Did you read Feigan's article about Nani still crowing "Haaaaakeeeeeem the Dreeeeeeeeeaaaam Oooooolaaaajuwoooooon!" at Tuesday's game vs. the Raptors?
I always wished Hakeem would've retired a Rocket...with dignity, pride and respect. Not on another team, slinging smack and picking up garbage minutes, injured. Oh Dream, what a tangled web we weave. I would gladly welcome him back though... but talk about being humbled if he did come back... on second thought, maybe he should just retire already.
Did Hakeem's teen wife suck the life right out him, or what? It's like he put the ring on, and all the fuel spilled out of his zippo. Spark, spark, spark, flame out.
All retirement and legacy blah-blah aside, I've been thinking about this all day, and while he's certainly not the player he used to be, he would make a good tandem with Cato. Let's face it - even with Cato playing as he has recently, he still is not enough. We are lacking a big man in a 48-minute game, and Collier ain't it. Cato cannot do 48 minutes... I would very much like to see a Hakeem/Cato tandem out there. Their numbers are actually quite similar this season, and I suspect that both players' stats might go up if a little competition were started again. If we can get him for the vet's minimum, I would do it in a heartbeat, and put everything else in the past. Do we want to moan and groan about what who said when, or do we want to win some more friggen games? I also suspect it would rejuvenate the play of the younguns...
i dont think he would play for the vet's minimum. last year i remember people saying . we can resign him for cheap.. i dont think he is going to sign for some cheap figure...
He's a cancer. I don't want a cancer on a YOUNG team that is in need of finding its own indentity. The Rockets need to move on past the Olajuwon era. Bringing him back to spread the cancer does not help the team at all.
Rocket Fan: If the Raps buy out his contract, then he will get a payday anyway. I wouldn't pay more than the minimum for him myself, or at least not significantly more, and I wouldn't give him more years than I had to (preferably 1 or 2). I wouldn't get him unless he came cheap. That said, I would still like to see him back. kidrock: "Cancer"? How do you know that bringing him back wouldn't rejuvenate everyone, much less the man himself? I don't know either way, and neither do you. I do know one thing: this team needs direction and another big man. If he turns out to be a cancer, then Rudy will just bench him. If he doesn't, then he might be the shot in the arm that this team apparently needs. How would a 1 or 2 year deal hurt? Rudy can make him irrelevant any time he starts showing signs of that, and if Hakeem's last couple of years in a Rockets uni shows anything, it's that Rudy knows how to make him irrelevant when he feels like it. What could it really hurt? Aside from broad generalizations like "he's a cancer", or "he'll bring bad mojo back with him"? We need a cheap, quality big man so you guys can sperm-on about your SF in the draft. I could not possibly think of a better alternative, if Hakeem's willing to play for the minimum (or close to it).
Funny how you mock the legacy comment about Dream and then you call Lenny Wilkens a clueless coach. The same Lenny Wilkens who's the winningest coach in NBA history and has been inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player and a coach.
Benching him would mean he would be a bigger cancer. If you think Olajuwon would take his benching sitting down, no pun intended, you are way off base. Olajuwon's whole b****ing about the Rockets is because of lack of playing time. Do the Rockets "need" a big man who is not better than Cato, who will not play more than 1 year? I'd rather play Collier, and see what he can do. There's no way Olajuwon fits with the Rockets. We need Francis to come around and be "The Man". He definitely won't do it if Olajuwon is around, whether or not he plays. Olajuwon's inflated ego will make him think he's still a good player. Especially coming back to the city in which he was a star. How this helps the Rockets any, I'm still wondering. Didn't people say Olajuwon would help the Raptors? They are a lot worse this year than last, and Olajuwon was able to play against the bad big men in the East. Olajuwon would be a sacraficial lamb in the West.
