Yep, its obvious someone has been doing their homework!!!! Finally , a sports writer who knows brilliance when he sees it. Guys like that don't come along to often. Thanks for posting that garcia.
Well, that was a very convincing article . . . the first section was a bit disappointing as it seemed to mention 2 week old events as being recent. This is the first time I've seen anyone in the media give Hakeem such respect. GO WALL STREET JOURNAL!! GO HAKEEM!! ------------------ All your base are belong to us
Is Hakeem Olajuwon the greatest basketball player of all time? Well, I will suggest this: Mr. Olajuwon, cloned five times, would beat five clones of anybody else. I love this line! What a great read. By the end of it, you almost forget that the guy started out with the complete wrong impression of where this team currently is, and is heading in this season. But all of his evaluation of Dream is dead on! ------------------ "Happiness is a journey, not a destination. Work like you don't need money, love like you've never been hurt, and dance like no one's watching."
Wow! great article! but one thing I don't understand is why do people always tend to compare Hakeem and Ewing. He's not even close to what Hakeem has accomplished in his career. Robinson, O'neal, and Mourning, IMHO, are ALL better centers than Ewing ever was. Hakeem tops em all of course.....good find lggarcia ------------------ Dream Rejects Every Attempt Made [This message has been edited by CompaqC (edited February 23, 2001).]
Robinson, Mourning, better than Patrick??? Don't think so. ------------------ When we tire of well-worn ways, we seek for new. This restless craving in the souls of men spurs them to climb, and to seek the mountain view. -- Ella Wheeler Wilcox
I really have a problem with the digs at the Rockets (as a team). Right now they put a great supporting cast around Hakeem with Shandon, Mo, Mobley, and Francis. If Hakeem were still such a great player then I don't think this team would have this record. If Hakeem played like this journalist says he can play now, then I believe the Rockets would be a top 5 seed team heading into the playoffs. ------------------ Visit www.StockSurge.net for your guide for investing and the Stock Market!
Well ok, i take back Mourning maybe. But Robinson IS better than Ewing. ------------------ Dream Rejects Every Attempt Made
Allen Barra is a frigging genius. As far as Dream goes this is right on. As far as our team "defining mediocrity" he is off, but I will cut him some slack for the good stuff he said about Olajuwon. In the words of Kurt Angle "It's true, it's true". ------------------ "Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen" -Hudson
Olajuwon will always get compared to Ewing. They entered the league a year apart and their careers followed roughly similar paths, until '94, when the Rockets defeated Ewing and the Knicks. Then the Rockets repeated and the Knicks never really challenged with Ewing as the centerpiece. BTW - I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but that is a hell of a way to make your first post on the BBS. ------------------ The Rockets will be the NBA champions. Believe. [This message has been edited by Puedlfor (edited February 23, 2001).]
Puedflor: In my mind, the comparison is silly. Lots of players enter the league around the same time at the same position. The real reason that the two have always been compared is because Ewing is played for New York. New York can't stand to not be the best; the fact that they had a great center meant in their minds that they had the best. Despite pretty clear statistics, most New Yorkers believed Ewing was the best until Hakeem beat him. Since they couldn't deny Hakeem's greatness, they tried to turn it into a "great rivalry" in which you can't really pick one great player over another. What a load of crap. Hakeem was far better. Ewing was a superstar, but Hakeem dominated the entire league. When he walked on any given court, you knew he could win the game without any help no matter who was on the other team. I don't think you can say that about Ewing. ------------------ Why is it that everytime BC defeats a major conference opponent, that opponent promptly goes on a losing streak? PS. Notre Dame sucks
I never said the comparison was valid, just that because of several similarities they would always be compared. ------------------ The Rockets will be the NBA champions. Believe.
