I need to address 2 specific talking points about HAKEEM OLAJUWON...

Brozay

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I understand the point OP has desperately tried to make but historically, in the modern day NBA, who are you taking above Hakeem at the C position? I'll give you Shaq but who else? Hakeem is a top 10 player all time point, blank period.
Who do you put him over below?

MJ
Wilt
Kareem
Russell
Shaq
Bron
Magic
Duncan
Kobe
Bird
 

Archangel

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Who do you put him over below?

MJ
Wilt
Kareem
Russell
Shaq
Bron
Magic
Duncan
Kobe
Bird

My top 10 in order is:
MJ
Magic
Bird
Duncan
Kobe
Shaq
LBJ
Hakeem
Kareem
Wilt

Duncan is a PF to me. Even though Kareem has more rings and has the better career, I'd still take Hakeem over him.
Only person on your list that I don't agree with is Russell. Everyone else is cool though
 
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Kareem and Shaq at least.

Also, there are alot of coli posters that believe Hakeem >>> Duncan. Duncan is not respected enough on this site.

:aicmon:

how is that being disrespectful? you act like olajuwon was tom gugliotta or sumthin. dude was one of the goats.

which of these points are you prepared to refute?

that olajuwon...

- was better offensively?
- was better defensively, or at worst just as good?
- was just as much of a leader?
- went toe to toe with (and beat) a higher caliber of big men throughout his career?


also keep in mind that duncan walked onto a team that already had david robinson on it, and the team they beat in the finals didn't even have their best player for the series.

olajuwon made it to the finals his 2nd year (when paired with sampson) but lost to the celtics, one of the best teams of all time.
 
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big bun

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  • "In his prime, hakeem...."

    lets talk about Hakeem's prime. I'll call his prime 87-97. That should HELP him because it negates his biggest fall off seasons and his earliest as he honed his game. This man:
    • Was not elected to the all star game in 91 to kevin duckworth
    • Lost in the 1st round 4 years in a row [i'll discuss the health of those teams shortly]
    • was basically .500 until he got don cheney fired, and...
    • missed the playoffs in 92 [the afformentioned blazers with duckworth went to the finals btw]
    • won 1 mvp
    • was a perennial defensive 1st teamer and 2x DPOY [definitely deserved]

      these are not world beater accolades. these are not wilt chaimberlain, shaq, baylor status achievements.
  • Hakeem had no help

    sounds good. But lets look at his actual team.
    • The 91 rockets had 3 players that averaged 17ppg [maxwell, thorpe, kenny smith, hakeem] AND a 6th man who averaged 12. And they all were subservient to hakeem's game. They get swept in the 1st rd.
    • 93 rockets have the same team virtually and add horry, lose to seattle who would lose to phoenix
    • the 94 rockets have the same crew, and are still taken to 7 games twice including in the finals to the knicks....the knicks.
    • 95 rockets, a borderline .500 team until they get glide. In the playoffs they go 5, 7, 6 games before facing the 'in over their head' magic. Nobody remembers that, and just waxes poetic about the dream shake.
    • The 96-97 rockets had 3 hall of famers; 33, 33, and 34 years old respectively [this is the same age bracket as the 08-10 celtics, btw]. Barkley averaged 19-13-4 that year. Clyde averaged 18-6-4. Dream 23-9-2blk. Taken to the distance by seattle, and got that work by a jazz team with way less depth, led by a malone and stockton just as old. So, don't talk to me about him being some martyr. He had support.
I fully expect to get gifs and YT videos of hakeem shakin fools; and understandably, he was a phenomenal talent on both ends, but this love affair with hakeem as a top 5 player all time is just ridiculous. He is outstanding but barkley, malone, the sonics, the spurs, used to not just give him a challenge, they beat him...then they'd go and get worked by eastern conference champs...

I think it was Shaq that said Hakeem was the best player he ever faced...from that point on everybody started that Dream is a top-5 player ever talk. Just like whoever it was that said 3 Stacks is a top-5 of all -time and Jigs saying UGK was his favorite group ever.
 

filial_piety

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All true by the OP. Akeem is not the greatest as some proclaim...he's mostly romanticized for the back to back championships...people rarely think of any other years that he played though.
 

Goatpoacher

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:aicmon:

how is that being disrespectful? you act like olajuwon was tom gugliotta or sumthin. dude was one of the goats.

which of these points are you prepared to refute?

that olajuwon...

- was better offensively?
- was better defensively, or at worst just as good?
- was just as much of a leader?
- went toe to toe with (and beat) a higher caliber of big men throughout his career?


also keep in mind that duncan walked onto a team that already had david robinson on it, and the team they beat in the finals didn't even have their best player for the series.

olajuwon made it to the finals his 2nd year (when paired with sampson) but lost to the celtics, one of the best teams of all time.

"not being respected enough" does not equate to "disrespected"
 

GoFlipAPack

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Michael PLAYED in 1995 and the Rockets won, so the point is moot. Jordan stans and media types have essentially just acted like Jordan didn't play that year or that it didn't count or some shyt.
He was out of the league for a year and a half. Stop the nonsense
 

GoFlipAPack

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no one with common sense would ever say a player is in his prime in his 3rd season. I'm using common sense here. but this is your thread so carry on
Common sense on the coli breh? Fuk we look like making sense around here?:childplease::rudy:
 
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