- paid), but the salary counts against the cap regardless. The exception is when players are forced to retire for medical reasons. If a player retires for medical reasons and a league-appointed physician confirms that he is medically unfit to continue playing, then he does not count against the cap. There is a waiting period of two years (if the injury or illness occurred between January 1 and July 1) or until the second July 1 following the injury or illness (if it occurred between July 1 and January 1) before a team can apply for this salary cap relief. If a player retires, even for medical reasons, his team does not receive a salary cap exception to acquire a replacement player.
I'll have to agree with the Rockets being loyal to Hakeem. Basically everyone here agrees that he's not the Dream of old, but neither are most superstars at the twilight of their careers. As has been stated a billion times on the BBS, he is one of the (if not 'THE') cornerstone(s) of the Houston Rockets. Hakeem was a major contributor in the franchise's success. That commands the respect of the organization and the fans. It doesn't just go away because of injuries and age. C'mon! Look at Clyde. This guy certainly established himself as a Jailblazer back in the day. He was without a doubt 'the man' in Portland. Many so-called Blazer fans dismiss his contributions to that team during his tenure to this day. Sheesh, there are probably more Rockets Clyde fans than Jailblazer Clyde fans. Can't let that happen to Hakeem. [This message has been edited by BlastOff (edited February 28, 2000).]
In all fairness, Hakeem is taking flack for his personal stats / play when hoops is a team sport. Hakeem has not been playing well but look at the team. The Rockets are LOTTERY bound! The team has almost NO chemistry. A rookie is leading the team in most stats. Anderson, Drew, Carlos,Cato have all been Jeckel / hyde this season. Hakeem should be cut some slack ! ------------------ We would like to get rookie Francis on the break for some easy scoops in the first quarter...
Davo...no I'm talking about the "disabed player exception" to obtain a replacement player...not that retired player thing. anyhow, i was joking. we can't reasonably expect to get the disabled player exception for such an old horse.
you know,,, What good are rockets if you can't shoot 'em. What good are baskets, if we can't shoot 'em. Aren't comets...shooting stars. Didn't Hakeem shoot to stardom. Don't cowboys shoot 'em up. Come to think of it, what good are anyone's balls, if you can't shoot 'em. I think shooting is all part of sports and being a man. Live by the shot...die by the shot. watchout for IndianPlayer
No MD, but I got some M&M's... heck man, pay me enough and I'll say Hakeem is suffering from menopause. No? ok. ------------------ <this space for rent>
Rocket Freak, Barkley has the bad leg...we should shoot him. If Dream was a horse, we should stud him with some breed stock like Lisa Malosky, then we'd have a farm system of 7'ers who interview well.
3Rings, You wouldn't have to shoot them... I'd hold them down. ------------------ I have a dream.........his name's Hakeem.
Too harsh? Sometimes you have to be to get people to WAKE UP!! ------------------ For players who have played in at least 70% of the Rocket's games this year, Mobley scores more points per attempt than any other Rocket. He also jockeys back and forth between second and third place in steals on a per minute basis, and is just slightly out of first place. If he sucks so bad in shot selection and defense that he doesn't deserve a decent payday, the rest of the team needs to be CUT!