From today's Wall Street Journal -----February 23, 2001 Sports Olajuwon, Front and Center By ALLEN BARRA Special to THE WALL STREET JOURNAL As the Houston Rockets stumble toward a .500 record and a likely nonplayoff season, a great waste is occurring. Hakeem Olajuwon, one of the four or five greatest basketball players of the past quarter century and one of the 10 best ever to play the game, may be playing out his illustrious career on a team that defines "mediocrity." After playing for the University of Houston and spending his entire career with the Rockets, Mr. Olajuwon, unhappy with the franchise's decisions and the way he is being used, finally has asked to be traded. If salary-cap considerations keep any contenders from making a deal for him, the NBA and its fans will be the poorer, because he has enough left to help some team get over the top. Much ink was devoted last year to Patrick Ewing's departure from the New York Knicks to the Seattle SuperSonics; how much will be accorded to a trade of Mr. Olajuwon from Houston to anywhere? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Olajuwon and the Great Centers Statistics show Hakeem Olajuwon wasn't only a better offensive player than Patrick Ewing or Moses Malone but a better defensive player as well. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is slightly ahead on offense, but Mr. Olajuwon has a substantial edge on defense. Where's Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain? We can't make the case -- stats for steals and blocked shots weren't kept back then. Olajuwon Ewing Malone Abdul-Jabbar Games 1,119 1,039 1,329 1,560 Field Goal PCT .513 .508 .491 .559 Rebounds* 11.6 10.4 12.2 11.2 Assists* 2.6 2.0 1.4 3.6 Steals* 1.8 1.0 0.8 0.7 Blocks* 3.26 2.65 1.30 2.04 Points* 23.1 22.8 20.6 24.6 * Per Game (Numbers for Messrs. Olajuwon and Ewing don't include this season) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- True basketball fans know that Hakeem Olajuwon -- his name is pronounced "a-KEEM," but he added the "H" in 1991 -- is one of the greatest players ever. But for the sports media, full recognition has taken a little longer. Only seven years ago, after winning the NBA championship and preparing to win a second, Mr. Olajuwon was the subject of an ESPN editorial by Dick Schaap, who called him "the new standard for centers." Which was fine except that Mr. Olajuwon wasn't "new" at that point -- having just turned 32, he had been setting the standard for centers for nearly 10 seasons. (By the time he won his first championship ring, he already had been on nine All-Star teams.) The Greatest? When you add up all of the contributions Mr. Olajuwon has made on the court, it is possible to make the case that he is the greatest player of the past 25 years, Michael Jordan not excepted, and hence the greatest player ever. With a switch of supporting casts, Mr. Olajuwon's team probably would have won about the same number of games, and probably the same number of championships as Mr. Jordan's. How would Mr. Olajuwon have fared if he had the assistance of another Hall of Fame superstar in his prime for several consecutive seasons, as Mr. Jordan did in Scottie Pippen? (He didn't get to play alongside Clyde Drexler until Mr. Drexler was 33, and Charles Barkley was nearly 34.) It can certainly be argued that no player in the last two decades was so much of a one-man force. In fact, the term "one-on-one" is particularly applicable to Hakeem. In head-to-head postseason competition with the other great centers of his time, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing and Shaquille O'Neal, the Rockets prevailed largely because Mr. Olajuwon dominated the opposing center. Postseason Performer As an all-around, postseason clutch performer, he is without parallel. For instance, Mr. Olajuwon has played 140 postseason games to 135 for Mr. Ewing. But look at the difference: Mr. Olajuwon has averaged a .528 field-goal percentage to .471 for Mr. Ewing, 26.6 points a game to Mr. Ewing's 20.6, has blocked 468 shots to Mr. Ewing's 299, has stolen 238 balls to Mr. Ewing's 121 and tallied an amazing 456 assists to Mr. Ewing's 271. If there is something the numbers alone don't tell, it is how well Mr. Olajuwon has played "outside" ball for a center -- much more so than any other big man in his generation. No other center was so effective at the perimeter, out and away from the basket where most centers stay as if their size 16s were nailed to the floor (which explains why he has a slightly lower shooting percentage than many other centers: He stretched defenses by shooting from farther out, shots normally taken by guards or forwards). Is Hakeem Olajuwon the greatest basketball player of all time? Well, I will suggest this: Mr. Olajuwon, cloned five times, would beat five clones of anybody else. -- Special research for this article by Josh Trupin. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Another Look A couple of weeks ago, we introduced you to the Hoops Grading System, a stat similar to our Max Points, but better. For our comparison, let's go a step further: The Defensive Hoops Grading System*, which reflects defensive stats (defensive rebounds, blocks and steals.) Here is Hakeem Olajuwon compared to the other three great players of his era: PLAYER HGS Michael Jordan 34.21 Magic Johnson 34.12 Hakeem Olajuwon 33.55 Larry Bird 30.52 PLAYER DHGS Hakeem Olajuwon 13.60 Larry Bird 8.67 Michael Jordan 7.50 Magic Johnson 6.82 *The formula: 1.4 pts for field goals made, -0.6 for field goals missed, 1.0 for free throws made, 0.85 for offensive rebounds, 0.5 for defensive rebounds, 1.0 for assists, 1.4 for blocks, 1.0 for steals, -0.8 for turnovers, add all stats, divide by minutes played, multiply by 48. ------------------
While I don't like the digs at the Rockets, this is an excellent article. A veritable paragon if what sports writing should be. ------------------ The Rockets will be the NBA champions. Believe.
