[Zeke33Participant]

Why did he finish his career in tornonto?? It couldnt have been because he thought he could get a ring there. did something happen in houston or what??

[RickyRubio9Participant]

 Money….

[RickyRubio9Participant]

 Money….

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

You mean Olajuwan?  You mean Toronto?

Not olijawon nor Tornonto

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

You mean Olajuwan?  You mean Toronto?

Not olijawon nor Tornonto

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

 Hakeem Olajuwon came to Toronto in 2001 more than likely, like Rubio said, for money. However, believe it or not, the Raptors at the time had more aspiration for a ring than I believe the Rockets did. The teams had finished with similar records, but the Raptors were only one shot away from the Eastern Conference Finals the year before they landed Hakeem. Seemed like a decent call at the least to try out Hakeem as the Center, move down Antonio Davis who was coming off of an All-Star season the year before. I honestly thought as a high school student, the Raptors had a chance of going to the Finals in the East. Hakeem unfortunately got hurt, and the Raptors crumbled from there, but the only teams Hakeem really had a chance of winning the chip with back than would have been in the West, and not Houston. Also, by that point in his career, Hakeem could no longer turn a team into a championship contender. He could contribute, but picture Shaq on the Celtics this year. If the Celtics win, he will more than likely be a part of it, but he would not be one of the teams main pieces. If Hakeem would have gone to San Antonio, Sacramento or maybe even Dallas, he might have gotten more of a chance at that last ring, but all of those teams probably could not afford him. The Raptors showed him the money, and he saw a possible opportunity to contribute to a team possibly going places. I mean, even in the best case scenario, you would have a hard time believing the Raptors were a team that could WIN a championship, the Rockets were in that same boat, and who would you have rather played with at the time Steve Francis or Vince Carter? I definitely would have put my money on Vinsanity, he was coming off of a season where he had averaged 27.6, had not shown injury concern and looked to be battling Kobe Bryant as the NBA’s premier 2 guard. People forget how incredibly raw was during his second and third year in the NBA, the dude was a killer. He was also second in the league in PER behind Shaq during his 3rd year! That is pretty damn impressive. Well, just giving a glimpse into what Hakeem was indeed thinking when he joined the Toronto  Tyrannosaurus’. 

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

 Hakeem Olajuwon came to Toronto in 2001 more than likely, like Rubio said, for money. However, believe it or not, the Raptors at the time had more aspiration for a ring than I believe the Rockets did. The teams had finished with similar records, but the Raptors were only one shot away from the Eastern Conference Finals the year before they landed Hakeem. Seemed like a decent call at the least to try out Hakeem as the Center, move down Antonio Davis who was coming off of an All-Star season the year before. I honestly thought as a high school student, the Raptors had a chance of going to the Finals in the East. Hakeem unfortunately got hurt, and the Raptors crumbled from there, but the only teams Hakeem really had a chance of winning the chip with back than would have been in the West, and not Houston. Also, by that point in his career, Hakeem could no longer turn a team into a championship contender. He could contribute, but picture Shaq on the Celtics this year. If the Celtics win, he will more than likely be a part of it, but he would not be one of the teams main pieces. If Hakeem would have gone to San Antonio, Sacramento or maybe even Dallas, he might have gotten more of a chance at that last ring, but all of those teams probably could not afford him. The Raptors showed him the money, and he saw a possible opportunity to contribute to a team possibly going places. I mean, even in the best case scenario, you would have a hard time believing the Raptors were a team that could WIN a championship, the Rockets were in that same boat, and who would you have rather played with at the time Steve Francis or Vince Carter? I definitely would have put my money on Vinsanity, he was coming off of a season where he had averaged 27.6, had not shown injury concern and looked to be battling Kobe Bryant as the NBA’s premier 2 guard. People forget how incredibly raw was during his second and third year in the NBA, the dude was a killer. He was also second in the league in PER behind Shaq during his 3rd year! That is pretty damn impressive. Well, just giving a glimpse into what Hakeem was indeed thinking when he joined the Toronto  Tyrannosaurus’. 

[BasterdInABasketParticipant]

MJ and Hakeem are the two guys i wish played about ten years later than they did. In the primes of their careers I was maybe 5 years old. I watched basketball as a kid but I would love to see them play now and appreciate just how good they were.

