"The Rockets were loyal to Hakeem but he wasn't loyal to them"....HUH?

Oh lordy.

Honey, if you keep up at this pace you won't have anything left for the season.

Let it go, you great big Drama Queen you.

 

This is getting old fast. You know what? If the Hakeem fans (the ones who are ticked off) truly feel that the Rockets organization and Rockets fans truly didn't care about Hakeem like TheFreak is saying, then you should be happy that he is in Toronto where "he is appreciated". Either way, I hope you guys get it out of your systems, because it is going to get tiring listening to this all season long.

 

Yeah, don't shoot your wad Freak!

I think your points are well put, and I will not argue the validity. But honestly, we don't know what went on behind closed doors with the Rockets and Hakeem and that pile of Rhinocerus feces Dan Fegan.

All we hear is the "mutual respect" story and skirting of the real issues and questions.

 

<B>How did Houston "appreciate" Hakeem?</B>

It promoted him so positively and all of his actions in such a favorable light that he now has fans like you who cannot accept that people might actually criticize him.

 

Enough already


Time to move on.

 

Geez... Drama queen is right. Calm down, Freak. I'm actually already getting over it.

 

This is beginning to remind me of a broken record broken record
broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record broken record.

Or a Fatboy Slim song, although I do like his stuff.

 

"The Rockets were loyal to The Freak, but The Freak wasn't loyal to the Rockets."....HUH?



I personally appreciated Hakeem by waiting in 105-degree-heat in downtown Houston for 2 hours while he went to mosque (because he forgot to tell everyone) during the first victory parade. But, that's just me.

 

How about 16 million per year for the last 5 years. How about adoration? How about kids out there who wanted to be like Dream? How shortsided is that quote.

He gets that treatment, Freaky, not because we thought it was his final year but the way Hakeem behaved the last year of his "contract". How about just playing out your 16.5, doing whats best for the team, and if you unhappy, go somewhere else but shut the **ck up in the mean time.

Everyone with any sense knows that Houston is not a good sports city. And by the way, did you go to every game last year or travel to everygame last year? You could of helped the attendance some by bringing yourself and fellow Freakazoids to the party.

From where, Freaky? How about a list of cities who made offers to Dream that would of payed him more than the 16.5 mil?

They entertained offers just like good ole Dream did afterwards. They changed their mind. Lets see. If you point a gun to yourself, Freak(and don't do us any favors) and then change your mind, should you be punished just for thinking about doing something like that?

No, Freaky. How did Barkley react when he was shopped around? I don't remember.

And Barkley didn't put the city of Phoenix on the map with that showdown against Jordan that pulled some of the highest ratings in basketball history? The "what have you done for me lately" fans? You like Janet Jackson, huh? Well, Ms. Janet, isn't Hakeem acting in that same light? I just pointed out to you all that the city did for him and what he did for the city. Hell, just offering him a contract and then increasing the offer well beyond what he is currently worth is at least a liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitle something lately, don't you tink, Freaky?
Oh, yea. SELECTIVE MEMORY.

 

<b>And by the way, did you go to every game last year or travel to everygame last year? You could of helped the attendance some by bringing yourself and fellow Freakazoids to the party.</b>

That, by the way, is my single biggest pet peeve about people who complain over attendance or how loud the crowd is or whatever. If you don't go, don't whine, especially if you don't even live in Houston!

It reminds me of Bono talking about how violent it is in America and he's from freakin' Ireland!

Passing judgement on "fans" is EASY especially when your "appreciation" comes in the form of watching games from 150 miles away.

 

"then what is the treatment Hakeem gets in his last year from the city? Did they come out in droves to pay tribute to the only reason they have anything to brag about in sports? On the contrary, they responded with the worst attendance in the entire league"

Excuse me! Hakeem was injured most of last season. Especially at the end when typically crowds would show up to see Hakeem play one last time. But if you know he's not playing what sense would that make?

 

Hakeem bashers have far more threads and posts than Hakeem supporters, and yet we are the ones who are told to get over it?

OK. I surrender. Hakeem bashers' fire power is too strong for me. Sorry, ZRB and Freak. Consider me KIA on this topic.

 

Freak is right on.

Rockets management never wanted Hakeem back. They put on this big spin job to make it seem like they did, but they lowballed him with a ghetto offer and even talked to his #$@#% David Robinson, reportedly offering him double what they offered Hakeem. They tried to trade him in 99, so there's no loyalty from the Rockets end of it obviously. I can't believe so many people here think Rudy T was "hurt" by all of this. He didn't want Hakeem back, period.

