Hakeem olajuwon: Javale Mcgee is a "star"

I don't know about dominate, but he should be drastically improved. The question has never been about Javale's physical tools, but about his maturity.

McGee looked absolutely amazing at times last year. 100% amazing on some occasions and then there were quite a few that made him look like a D-Leaguer. If he could ever put it all together he could be great. George Karl was exactly what McGee needed and I really hope he puts it all together. He is very fun to watch when he's "on"

This sounds like something McGee's mom would force Olajuwon to say.

Man, let's be honest 96% of this board bashed him all year, please don't jump on his bandwagon NOW!

I along with maybe a handful others said he always had star potential, he just needed to get with the right coach, he went to Denver and I said he would def emerge because he was now in a winning enviroment and has the right coach, and he played really well in the playoffs and now Hakeem is vouching for him as well.

Mcgee is still only 24 yrs old. His athleticism is off the charts. But practicing moves with Olajuwon is a big difference then doing them in games.

fast and furious: "He never sucked man even in Washington, he's athletic as ish, just doesn't have a High IQ, could be really good now, since he has a good coach."

me: "Only god knows how Many negs i got for defending mcgee thru all of his "dumb plays" when i kept saying he needs a better coach and veterans while everyone making mcgee's IQ jokes. He's one of my favorite players and my top dunker."

I said he could become star in Denver. The guy really started to mature up and Goege Karl is the perfect coach for him.

@fastandfurious

I will be the first to admit I jumped on the band wagon when he was traded to Denver. Being on that young washington team without a good head coach wasn't going to do ANYTHING for McGee. I knew George Karl would be wonders for him thought he would be a star in Denver. I'm not sure if realizes McGee was now in a great situation to succeed qualifies for jumping on the band wagon or not.

It's true I bashed him for his intelligence. But his talent is UNDENIABLE! If he puts it all together he could be a top 10 big man in the league. If anything Denver is the right place for him and Mozgov to improve together

He would become a Celtic. I been a believer. 18 /9/2.5 is about right. He must rebound more consistently.

I swear it was only like a handful of people that said he could become a star, thanks for keeping that post.

If one of the top 5 centers of all time and a top 15 player overall of All-Time says it than I'll take his word for the time being, it seems a bit weird, but I can't wait to see Javale now, we've already seen a bit of a post game from him, but if he really has a nice post game, I see now reason he can't dominate. Did you guys see that game against the Lakers? He has a nice sweeping hook, seems like his go-to move. He scores almost everytime he spins off and goes baseline, he's so ahtletic that some more footwork, a couple nice moves and fakes, and his athleticsim will take over and he'll just power it home. If he can emerge into even a 15 and 10 guy, let alone the star that Hakeem says he is, the Nuggets can make some noise.

i don't remember any1 saying anything good about mcgee when he was traded to the nuggets. most people jumped in the bandwagon when he went off on the lakers in the playoffs, and even then most people was saying it was a fluke which will end up getting him a big contract that he's not worth

Let's be real here... How much does Olajuwon get paid to train these guys for a couple of weeks?

Of course he's going to say things like this. Keeps these young guys coming.

1 thing about McGee is that he tries,and he's not lazy,unlike alot of other big men....

I've always like him,but his problem has been lack of concentration and trying to do too much to please the crowd..Instead defense,shot blocking and rebounding should be his main focus...If he can play the way he did in the playoffs against the Lakers...He might battle Marc Gasol for the backup center spot on the all star team....

McGee didn't go off in the playoffs. He had two good games in a seven game series.

If the McGee apologists were any more delusional, they'd be Minnesota fans.

"McGee didn't go off in the playoffs. He had two good games in a seven game series."

therefore he went off in two games, in a FIVE GAMES SERIES

and people was all over him. instead, i stuck with him thru thick and thin.

he had like 6 dunks that last game, and made bynum work it on defense

What are you talking about it was a 7 game series, 5 games were canceled a long time ago

I think it was like 2003 and they changed it to 7 as a scam to try to help the Lakers beat the Wolves in the first round

Physically Javale McGee has all the tools. In Denver he has respected coach to guide him. He' still so young too. If McGee really becomes a star then Denver could be very dangerous.

hakeem doesnt have too say a word and the guys will keep seeing him even lebron has complimneted hakeem on how much he helped improve his post game amare stat went and worked with him this summer as well hakeem is one of the most respected players ever he doesnt need too toot his horn others do it for him

First off, I will say that I never said that McGee will be a star. Physically he can do a lot, but basketball is mental too. He benefits from playing every night against stiffs at the center position in the NBA. With that said, there is no reason he cannot be a very effective player, but he has to get over the mental hurdles. Getting away from the other goof balls and clowns in DC, should help his chances drastically. Hopefully he mother backs off so he can eventually become a man and not get coddled every time he does something boneheaded or fill his head with how great he is. I like that he seems to play hard. That's more than you can say for a lot of other guys, but I don't take stock in a game or two vs bynum at this point. Bynum is known not to show up every game and it's not like McGee was this dominate force every game. I don't think the guy will ever be a superstar player. Sure centers are basically an endangered species at this point, but not extinct.

Per 36 minutes, he put up Andrew Bynum type numbers.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mcgeeja01.html#per_minute:...

I know this topic is about McGee, but why doesn't Hakeem get more credit than he gets? He beat Karem, Shaq, Ewing, and David Robinson. From a pure resume stand point factoring in era and level of competition, he could be the best center ever; same could be said of Shaq even with the lose to Hakeem.... Back to Mcgee, he is only 24 and has as good as physical tools as any center ever. 7'0 and a chisled 260 lbs, w/ fluid athelticism are things you can't teach, but maturity can be influenced. He will show vast improvement this season in a more professional atmosphere.