[BasterdInABasketParticipant]

MJ and Hakeem are the two guys i wish played about ten years later than they did. In the primes of their careers I was maybe 5 years old. I watched basketball as a kid but I would love to see them play now and appreciate just how good they were.

[MuggsyParticipant]

That’s like asking why did Jordan play for the Wizards, the dudes just want to play.

[MuggsyParticipant]

That’s like asking why did Jordan play for the Wizards, the dudes just want to play.

[ChewyParticipant]

Toronto needs Rafael Arujuo!!!!!!!

[ChewyParticipant]

Toronto needs Rafael Arujuo!!!!!!!

[goneParticipant]

Hey Bstar!!! Watch how you talk about the Wizards and Jordan………….I’ll have you know it i was at the game when tmac dropped 63, jordan dove into the crowd I touched him and went home and had amazing ups. Dunked on 4 kids on my playschool court the next day if my memory is good

[goneParticipant]

Hey Bstar!!! Watch how you talk about the Wizards and Jordan………….I’ll have you know it i was at the game when tmac dropped 63, jordan dove into the crowd I touched him and went home and had amazing ups. Dunked on 4 kids on my playschool court the next day if my memory is good

[Zeke33Participant]

to be fair Hakeems situation was much different than MJs. MJ was running the Wiz and was retired. Hakeem chose to leave Houston. and MJ said he donataed his salary money to 9/11. but thanks for the input guys. idk why i thought about that but i always wondered why. Mikeyvthedon.. I see exactly what you mean and agree. I just think Toronto was a weird choice even if they were a shot away. I just hate to see legends leave their teams that have built their legacy like Malone did with LA or Gervin with Chicago..and Ewing

[Zeke33Participant]

to be fair Hakeems situation was much different than MJs. MJ was running the Wiz and was retired. Hakeem chose to leave Houston. and MJ said he donataed his salary money to 9/11. but thanks for the input guys. idk why i thought about that but i always wondered why. Mikeyvthedon.. I see exactly what you mean and agree. I just think Toronto was a weird choice even if they were a shot away. I just hate to see legends leave their teams that have built their legacy like Malone did with LA or Gervin with Chicago..and Ewing

[NashyMingParticipant]

The Dream actually has relatives living in Toronto, so it is quite unstandable that he has interest to play in Toronto.

He would occasionally be in Toronto and I have read about fans running into him in Mosque.

Olajuwon also mentioned that he would only be interested in working for Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors because of his ties with both cities and franchises.  He also spent time studying in Jordon (middle east).

[NashyMingParticipant]

The Dream actually has relatives living in Toronto, so it is quite unstandable that he has interest to play in Toronto.

He would occasionally be in Toronto and I have read about fans running into him in Mosque.

Olajuwon also mentioned that he would only be interested in working for Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors because of his ties with both cities and franchises.  He also spent time studying in Jordon (middle east).

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

 It happens though man, that is usually the way it works out. Michael Jordan may have been slightly different, and for the most part we like to only remember him as a Bull (he still had really cool moments in Washington, but it just did not feel the same), but when someone is near the end of their career, and still wants to play, they tend to try and move on at some point. Hakeem wasn’t the man in Houston anymore, it was Steve Francis’ team, and that must have been hard for him. Not to mention, he signed for close to 6 per year with the Raps, pretty hardcore dough. Think of great QB’s though, Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana and obviously Brett Favre, all of them finished the twilight of their careers on different teams than what they ingrained there legacy. When you think about great RB’s, unless they retire early (Jim Brown, Barry Sanders), than there is little to no chance of them being on one team their entire career. So, that is why we had Pat Ewing on the Sonics/Magic (ugh, those were bad times), Hakeem on the Raptors, Shaq on the Celtics (!?, what Laker willfully signs with the Celtics? I do not hate on Shaq, he is my all-time favorite player, but this is the first team he has been on that I can not with clear conscience cheer for. If he played Kobe in the Finals, I’m wearing Purple and Gold. At the same time, would be sort of happy if the Big Fella tied the whole ring thing :). But, NO Celtics!). You can call them championship chasers all you want, but would you rather have loyalty and no ring or be a championship chaser? Reggie Miller is one player who stuck with the Pacers, which I think everyone in Indiana respects, but he had chances to go and try to join a team like the Lakers (he went to UCLA and is from LA), and he turned it down. I respect his loyalty, but you can still kind of question it. I think the ultimate goal as an NBA player is to win a championship, for me it would be to win as many as possible, but just to win one championship would be a very sweet thing. No matter how many games you win over your career, your goal has to be to win that last one of the season. So, to that extent, I understand why some of these players try and finish their career in situations we might all find strange. Gary Payton was a definite championship chaser, he tried to follow Shaq wherever he went, and it worked! When Kenny Smith asked him about his rings, he forgot, but he realized Gary won a ring (and as much as he was a shell of his former self, he did contribute, and I remember him hitting a big shot). Karl Malone, man, I really wanted him to win that ring, and while it was crazy not to see him on the Jazz, I did not at all blame him. When guys get older, they definitely lose a lot of their athleticism, speed and ability to rejuvenate, the hurt does not leave as quickly as it used too, your bones take longer to recover. But, the best players can still compete, look at Hakeem now and you could see the guy more than likely could still give 12 good minutes! When you love basketball and love competing in the NBA it is hard to give it up even if you can not compete at the level you were known for. Nothing lasts forever, and I think there should be respect for those who feel they know when to give it up as well as for those who want to play as long as they can. Wilt Chamberlain shot 73% from the field his last year in the league! If only he would have known his scoring record was in jeopardy, we could have still seen Wilt compete at a high level for quite a few more years.  

