I'm saying some of the problems the Rockets had with the Sonics during Rudy's era was their own stubborness and inability to adjust.
Duncan is a great player, but he is like a workman type player. He'll give you the same stats every night, he always turns up to play, he is super consistent, an all time great. Thing is, I have always put value in that extra something that few players ever have. The ability to push themselves past their limits. The ability to make an opponent shake their heads and have no answer to them. Duncan is great. Hakeem was great AND brilliant at the same time. Give them the same supporting cast, not a great one, just a solid, mid level team around them. Which team would you rather take in a 7 game series? The one with Duncan, or the one with the Dream?
If you give a player ample amounts of time to truly scout and put all of his focus on stopping Timmy D, i think he could do a good job of containing him over a series...i don't think the same could be said about Hakeem, and that's what separates the Shaq's and Hakeems from the Duncans and Robinsons. The former has that something extra (Power and creativity, respectively) while the latter have their tried and true excellence, but unability to turn it up to 11 once they've been solved.
Duncan is being compared to Shaq as the best player of our generation right now, if he wins this, they will say he is better then Shaq. Its NOT EVEN A CONTEST.
In 1993, Olajuwon averaged 26.1 points per game. In 1994, Olajuwon averaged 27.3 points per game. In 1995 he averaged 27.8 points per game. In 1996 Olajuwon averaged 26.9 points per game. Tim Duncan has averaged more than 23.3 points per game in his career only once (25.5) . In total, Olajuwon averaged over 23.3 points per game for eight seasons. In 1990, Hakeem Olajuwon averaged (in a season in which he played all 82 games) 14.00 rebounds a game. Tim Duncan has never even had a season in which he grabbed 13 rebounds a game. Olajuwon averaged 13 or more rebounds per game for four seasons in his career. In 1990, Olajuwon averaged 4.59 blocks per game. Yes, 4.59 blocks per game... Tim Duncan has never averaged more than 2.9 blocks a game in his entire career. Hakeem Olajuwon averaged more than 2.9 blocks nine seasons in his career, and not slightly over 2.9... 85-86 - 3.40 86-87 - 3.39 88-89 - 3.44 89-90 - 4.59 90-91 - 3.95 91-92 - 4.34 92-93 - 4.17 93-94 - 3.71 94-95 - 3.36 The most steals per game Tim Duncan has averaged is 0.9. In his entire career Hakeem Olajuwon never averaged so few steals per game. Olajuwon's worst steals per game average is better than Tim Duncan's best. 84-85 - 1.21 85-86 - 1.97 86-87 - 1.87 87-88 - 2.05 88-89 - 2.60 89-90 - 2.12 90-91 - 2.16 91-92 - 1.81 92-93 - 1.83 93-94 - 1.60 94-95 - 1.85 95-96 - 1.57 96-97 - 1.50 97-98 - 1.79 98-99 - 1.64 99-00 - 0.93 00-01 - 1.21 01-02 - 1.21 Hakeem Olajuwon's career field goal percentage is .512. Tim Duncan's career field goal percentage is .509 . Hakeem Olajuwon's career free throw percentage is .712. Tim Duncan's career free throw percentage is .680. Hakeem Olajuwon had a career playoff average of 25.9 points per game. Tim Duncan has a career playoff average of 23.9 points per game. Hakeem Olajuwon had a career playoff average of 3.26 blocks per game. Tim Duncan has a career playoff average of 2.8 blocks per game. Hakeem Olajuwon averaged 1.69 steals per game in the playoffs. Tim Duncan averages 0.7 steals per game in the playoffs. Hakeem Olajuwon had a career playoff field goal percentage of .528. Tim Duncan has a career playoff field goal percentage of .509. Hakeem Olajuwon had a career playoff FT percentage of .719. Tim Duncan has a career playoff FT percentage of .698. Hakeem Olajuwon averaged 2.92 turnovers per game in the playoffs. Tim Duncan averages 3.18 turnovers per game in the playoffs. Tim Duncan is a great player, Olajuwon was better. http://www.nba.com/playerfile/hakeem_olajuwon/ http://www.nba.com/playerfile/tim_duncan/career_stats.html
Duncan can win 10 championships but it will never change the fact Shaq owned Duncan like a biatch during lakers' three-peat. Shaq has been a better individual player, hands down. So was Hakeem.
I think JVG might have just forgotten about Dream. He's just trying to compliment Duncun. How can anyone put Duncun ahead of Hakeem? Hakeem was a better passer, got more steals, better at blocking shots, just as good of a rebounder if not better, and clearly a better scorer and a more versitle one at that. Finally, Hakeem hit his ft's. It's a no contest. I could see putting Duncun ahead of Shaq.
One problem smart guy. David Robinson was matched up against Shaq not Duncan. Your rocket's blind faith even cliuds your thoughtprocess.
And your Spur's blind faith will never allow you to acknowledge that Duncan no matter how many championships will never have the talent of Hakeem.
Achilleus proved it with numbers and with reasoning on strength of competition, Hakeem also comes out on top since he faced Shaq, Ewing, Robinson, and other hall-of-famers. What bothers me is that it's not just Spurs fans that are forgetting how great Hakeem is, I think ESPN sports writers are talking about how Duncan could be the best post player of all time. When I read that, I had flashbacks to the video I saw a few weeks ago of Hakeem coaching Yao. Even in retirement, Hakeem's pivot moves are still so much more smooth and fluid than Yao. Simply amazing.
Would we love more Championships around here? Sure! That's not the point though. The point was Timmy D vs. Hakeem, and Hakeem wins everyday of the week. Start a new thread if you want to compare Championships.
