Hakeem/Drexler/Jordan would've been a dynasty for the ages. Hell, you and I could've been the other two starters and we still would've won multiple championships
I'm sure you're aware, but what's even more horrific is that Hakeem could have been traded back in 92 to the Heat. I think the Heat felt we wanted too much for Hakeem so the talks eventually died. I forget who we wanted. Rice, Smith, and... Maybe someone else remembers and can answer this. Anyway, looking back at it now it's scary just thinking about that possibility and the ramifications for this franchise if he had been traded back then. It would be like living in an alternate reality.
Watch the Sam Bowie 30 for 30, he was actually really good in college, he had an injury in college that he didn't take care of properly. Back in the day, unless you can't walk, you play. He still did alright in the NBA and isn't broke like much of today's NBA fools.
not having a go at him for being drafted were he was but its the worst draft pick of all time when you factor the guy taken after him
If I recall, there was also talk in 92 of trading Hakeem to the clippers for a package including Danny Manning. What a disaster that would have been.
It was a huge deal here and back then. Jordan did it to get people to come watch the Wizards. Barkley and Drexler were chasing rings, as was Ewing. Dream is a Houston legend and people assumed he'd stay because he already had rings. It is more common now though..
Did he get trade from the Raptors to SuperSonics (or Portland) then retire? It was sad to see him play toward the end.
not sure if i would've taken the raptors '99 trade offer. i know i wanted it at the time, but would we have been able to build a better team than yao/tmac? our 99 team needed a real PG, i bet we would've drafted miller at #5. this would've been before francis demanded a trade. we might've picked posey at #12 since we liked him and traded for him a couple years later. then the francis trade happens later in the off-season... could've had a lineup of: cato-willis kenny thomas walt williams-posey christie-cat steve-miller not bad. sign mo taylor the next off season and you have a solid 10 man rotation. maybe even make the playoffs. would it really have gotten us closer to a championship? the extra talent would have made it impossible to draft yao. without yao tmac doesn't choose us to force a S&T... seems like we had to such for a while in order to build a real contender. with this much 'decent' talent on the team plus steve, we would've been a first round bust for years to come.
Found this AP article about the trade. This part was interesting: ''This has really torn him apart,'' a source who had spoken with Olajuwon told the Houston Chronicle. ''Honestly, he did not want to leave until (Tuesday or Wednesday). He has something to prove. Everybody believed he was done. But he is not done.'' Based on his production during his season in Toronto, looks like he was in fact done. He shouldn't have left us. It was his doing.