I know this topic is about McGee, but why doesn't Hakeem get more credit than he gets? He beat Karem, Shaq, Ewing, and David Robinson. From a pure resume stand point factoring in era and level of competition, he could be the best center ever; same could be said of Shaq even with the lose to Hakeem.... Back to Mcgee, he is only 24 and has as good as physical tools as any center ever. 7'0 and a chisled 260 lbs, w/ fluid athelticism are things you can't teach, but maturity can be influenced. He will show vast improvement this season in a more professional atmosphere.

It's a shame he's dumb as a brick. I'd be willing to say he's the most athletic 7 footer I've seen in a while, and he's got a few moves too. Hopefully he'll be able to figure it out and get some basketball IQ, because if he does then Denver will be scary.

javale mcgee just doesnt really have any real post skills, aside from a nasty looking running hook.... he can become a great player if he really wants to be

McGee needs one thing to be a star for Denver and the NBA . . . 36 minutes a game. After getting transfered to Denver, where, as has been pointed out by F&F and F_S, he finally had a smarter team that actually expected to win surrounding him. His antics weren't just going to make a loss worse, they might actually jepordize a win. So he cut out some of his stuff. So he got to Denver and on a "per 36 minute" basis he averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks. Let's compare that to the second best center in the league, Bynum. Same per 36. 19 points per game, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks. But McGee did it on a huge 61% shooting while Bynum was just very good at 56%. Bynum ia better, but on a stats basis, they are very comparable.

Anyway, Coach Karl kept starting Mozgov and keeping McGee's minutes under wraps. Maybe that was to keep the price down this season. I mean if Lopez could get a Max Contract, then I assume if you played McGee 40 minutes a game and he "became" a 20 points per game scorer (plus all the rebounding and blocks you will never get from Lopez) you would then have to pay him a max contract. And in case you are curious, Hibbert's per 36 is 15.5, 10.6, 2.4 blocks but on only 50% shooting. McGee blows him away in shooting percentage.

How many folks out there would rather have Lopez or Hibbert playing 36 minutes for them over McGee? I think he is better than them now and with bigger upside.

He does some really dumb things, but if you see the guy play in person, hes physically dominate already...there are very few 7 footers that can jump and move like him...if he can cut down on the bone-head plays, he can be an all-star...i just dont see that happening...

Hibbert >>> Mcgee.

Don't ever put them on the same sentence

Yes Johnny anyone with a clue knows Hakeem and Shaq are the best ever, basically just watch the games and don't be blind and you know that.

It was never the physical, it was the mental lapses that were dogging him.

Plus Dr. J slobbing down his moms in front of everyone didn't help either

That's pretty laughable to anyone with a Brain and some knowledge on the Game called Basketball

Jim Neismith and John Wooden would roll in their graves if you told them a player with the Basketball IQ the size of Mcgee's even made it into the NBA...Some of the plays Mcgee has made would have gotten him kicked of any respectable Team in those Coaches Era...Imagine Red Auerbach coaching this kid and him running the back on defense in the opposite direction when his team has the ball on Offense, Red would have literally cut him on the spot, because he didn't do this in a practice, he did this in the middle of an NBA regular season game...

Larry Brown would have traded this guy for a veteran in a heartbeat, Phil Jackson would've had this guy riding the pine until he could effectively play his position for more than 26 to 28 minutes a game without making bone head plays and commiting silly fouls every other play...

People that think Mcgee is a good basketball player have no idea what it takes to make a Great Basketball player...

Have your really ever seen Mcgee play defense? Not block a shot flying in from the weak side, which usually results in a bad rotation on defense or a Foul. His defense is suspect, and people think BPG equals Good D, LOL

I suppose Monte Ellis is a terrific defender because he's always atop the leaders in Steals Per Game, Steph Curry is another guy who tries to play the passing lane to inflat his SPG average and get a cheap fast break basket too, Does that make them good defenders? HELL NO...They are both terrible man to man defenders, It's no wonder Mark Jackson traded Ellis to the Bucks for an Injured Center that can at the very least defend his man and rebound when he's in the Game, something Ellis and Curry will never be able to do in their lifetime, I will not be suprised to see the Warriors trade Curry at some point and the Nuggets will regret paying Mcgee anything over 5 million a year very soon...Just because he can Jump high enough to Block a few shots and Dunk doesn't mean he's a star

Hakeem was just paid 1 million dollars by Mcgee and his camp for that "Private Session", so what's he going to say?

Hakeem says "Javale Mcgee can be a very solid Center one day if he ever gets a brain operation and stops listening to the Morons that keep telling him He's a STAR"

He could have spent that million dollars on a few books on Basketball and watched a few highlights on youtube and instead donated that money to a Basketball camp that teaches 7'0 footers to stop playing like Idiots...

I think Mcgee is an amazing athlete, but let's not get carried away and crown him an All Star Center because B.S Per's make it seem like he's better than he truly his...If he could average the same stats as Howard and Bynum than why didn't a respected coach like George Karl start him and play him 32 to 38 minutes per game in the playoffs? It's because he know's what Javale's limits are and he's not into losing games to showcase Mcgee as an athletic shotblocker/dunker...Player's like Mcgee get you fired if you let them play the way they want to play...

Let's talk at the end of the season and see where Javale stacks up to Howard, Bynum and Tyson Chandler

Your title doesn't coincide with what the article actually says. Hakeem said that McGee "SHOULD" dominate, and he's right. Big men with his coordination and physical gifts are rare, but I don't think that Hakeem knows just how dumb a player JaVale is. The only way he'll "dominate" the league is if he gets a brain transplant.