just for the purposes of clarification, I'm not asking which one, rudy or dream, you think has the most loyalty to houston. I think that's obvious. I am asking which one, rudy or dream, do you feel more personal loyalty or allegiance to [understanding, of course, that all of this is relative and assuming that none of us would take a bullet or a kermit washington punch for either of them]. ------------------ houston rockets = 2 utah jazz = 0
This is a little silly. Hakeem is a freaking professional athlete. These guys have a small window of prominence, and have to get all they can (monetarily or otherwise) during that period. Rudy can probably sit and coach til he's 80 if he wants to. This is Hakeem's job. Let him do his job while he still can, and don't hold him up to some imaginary standard you're not going to hold other athletes to. CD was the first choice for coach by the Rockets because he was the lead assistant. Rudy was behind CD, so why would they take him over CD? As far as the Rockets not going after Webber, you simply do not know that. It's just as likely that they went all out for Webber and he turned his nose up at them, so they then focused their efforts on their own free agents. Why do you think Rudy is so loyal to Hakeem (at least on the surface it appears that way)? It's because he freaking knows that he owes everything he's got to the man. Rudy simply does not have this security and lifestyle without Hakeem, period. "But if Mario Elie hadn't have hit that three"...that's not even worth commenting on. What side will you be on if Rudy is in his mid-70s, the Rockets are going to the lottery every year, and Rudy is simply unable to relate to his younger players? Are you going to be begging for the Rockets to give Rudy his walking papers, or are you going to be "loyal" and stand by Rudy, letting him go out on his own terms because of all he's done for the fans and the city? I know which side I'll be on, how bout everyone else? ------------------ "I guess that's YOUR theory"
Olajuwon played in the 4th quarter the last half of last year. The reason he didn't before was because he had been hurt for a year and a half and never looked for his shot. He was always hesitating. He finally started to play like himself for the last 30 games last year. IF he plays like that, there is no way Rudy would sit him out in the 4th. As long as Olajuwon plays instead of whines, playing time won't be a problem. ------------------
But Hakeem was playing brilliant ball (his best in the season at that point) when the Rockets were playing Seattle, yet it took Kenny fouling out before Rudy put him back in. If not for Kenny fouling out, he would not have been able to contribute those key blocks and steals that gave the Rockets the win. ------------------ Protrolls.com! Keep the ???? alive! The ZRBucks!
If you ask me it's about family. Hakeem is a part of this family. And right now, the family doesn't have a lot of money to spread around. The family isn't being cheap. The family just doesn't have the money to give him. So if you ask me hakeem should take one for the family. Times are tough. I'm glad that Dream has a lot of pride and demands respect, that's wonderful, but there are times when you must give up something you value to help the family. Hakeem is making the classic mistake if he leaves for money. He's letting his pride get the best of him. ------------------ humble, but hungry.
For those who claim that Hakeem just wants to be competitive...put yourselves in his place. If being competitive - i.e. winning a title was your goal, what would have done to maximize your chances? Option 1 - join LA and ride Shaq's jock to a title. Not going to happen -- Hakeem still wants to play. Option 2 - tell Rudy up front that you're going to sign for an exception, and that you expect him to go get the best power forward and the other pieces necessary to build a championship team. Is option 2 really that unreasonable? Steve is in his 3 year, Cat is in his 4th -- we have Colson and Moochie as very capable backups, a pair of good, if young defensive 3s, not to mention some good veteran zone-busters. In my mind, Hakeem had his chance to continue to play at center on a very good team. However, his actions have done the exact opposite - he made pursuing any and all free agents, including signing our own very difficult. Why would he do this? Is it for financial security? I doubt it. Is it just business? I'd like to think that by this point Dream could afford to let himself play on a good team where he is loved. Everything points to Dream wanting a guaranteed contract for as long as possible. I think that he is afraid of retirement. Anyway, my point is that since Dream has no loyalty to us, we owe no undue loyalty to him. My vote goes to Rudy, who I know will be there for us. ------------------ It seems my aim was a little bit off...
TheFreak, You are pitting Rudy against Hakeem. It is at least 4 players commitment to Rudy vs Hakeem that Rudy must be looking at. By choosing Rudy, I am choosing 4 player's expressed loyalty to the team (thus Rudy) over Hakeem. Why you are asking what the Celtics would do when Red Auerbach turns 70 when everyone knows he road Bill Russell's coattails is for you to take up with BobFinn*. That is a non argument to this team, this day. Rudy and CD have to commit to more players than just Hakeem. Should Francis sacrifice by being a Kenny Smith for Hakeem, like the Dream must want. NO!!!!
I'm doing that? Am I the one that started this thread? I would be as loyal to Rudy as I am to Hakeem given the same situation. I'm merely reacting to the nonsense others are posting. ------------------ "I guess that's YOUR theory" [This message has been edited by TheFreak (edited July 20, 2001).]
I am certain that I would feel the same way if the situation were that Rudy was in his 70s and the team was going to the lottery every year. some things are just more important or are bigger than putting the winningest team on the court every year. I think this loyalty issue is one of them. for one thing, I don't believe that rudy will have to be shown the door. I think he will recognize when his skills have slipped, and I think he'll leave before it gets to the point where it has with dream. but that's just my speculation. but supposing rudy did stay into his 70s. . . all the more reason to be loyal to him. my whole thing is that loyalty should count for something. to suggest that these are only sports teams and hakeem's just an athlete is a little too simpleminded for me. for a lot of the people who post to this bulletin board, hakeem and rudy are not just 2 more shmucks from off the street. together, they've given something to the city that comes along almost never [just ask cubs fans]. even moreso, they gave us our first championship. I'm a cowboys fan [I can only guess how popular that will make me], and from following them, I've learned that championships can become somewhat devalued. but individual personalities do not become devalued, or at least they don't have to. with rudy and dream, we've had the pleasure of watching 2 amazing people represent the city of houston. if they don't BOTH finish their careers in houston, then for me that will be a real loss and not something silly. it would be silly if an athlete or coach having a special relationship with their city happened all the time, and we still made a big deal of it. but it doesn't. it happens rarely, and it's looking more and more [at least in the case of hakeem] as though it won't be happening any less rarely. ------------------ houston rockets = 2 utah jazz = 0
if it's nonsense, then why are you responding to it? it seems like nonsense to me that someone would come and participate in a rockets fan BBS and would then act surprised or irritated that people tended to take certain things about the rockets fairly seriously. that seems pretty nonsensical to me. if you don't agree, that's fine. no big deal. but you shouldn't need to trash other posts over it. it's no more nonsensical to talk about this than it it is nonsensical to have a web forum devoted to the houston rocket in the first place. furthermore, I am not pitting rudy against hakeem in any real way, if that's what you're implying. this is not a "who has the biggest penis?" contest. I am just interested in seeing which individual the users of this forum would give their loyalty to, IF we all had to. that IF is important, so please don't miss it. hopefully, none of us will have to be put in that position. I, for one, am hoping that rudy will be the coach of the rockets who takes hakeem out at the end of the 4th quarter of dream's last game so he can get his HUGE ovation. and I hope rudy is the coach of the rockets the night they retire his 34 to the rafters of the new arena and unveil the statue out front of his move against d-robinson. I'm not pitting anyone against anyone. stop trying to pick fights. ------------------ houston rockets = 2 utah jazz = 0