 

Well ive been reading all these Hakeem topics and I thought I would give my take on the situation

I personally love Dream for the two rings he brought this city and i remember exactly how i reacted in 94 when we won it all

However, my feeling on this situation is that dream left for money and in his opinion respect, if im the rockets i dont lock up a lot of money in him as in my opinion maurice taylor and a potential replacement like jackson or lafrentz gives us the ability to move forward in our youth movement anyway. Plus it was 3 million dollars, you cant tell me hakeem doesnt have enough money already. Also consider this dream supporters, if my memory serves me right dream came out this summer and said we should resign all our fa's, correct?? However, since the rockets are planning for the future and felt like mo was more important in that regard, on which i agree, and deserved more money, hakeem left. You say he had no place here, well i was talking to a few of my friends this summer and when i told them i thought going after chris webber over resigning dream was the way to go nearly all of them called me crazy. As for Hakeem deserving "gift money" for the past can you honestly tell yourselves that 16.5 mil for a center who could only play 25 min a game and usually only played half a season isnt more than enough already.

Now onto Barkley and Dream, 1st getting chuck was not a mistake without him we cant beat seattle-they were are arch nemesis at the time plus if his tricep doesnt get hurt in utah we play the bulls in the final. Secondly, Barkley took a one yr 1 million dollar deal so that we could absorb Scottie Pippens contract and that is why he got a 9 mil retirement contract. Although the move didnt work out, it still showed he was committed to winning. Now compare that to the Dream situation this year, he couldve realized hes a role player now and stayed for less money to ensure all our fas and possibly a future replacement at center would be resigned, yet he leaves, over what I ask ?? Three Million Dollars and a longshot at a title, sorry that is not loyalty to me.

Overall, im of the belief that while i love to see great players finish their careers where they achieved their fame it should be at a certain price and understanding that it is not their team anymore unless they are still producing all star caliber numbers at the time and in my honest opinion i think this is hakeems doing in part through his agent telling him all much money he deserved and the mistake to this point known as the "Kelvin Cato Contract."

 

Personally, I think that Dream left, almost soley, because he knew from the start that he would not like his role on this team next season. He wanted assurance from the Rockets that he would still be the focus of the offense, or at least as important as the other two. Rudy and CD, in their basketball wisdom, could not and would not give him that assurance. Who knows what Toronto told him, but it sounded like Vince Carter just fawned all over him. Toronto has been pursuing Dream for years now, so Hakeem probably thinks they have a very high opinion of his game, and will fully utilize his talents. Whether this is true or not is speculation.

But the first signs of this began last season. Dream didn't like how he was being used. He complained, asked to be traded or waived (<i>waived</i> for god's sake). When this didn't happen, poof, the situation was resolved somehow, and Dream starts playing much better. Maybe this was Rudy resolving the issue, but I doubt it. I think Dream realized he was stuck with the Rockets for the rest of the year, and was then playing for his contract from the other teams this offseason. It worked, he got suitors, and they expressed their undying love for him.

I don't blame Dream for any of this. It was all well within his rights. But to say that the Rocket's org. mistreated Dream or didn't have loyalty or respect for him is ridiculous. Whether this all ends storybook fashion with the Raptors appreciating Dream and running their offense through him will remain to be seen. But I have a feeling that, if it remains soley the Vince Carter show in Toronto, and Dream is relegated to role player status, just as he would have been here, then we will again hear some grumblings from him saying that you have to "play a big man game."

Time will tell.

 

<B>If that's all the city did for him, then I'm righter than even I originally thought. What did the city do that was so darn appreciative? Sounds to me like the bare minimum.
</b>

Interesting logic. Anything that Houston did, any other city would have done, so it doesn't count. Let's turn this around then -- what exactly has Hakeem done just for Houston? He played his hardest and won two titles? That seems like the bare mininum you'd expect from the best player in the league on the best team in the league. If you put him on Chicago or Phoenix or Portland or Seattle or Utah (in that era), he wins titles there too, most likely. So if you discount all the "expected" stuff (as you do when looking at it the other way), then all he did was exist and throw fits here and there. So, now, why would Houston owe him anything?

 

Nice name. Yea, your team will "really" be a dynasty playing in the pitiful east with a 43 year old center!! You'll be lucky if that old stiff plays half the season. As for the stuff about Rocket mgmt and Rudy T, something tells me that you're too clueless to argue with, so what's the point?? Besides, I'm tired of talking about this subject and so is EVERYONE ELSE!!!!!

 

Prove it.