I agree with those of you who say Hakeem Olajuwon has deteriorated to the point where he should be eased off the roster. None of us should be afraid to say so. But it is simultaneously true that no other player has done as much for the Houston Rockets. We mustn't let an honest appraisal of his current condition cloud our memory of his greatness. He is the greatest Rocket ever. And he is one of the greatest players in NBA history. It infuriates me to see a guy like Mario Elie -- much as I respect him -- continue to win and strut while Olajuwon disintegrates. Olajuwon MADE every other Rockets player a champion. He drew the triple teams. He bailed out his teammates with unstoppable post moves at the 24-second buzzer. He handed an assist to every idiot who passed him the ball. He handed 3 points to whatever lucky b*stard the other team was forced to leave open when they sent a defender to double Dream. Men like Olajuwon are the lions who slay the beasts of the NBA. Men like Elie are the vultures who clean the carcasses, living off the work of lions. Elie made the smart decision for a vulture. When his lion could no longer feed him, he went to San Antonio to perch on the shoulder of another lion. No matter how many rings Elie wins, and no matter how many single-digit scores Olajuwon puts up in his final days, Olajuwon will never be less than a lion, and Elie will never be more than a vulture.
At least we didn't take Sam Bowie... ------------------ "There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and STATISTICS..." - Mark Twain -
wow. while i agree with the gist of the post, that was a little harsh. I still don't get the animosity a lot of rockets fans have toward Elie. Yes, his stay in Houston ended badly, but the bottom line is that guy was a baller and the Rockets wouldn't have won a title without him.
Once again Will shows us who the master of eloquence is. Great post. The analogy is perfect. ------------------ Proud Father of the Rockets' future point guard.
Listen guys I know Olajuwon ain't goin to well at tha moment but I think when he gets over this virus and gets back to playing he might be able to do the stuff he did aginst Sacromento a couple of months ago. Remember the 30 points in the first half!!!!! He's just getting old it happens to everyone. If the Rockets trade him before his contract expires then I will be disappointed, he has stayed here his whole career through good and bad and we just trade him like that!!! Like it means nothing. If it was up to me then you would be talking about Hakeem deteriorating for another year!
to the guy who claims to be a "ROCKET FREAK": are you out of your damn mind?!? hakeem is THE man. when he was the best player around 94-95, he played just as high a level as mike ever played. i admire mj and give him his props but we have to draw the line somewhere. hakeem IS houston and there ain't no way i am letting some bulls fan tell me that crap. so what if he can't perform like he did a few years ago, without him, the city of houston would be nowhere near be as popular then as it is today. i am not saying when hakeem loses his virus, he will be the chamionship-level hakeem like he once was night-in and night-out, but watch out, DREAMs are unpredictable [This message has been edited by haris_34 (edited March 05, 2000).]