How much damage can he do on the bench? Absolutely zero where the game is concerned. His damage to the club would be exactly the same as Collier's right now - no impact. That's the only damage he could possibly make from the bench. Frankly, I'd be willing to accept the possibility, but if he did come back then he'd have to know that he wouldn't be the team's 1st option - or 2nd, or even likely the 3rd. That's always been his real beef, not PT. If he couldn't accept that, then waive him. Is Collier actually ready yet? Apparently not. Another uear of garbage time and practice would tell us that. We do not know well enough to play him with any confidence right now, so he obviously needs more time. Are you saying that we don't need another big man? huh? I say again, Huh? I cannot think of anyone in the league who has more experience with this organization. I cannot think of anyone in the league who could slide back into the rotation - and with as much fan and organizitional support - more easily. He's had two years to be "the Man" (if you count last season). He obviously hasn't completely learned that tune yet. Give him another year without 100% of the pressure being on his shoulders. This is the only real problem I forsee. It's also why I would only sign him to a short-term contract for the veteran's min (that and age, whatever it really is)... The organization gets to retire a team Icon. That is the least important benefit. The Rocks get that other big man that Collier hasn't turned into yet. He will on average perform similar to the Cato of now (and who knows when the Cato machine will go offline?), and occasionally probably give us lights-out performances. He's Clutch, even if he's old and it's only on occasion. Big presence in the middle at all times, though. No more small-ball sets for 12 minutes. No more offenses simply taking advantage of that big hole while Cato's resting. And no more stretches where defense relies on 3-4 small and 1-2 medium-sized guys to plug the hole to the basket... How confident are you driving to the hole if you know Hakeem's lurking? Have you noticed that people have been driving and scoring at will on us of late? It's a short-term fix that is desperately needed. It is not "The Answer", but a patch that this team would do well to take, IMHO.
Did you not know that I was referring to Olajuwon's demeanor? I could care less about what he does on the court, because it won't be much. What I care about is him being a little whiny b**** like he was last year.
Treeman-Have you even watched Olajuwon play this year? If you have, then you would know that Cato is better than him at this point. The negatives outweigh the positives in bringing Olajuwon back. Retiring as a Rocket doesn't really mean much since he left us not too long ago. In the NFL, when Thurman Thomas "signed" and then retired as a Bill, did that mean much to anyone? I just think the Rockets need to finally move on and get past Olajuwon. Doing this would slow down our rebuilding process. Let's see what Collier can do so we know where he lies in our future.
His demeanor? What, did he not give you an autograph once or something? I've already commented on what to do about his demeanor off the court. If he's an a*hole and destroys team chemistry, then waive his ass. If not, then what are you complaining about? You don't know either way whether he'll be a stand-up guy. As I hinted to before, I think that Cato - playing as he has of recent - is actually better at this point in time. They're actually very close. Hakeem: 7.8ppg, 6.7rpg, 1.2apg, 1.33spg in 25.1 minutes, shooting 46.9% from the field Cato: 6.8ppg, 6.9rpg, shooting 54% from the field in 25.6 minutes Hakeem leads in blocks, steals, and assists. Cato has been playing very well the past month or so, though, and has inflated his stats accordingly. If he keeps this up, then he will surpass Hakeem on at least two stats. But who knows whether he will keep it up? It's nice to see you having so much confidence that Cato alone can fulfill our needs at the 5, but I would not want to bet the farm that Cato will keep this up consistently. And what do you need if he can't? Another legit C... I don't see how this would slow down our rebuilding process - unless you're actially convinced that Collier is going to be our future 5. This will give us room to breathe, test Collier more, and actually find that future 5 we need to win playoff games. And maybe get our younguns some much needed playoff time in the process... I fail to see how resigning Hakeem for the minimum o a short contract would be a bad thing in either the short or the long run.
Forget his legacy. One of his reasons for leaving was another opportunity for a ring. THAT IS NOT HAPPENING IN TORONTO. He simply needs to retire.
11 Ls in a row for the raps. whos that rap fan that posts here? btm? well whoever it was, thanks to him, im enjoying this streak very much so.
My left brain tells me that I want Hakeem back here in ClutchCity. My right brain tells me the opposite.
