Hah, I forgot I lost that bet to Hey Partner and had to change my name to BahDakota for a time. Good times ! DD
From what I remember it was his knees that were giving him problems, but same point. As much as I loved dream you can't keep paying someone for what they did in the past and hope to move forward. Unlike the Randy Johnson and Steve Nash comparisons that someone made, Dream did virtually nothing on the court in Toronto to make anyone wish we had kept him around.
Dream had too many injuries and lost a step. All those moves he showed Yao, he didn't do half of them in Toronto.
that was a memory I try not to relive!!..whatever he was aksing the Rtockets should hav paid him for what he did for the city...2 freakin championships is worth a couple of extra million....he deserved it....instead we gave money away to players like Brent Price and Matt Maloney....wouldn't it have been better to give those millions to a guy who did so much for the team adn the city? the rockets org. does not have a very good track record of being loyal....or even fair..... rudy, hakeem, jvg.....
The organization and city wanted/expected/hoped for a retirement. He had become a shadow of his former self, despite a brief mini-surge that Jan/Feb. Olajuwon has always been proud and still saw the Rockets as being his team rather than a team moving on as he faded. He wanted to be a starter and be paid well. He became thoroughly miffed and put off when the Rockets didn't put a high offer on the table, and shopped around. The Rockets matched each offer, but Dream stated that he left because the Rockets weren't trying to take care of him. Both sides were a little right. Olajuwon didn't last long into his multi-year deal. He was a little too prideful. We all try to forget that it happened. I think he looked back and doesn't hold anything against the Rockets. Evan
I remember JF also saying that Hakeem didn't want to sign with the Rockets b/c he felt they were only offering him a contract out of a sense of obligation rather than feeling he had more left to give. He didn't want that. I got to watch Dream play his last game in Houston from courtside. Great memories!! I think he dropped 26 or so on Minnesota, and I remember us chanting "We want Dream!" over and over again until Rudy put him in with a couple of minutes left.
The Rockets low-balled him. For some reason I thought it was only like a 1-year offer. I thought 2 million was their first offer. He seemed to be insulted by the initial offer and that was one of the reasons that was given for him leaving. I was for letting him retire a Rocket and giving him what he wanted. IMO no amount of money will ever properly repay guys like that. The other side at the time didn't want to give up the money that had been ear-marked for Moochie, Taylor, and Bullard. It's not like we would've been close to a championship either way.
IMHO, you've got it wrong. It was not Bullard but Shandon Anderson. That's why 8 days after the Olajuwon trade, Anderson was SnT'd to the Knicks for Glen Rice. Secondly, the scales for under paying Olajuwon during the Championships were easily balanced. During his last Rockets' season, Olajuwons final season paid him over $16m. Given the raises were 12.5%, they were paying him that type of $ for many years where he was physically not able to play but 60% of the games. Lastly, please provide a link on the $2m initial offer you've quoted. I followed this pretty closely and don't recall ever seeing a figure that low reported anywhere.
No way you guys can pin this on the organization. I remember this like it was yesterday. The rockets offered him something around 11 mill and toronto offered him 13 mill. I don't remember contract time being a part of it, I think both offered 2 year deals. He seemingly left the Rockets just to spite them, does he really need that 2 million more? I thought he shouldve stayed, but thats just my opinion.
I think a more important question, and one that the large majority will not know (including me) the answer to is: what happened to turbo? I remember meeting him one time when he was performing at some event (yes, it ruled.)... and then he just kinda faded. anyone wanna tell me? (not that im complaining about clutch- hes the best mascot ever. he even provided the funniest moment for me in clutchfans (indirectly) when someone was like 'wtf man, clutch is a bear, not a man' in the "whatever happened to clutch thread" or something a few months back) i may be wrong, i may be the only one who doesnt know what happened to him...
1984-85 $780,000 1985-86 $882,500 1986-87 * $1,167,583 1987-88 $1,452,666 1988-89 $1,677,666 1989-90 * $2,426,333 1990-91 $3,175,000 1991-92 $3,170,000 1992-93 $3,170,000 1993-94 $3,170,000 1994-95 $3,169,900 1995-96 $5,305,000 1996-97 $9,655,000 1997-98 $11,156,000 1998-99 $12,943,000 1999-00 $14,302,001 2000-01 $16,700,000 2001-02 $5,061,539
that wasn't the reason. Money was not the reason. Don't insult Hakeem by saying money was the reason. They wanted him to retire a Rocket and give him one last year of parades where every away team could honor him as well. Hakeem is strickly against stuff like that when you put it in those terms. He was insulted. That is on Les. Problem was, Hakeem was so insulted he insulted Rudy...of course, this was all on Les, too. After Hakeem figured out Les just wanted him to retire a Rocket for one last year of harahs to be a living bobblehead...Hakeem put that all to and end...and that is why Toyota Center has that stupid pedestal with no statue on it. because Les is just a bizness man and pissed off Hakeem. Les has no clue how to be classy.
YOU MUST ALWAYS GIVE THE DREAM HIS CHANGE. Rockets are wrong for running off Dream and Rudy, trying to trade Super Mario, and not giving Calvin his job back. That is what separates them from a classy organization like the SAN ANTONIO SPURS and is why they will never win another championship.
and now, Patrick Ewing 1985-86 $1,250,000 1986-87 * $2,000,000 1987-88 $2,750,000 1988-89 $3,250,000 1989-90 * $3,750,000 1990-91 $4,250,000 1991-92 $3,139,000 1992-93 $3,300,000 1993-94 $3,825,000 1994-95 $4,486,700 1995-96 $18,724,000 1996-97 $3,000,000 1997-98 $20,500,000 1998-99 $18,500,000 1999-00 $15,000,000 2000-01 $14,000,000 2001-02 $2,118,420
Charles Barkley 1984-85 $307,000 1985-86 $437,500 1986-87 * $630,000 1987-88 $822,500 1988-89 $1,536,000 1989-90 * $2,218,000 1990-91 $2,900,000 1991-92 $3,200,000 1992-93 $2,420,000 1993-94 $3,250,000 1994-95 $4,030,000 1995-96 $4,760,000 1996-97 $4,695,000 1997-98 $2,250,000 1998-99 $1,000,000 1999-00 $9,000,000 Career (may be incomplete) $43,456,000 Makes one have all the more respect for him taking that big pay cut in '99. Also makes one think he should have fired his agent a some point.
