http://www.sportsline.com/b/page/pressbox/0,1328,4155688,00.html The Houston Rockets blew it. Unlike the New York Knicks a year ago, they already knew it. As the Rockets contemplate the future with a couple of draft choices, and a $5.1 million slot from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Hakeem Olajuwon, the best player in the history of Houston basketball, the only thing that comes to mind is: What are they doing? Their Dream has turned into a nightmare, just as it did for the Knicks last season when they dealt Patrick Ewing for Glen Rice, flotsam and jetsam. Had Marcus Camby played next to Ewing last season as opposed to instead of, the Knicks might have had a shot at winning the East. Hakeem Olajuwon still has the ability to be a strong force under the basket.(AP) Not that the Rockets would have won the West with Olajuwon this season, but let's consider the consequences and why this deal sets up the Raptors to challenge in the East, while the Rockets remain on the bubble as a playoff team. Before we get too carried away, yes, Olajuwon will be 39 in January and has missed more than a third of the games the past two seasons. But in his last game with the Rockets, he had 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists -- a testimony to a guy who in 17 seasons averaged 22.5 points and 11.4 rebounds. He is the all-time NBA leader with 3,740 blocked shots, and the only player in league history to be ranked the career top 10 in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocks. When the Rockets beat the Knicks in the NBA Finals in 1994, he became the only player to be the most valuable player of the regular season and the NBA Finals and be named the defensive player of the year in the same season. So why wouldn't they give him the same three-year, $17 million deal as the Raptors out of the chute? They were too concerned about having enough money to re-sign Maurice Taylor and Shandon Anderson. Yes, they need these two young forwards, but Anderson hasn't been a particularly happy camper, nor is he more much than a solid role player. Taylor is the classic power forward on paper and in the box scores, but he will never be the dominant player scouts thought he would be when he came out of Michigan. And with the $5.1 million slot they're getting from the Raptors for trading Olajuwon, the Rockets will likely sign Golden State's Marc Jackson, a 6-foot-10, 270-pounder who was a second-round draft choice out of Temple three years ago, played two years in Turkey, then turned some heads but played in only 48 games last season for the Warriors. For this, they've mortgaged the final years of the Dream? Yes, we know this team is now built around the 450-horsepower backcourt of Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley. The acquisition of Seton Hall's athletic shot-blocker, Eddie Griffin, during the draft was a masterstroke that should pay dividends for years. But despite his problems with knees and blood-clotting, Olajuwon remains a talented warrior, still showing more game than Ewing and a lot of other centers. That explains why the Raptors have jumped on this opportunity. If not as talented as he once was, Olajuwon remains every bit as proud. Had the Rockets come back with reasonable three-year contract to start with, and not messed with him in and out of the lineup last season, he never would have contemplated this move. Instead, the Nigerian native was dishonored by the franchise he carried for a generation. Sometimes it happened during the season, the way coach Rudy Tomjanovich left him to stagnate on the bench, but it was even more palpable the way they initially attempted to get him for one year and minimal dollars. At least San Antonio came to its senses with David Robinson after stunning him initially with an 80 percent cut in pay. Maybe Vince Carter and the rest of the Raptors will be disappointed with Olajuwon, but least this gives them a few months to dream about the possibilities. The blood clotting in his leg could resume for the third time in his career. The knees could become problematic again, and if either or both occur, his game will fade further south than Houston. But with a Lenny Wilkens squad featuring Carter, Olajuwon, Antonio Davis, Mo Peterson, Alvin Williams, Jerome Williams, Keon Clark, Chris Childs and Dell Curry, we're talking about the next step for a team that was just inches away from making it to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Thank you, say the Raptors, just for the psychological boost. As the Rockets attempt to bite, scratch and claw their way through the rugged West and back into the playoffs after consecutive seasons out of the mix for the first time in 19 years, they will miss Olajuwon. Even if the Dream Shake isn't much more than a Slurpy these days, he'll provide quality play in the East that few players can match. If you don't believe it, just as the Knicks how much they missed Ewing.