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

 It happens though man, that is usually the way it works out. Michael Jordan may have been slightly different, and for the most part we like to only remember him as a Bull (he still had really cool moments in Washington, but it just did not feel the same), but when someone is near the end of their career, and still wants to play, they tend to try and move on at some point. Hakeem wasn’t the man in Houston anymore, it was Steve Francis’ team, and that must have been hard for him. Not to mention, he signed for close to 6 per year with the Raps, pretty hardcore dough. Think of great QB’s though, Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana and obviously Brett Favre, all of them finished the twilight of their careers on different teams than what they ingrained there legacy. When you think about great RB’s, unless they retire early (Jim Brown, Barry Sanders), than there is little to no chance of them being on one team their entire career. So, that is why we had Pat Ewing on the Sonics/Magic (ugh, those were bad times), Hakeem on the Raptors, Shaq on the Celtics (!?, what Laker willfully signs with the Celtics? I do not hate on Shaq, he is my all-time favorite player, but this is the first team he has been on that I can not with clear conscience cheer for. If he played Kobe in the Finals, I’m wearing Purple and Gold. At the same time, would be sort of happy if the Big Fella tied the whole ring thing :). But, NO Celtics!). You can call them championship chasers all you want, but would you rather have loyalty and no ring or be a championship chaser? Reggie Miller is one player who stuck with the Pacers, which I think everyone in Indiana respects, but he had chances to go and try to join a team like the Lakers (he went to UCLA and is from LA), and he turned it down. I respect his loyalty, but you can still kind of question it. I think the ultimate goal as an NBA player is to win a championship, for me it would be to win as many as possible, but just to win one championship would be a very sweet thing. No matter how many games you win over your career, your goal has to be to win that last one of the season. So, to that extent, I understand why some of these players try and finish their career in situations we might all find strange. Gary Payton was a definite championship chaser, he tried to follow Shaq wherever he went, and it worked! When Kenny Smith asked him about his rings, he forgot, but he realized Gary won a ring (and as much as he was a shell of his former self, he did contribute, and I remember him hitting a big shot). Karl Malone, man, I really wanted him to win that ring, and while it was crazy not to see him on the Jazz, I did not at all blame him. When guys get older, they definitely lose a lot of their athleticism, speed and ability to rejuvenate, the hurt does not leave as quickly as it used too, your bones take longer to recover. But, the best players can still compete, look at Hakeem now and you could see the guy more than likely could still give 12 good minutes! When you love basketball and love competing in the NBA it is hard to give it up even if you can not compete at the level you were known for. Nothing lasts forever, and I think there should be respect for those who feel they know when to give it up as well as for those who want to play as long as they can. Wilt Chamberlain shot 73% from the field his last year in the league! If only he would have known his scoring record was in jeopardy, we could have still seen Wilt compete at a high level for quite a few more years.  

[mj23mj23besteverParticipant]

i remember that happening and the dream actually lived part time in toronto because of having family up there and plus at the time toronto with vince and antonio davis coming off a monster year were viable play off team

[mj23mj23besteverParticipant]

i remember that happening and the dream actually lived part time in toronto because of having family up there and plus at the time toronto with vince and antonio davis coming off a monster year were viable play off team

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