Sorta, but Amare just dunks and shoots an occasional jump shot. Hakeem played with his back to the basket, posting up, and using a series of pump fakes/footwork to get to the rim for the dunk or layup. Huge difference in playing styles. True, but there are a lot of young players that can't be stopped in the paint that have more of a similar game to Hakeem than Amare such as KG and especially Duncan (this is the next Hakeem if anybody). And also Amare doesn't lead the Suns anywhere and isn't nearly effective without Steve Nash. Hakeem never had a PG of Steve Nashs' caliber. (Sam was good but at the time not nearly at his peak) Main Point: Amare isn't NEARLY as effective without Steve Nash ie. 4 game losing streak when he went down with the injury.
NO. Hakeem had the greatest footwork of all time, of any player, at any position. Amare has one move: dunk. And as has been said, Hakeem was one of the greatest defensive players of all time, and a far, far better rebounder. Amare doesn't even begin to touch Hakeem, especially sans Nash.
As someone who has no emotional attachment to either player: No. Not even close. Thanks for the laugh though.
And just for emphasis.... Get back to us when Amare plays some Defense ! He's a freak - but only on offense....
If amare doesn't have good footwork in the paint and is not a good low post player, why is he one of the leaders in drawing fouls/free throw attempts? http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/sortab...eThrowsAttempted&dir=descending&low=1&high=50 Obviously, Amare is a dominant presence inside the painted area, just like Hakeem.
Amare is still young. I believe he's only 22 or 23 years old. He'll probably at least tie or win more championships than the Dream. but it's unfair to compare a young Amare to Hakeem in his prime. All I'm saying is that STAT is already Hakeem-like in offense, which you already admitted here. On the defense comment, give him time. He has the tools necessary to be just as good as Olajuwon.
Amare doesn't score the same way Hakeem did. He just cuts to the bucket when Nash draws the defender through penetration, and when he recieves the pass he either has a layup or a dunk. Because his man was rotating to cut off Nash's penetration he does not have good defensive position, which leads to fouls. Amare does not create his own shot. Dream was graceful and skilled. He made defenders look silly with his quick spins, head fakes, his deadly turnaround jumper, and athleticism comparable to Amare's. Stoudemire doesn't have anywhere near the same moves. Amare is not the dominant defensive presence that Hakeem was. He's not the rebounder. Come back when Amare grabs 14 boards a game, as well as blocking 4.5 shots a game and getting over 2 steals (which Dream did in 1990). I won't be holding my breath. Right now, Amare's not even a good man-to-man defender in the low post area, much less the perimeter, where Dream in his prime was also quite capable. So does Kwame Brown, if you're just talking freak athleticism. So does Kevin Garnett (he's good, not as good as Dream). So does Jermaine O'Neal. Right now it's way to early (and somewhat offensive) to be comparing Amare Stoudemire to one of the greatest players in NBA history.
does amare rebound like dream? amare can't even get 9 boards a game. what a joke for a 6'10 guy as athletic as he is. does amare block like dream? not close. does amare get steals like dream? no. and how did amare do without nash? well u know the answer to that. amare is not a complete player and he is nowhere near as good without nash who creates great opportunities for amare. how can you honestly make the comparison of amare to dream? and you can't just say amare is young and his defense and rebounding will come around. it doesn't work like that. defense and rebounding are things that don't get much better. generally you either have a talent for them or you don't. dream was a defensive genius and top notch rebounder. amare will never be those. watch akeem at UH and tell me if you think him and amare are still comparable.
amare is not a center. can't even guard our soft center Yao who would just be an average center put in the days of Hakeem.
amare does not even come close to the defensive presence that was Akeem. Amare is a good offensive player, but not nearly as good on both end of the court as Akeem. I think Amare can become verry good. But now he needs a good Point guard. The thing why you cannot compaire Akeem en Amare is because they have 2 completely different games. Akeem was a great defensive player, and he became a great offensive player, with his back to the basket. Amare is a very good offensive player, but he plays with his head towards the basket. And his defense is not good. Because of the different styles i would compaire Amare with Kemp in his younger years
amare and dream don't have same game. akeem as a youngster, even before he developed the best footwork of all time, still had a hookshot and a better jumper then amare does. you bring defense in there and it's not even close. i'll give you that amare has the athletic ability to be a great defensive player but you know what, steve francis has the athletic ability to be the greatest defensive pg ever, but obviously he's not and won't ever be. defense is a mind-set that you have to have. dream had instinct to get to any ball, be it a block or a rebound, and had quick enough hands to enter the top ten in history in steals, as a freaking center. amare will never have that natural ability, though i'm sure he'll improve since right now he plays none at all.
Amare has really stepped up his game this year, and has become a really good player. He still has a ways to go to become the next Hakeem though. Its not fair to put that pressure on him. I don't think any player in his 3rd year could be the next Hakeem. On offense, his tenacity is like a young Hakeem, but he's not there yet. As a rookie, Hakeem was grabbing almost 6 offensive rebounds a game. He went after every rebound like he owned it. Hakeems game matured so much over his career. His low post game improved so much over the first 10 years of his career. Amare still has a lot of time to grow, but I think its unfair to put that pressure on him now.
There needs to be a law against comparing rookie, sophmore, and 3rd yr vets to HOF legends. Win an MVP, win a Finals MVP, or at least get a scoring title before HOF comparisons. We love piling on the hype, don't we? Evan
Offensively, this is a major difference in their game. Hakeem commands a double or triple team everytime down. If you play him 1 on 1 with ANYBODY, he'll eat you up alive. Right now Amare doesn't generate too much attention as he's reaping the benefits of playing with Nash. Will he ever be able to create a shot for him and his teammates like Heekeem did on a consistent basis? We'll just have to wait and see.