Actually, I don't think that the Knicks missed Ewing that much...he was turning into a cancer on their squad. How much did he help Seattle? Plus, don't believe the New York media hype about the Knicks -- they don't have that much talent on the team. They survive on defense. I agree with a lot of what you say about Hakeem, but take a serious look at what he brings the Rockets right now. He is not going to make the Rockets into a contender to reach the finals. Not unless we move the whole team into the East. He will do that for the Raptors though. That being said, isn't it a shame that Hakeem waited so long to decide and basically did nothing to help the Rockets out? He could have told the Rockets his desires up front in June, gave them a list of teams, and tried to help them get the most for him. I guarantee that with a chance at that kind of leverage, CD could have gotten us at least Keon Clark or someone similar instead of draft picks and a trade exception. I don't begrudge Dream leaving, I just don't understand why he had to a)Sign with Fegan and b) leave the Rockets bent over a barrel. Edited below Doh! I didn't realize that the whole damn article was cut and pasted. Nothing like arguing an issue with some sports commentator.
I agree that it was pretty bad on Olajuwon's part to keep us hanging on when he knew all along he wasn't coming back. The day that the Rockets gave that ridiculous contract to Cato is probably the first time that Hakeem thought of leaving. I'll never forget it--I was reading the Chronicle before the '99-00 season and Cato had 13 blocked shots in a preseason game. Then, the very next day, I read that the Rockets signed him to that exorbitant contract. I thought to myself, "If he was that good, then why did Portland trade him?" The bad thing is that f***er Fegan will keep bringing up how much money Cato makes. He'll say, "If you really want Moochie and Shandon, then pay them $6 million each per year. You did it for Cato." Whether it was Rudy, CD, or even Alexander, whoever pulled the trigger on the Cato "extension" really f*** up. It's just a shame that a team that was on the verge of really big things could have everything torn down because of one incredibly asinine move! Oh well, enough about the human underachiever. I don't blame the Rockets for not wanting to pay Olajuwon an exorbitant amount of money. Has he proven that he can stay healthy for an entire season, lately? The answer to that is of course a resounding NO! I just wish 2 things: 1) That he was our only free agent that we had to worry about resigning, and 2) that the a** of an agent of his wasn't representing Shandon and Moochie as well. All agents want to do is screw teams. A perfect example is to look at my namesake, Manny Ramirez. Jeff Moorad had the Indians believing that they still had Manny. As a matter of fact, I think ESPN even reported that he was close to re-signing. Then he signs with Boston (which was good for me, since I'm a Red Sox fan), leaving the Indians speechless. I remember watching the negotiations on ESPN and you could just sense how much Moorad revelled in keeping both Cleveland and Boston on the edge of their seats. (I thought Duquette was going to pull all of his hair out!) It's a power kick for these bozos, who have nothing else in life to feel good about except for screwing people's lives. Do you really think that Manny Ramirez cared where he was playing? He knew he was going to get big money, so why does it matter if it was with Boston or Cleveland or anybody else?
I'd stop short to say Rudy T and Les Alexander are stupid. I don't want use low, foul language to stress a point. Gee whiz, but they're really close. They don't know how to value what they have. Yes, Hakeem is older, but he sure is still worth more than M. Taylor or S. Anderson. He is still worth the risk, the risk to pay him $10M a year and risk not signing Taylor and Anderson. Yes, we can keep Francis and Mobley, but lose Olajuwon? Too late. But the way Rudy Tomjanovich used Olajuwon last season, made Hakeem feel he was not a starter. Rudy T just used words to say he valued Olajuwon's game, but continually gave him less time to play. I guess Hakeem was not the type to approach Rudy T and tell him he was doing things wrong. Too bad... I thought trading for E. Griffin would auger well for the Rockets' future. Now, with Olajuwon signing with Toronto, the future ain't so clear. I don't know if Marc Jackson or Jelani McCoy are good enough. K. Cato ought to start working out. He should prove that he's worth the money the Rockets' are paying him.
What team have you been watching for the past two years, we paid Dream $31 million and did NOT make the playoffs, the only fade we will do is into the lottery for a potential better draft selection. Put the crack pipe down, we might have reached the playoffs this year with Dream, I don't think that changes. No more catering to Dreams ego for the ball and him missing games. No doubt Dream is the greatest center I have seen. He has beat Jabbar and Shaq in the playoffs. However, the time is now, not later. Rest assured the higher cost of living and taxes will catch up with Dream in Toronto. In addition to maintaining two households is not an easy job.
