How would a prime Olajuwon fare against a prime Duncan?

[kingmalaki]

Nobody has yet to factor this in... but Duncan's reign at the top of the league (top 1-3 players) spanned nearly 9 years... the same can't be said for Olajuwon...

Of course not, as Duncan didn't enter the league with Magic, Bird and Jordan. Duncan isn't considered to be better than any of those guys either.

[Tmac&Luther]

My god, do Spurs fans actually believe that Tim Duncan is/was a better defender than Hakeem Olajuwon.

Is that really the case that they're trying to make.

I want to hear from the honest Spurs fans that watched Hakeem play in his prime...do y'all honestly think that Duncan was a better defender than the all time shot blocker and a player who could guard multiple positions on the floor and averaged more than twice the amount of steals than Duncan?

Serious question...this should really expose the homers.

[Mr.Robinson]

My god, do Spurs fans actually believe that Tim Duncan is/was a better defender than Hakeem Olajuwon.

Is that really the case that they're trying to make.

I want to hear from the honest Spurs fans that watched Hakeem play in his prime...do y'all honestly think that Duncan was a better defender than the all time shot blocker and a player who could guard multiple positions on the floor and averaged more than twice the amount of steals than Duncan?

Serious question...this should really expose the homers.

Guess I'm a homer. If Duncan is good enough for Bill Rusell he's good enough for me.

[Tmac&Luther]

Guess I'm a homer. If Duncan is good enough for Bill Rusell he's good enough for me.

Wow, what a ground breaking argument.

Hakeem Olajuwon is the NBA's alltime shot blocker....is top 7 in steals all time (the highest ranking among centers) and is the only player in history to make the Top 10 in blocks, steals, rebounds, and scoring....but let's not let facts get in the way of a ty argument, please continue.

[DesignatedT]

Duncans defense his whole career has been extremely underrated. Olajuwon was the superior athlete which makes him the popular choice amongst people (just like some saying robinson over duncan or just a few years back when people were claiming garnett over duncan) At the end of the day Olajuwon was probably the better defender but Duncan is not that far off. He might not have the fancy weak side blocks or send the ball in the stands defense but his 1 on 1 defense during his career has been the best I have seen(this season was the first time i saw it starting to decline noticeably). Fact still remains that Duncan is better and has been more consistent over his entire career than Olajuwon was. Duncan is superior at all the intangibles that makes great players great. He is the better leader, 1 of the most clutch players of all time and the overall better player and the accomplishments prove it..

Now go ahead and continue with your 21 pages of "But Duncans cast was better" or "This era sucks" bull because that's all you got.

[Tmac&Luther]

Duncans defense his whole career has been extremely underrated. Olajuwon was the superior athlete which makes him the popular choice amongst people (just like some saying robinson over duncan or just a few years back when people were claiming garnett over duncan) At the end of the day Olajuwon was probably the better defender but Duncan is not that far off. He might not have the fancy weak side blocks or send the ball in the stands defense but his 1 on 1 defense during his career has been the best I have seen(this season was the first time i saw it starting to decline noticeably). Fact still remains that Duncan is better and has been more consistent over his entire career than Olajuwon was. Duncan is superior at all the intangibles that makes a great player great. He is the better leader, 1 of the most clutch players of all time and the overall better player and the accomplishments prove it..

Now go ahead and continue with your "But Duncan's cast was better" or "This era sucks" bull because that's all you got.

LMAO....FALSE.

Hakeem was still putting up prime #s at the age that Duncan is now (but I guess in fantasy land, that makes Duncan the more "consistent player". And we will use the "better supporting cast" argument, because it's the truth. team accomplishments is the ONLY thing Spurs fans have to fall back on. 4 > 2 es Yeah, like Duncan would be a 4 time champion, back in the hey day of the late 80's and early 90's.

[Mr.Robinson]

I

LMAO....FALSE.

Hakeem was still putting up prime #s at the age that Duncan is now (but I guess in fantasy land, that makes Duncan the more "consistent player". And we will use the "better supporting cast" argument, because it's the truth. team accomplishments is the ONLY thing Spurs fans have to fall back on. 4 > 2 es Yeah, like Duncan would be a 4 time champion, back in the hey day of the late 80's and early 90's.

The 94 and 95 Rockets wouldn't win a ring in the 2000's. They wouldn't beat the Lakers 3 peat team. Wouldn't beat the Spurs 03, 05, 07 Spurs. Detroit would beat them too. Hakeem was great but Duncan greater. 4 rings don't lie.

[Tmac&Luther]

I

The 94 and 95 Rockets wouldn't win a ring in the 2000's. They wouldn't beat the Lakers 3 peat team. Wouldn't beat the Spurs 03, 05, 07 Spurs. Detroit would beat them too. Hakeem was great but Duncan greater. 4 rings don't lie.

You're on straight crack.

Sshh... I DO COCAAAAINE!!!

[J_Paco]

LMAO....FALSE.

Hakeem was still putting up prime #s at the age that Duncan is now (but I guess in fantasy land, that makes Duncan the more "consistent player". And we will use the "better supporting cast" argument, because it's the truth. team accomplishments is the ONLY thing Spurs fans have to fall back on. 4 > 2 es Yeah, like Duncan would be a 4 time champion, back in the hey day of the late 80's and early 90's.

What does that last part have to do with anything? I could easily say that Hakeem wouldn't have if Jordan didn't retire or if he had played in the 60's. Ya'll can use all the hypothetical arguments you want, but the fact remains that Duncan and Hakeem have similar (average career) numbers and Duncan has accomplished more. Hakeem probably did have a higher peak, not by very much though, but Duncan accomplished more and will have the greater legacy.

Of course not, as Duncan didn't enter the league with Magic, Bird and Jordan. Duncan isn't considered to be better than any of those guys either.

Actually, whether you Rocket fans like it or not, Duncan is probably closer to those individuals than Hakeem is. Timmy actually has impacted his era just as strongly as Jordan, Bird and Johnson did their own. Hakeem's legacy will be that he was a elite/dominant player, but he needed to the greatest player of his generation to "retire" to win 2 les. Duncan has the benefit of having beaten, and been beat, by three other great players of his/the next generation in Shaq, Kobe and LeBron (obviously, LeBron leads the next gen.).

>

[wekko368]

but Duncan accomplished more and will have the greater legacy.

Duncan will have the greater legacy simply b/c of the "greatest pf" tag, but I think Olajuwon will be remembered as a more complete player due to his defensive accomplishments.

Actually, whether you Rocket fans like it or not, Duncan is probably closer to those individuals than Hakeem is.

Not according to Michael Jordan and Mario Elie.

Hakeem's legacy will be that he was a elite/dominant player, but he needed to the greatest player of his generation to "retire" to win 2 les.

This is indeed how he will probably be remembered by the ignorant masses. But the reason we visit these forums is because we hope to engage with knowledgeable fans (i.e. not part of the ignorant masses).

Jordan's Bulls had a tough time handling dominant, athletic centers. From 1991-1993, the Rockets record against the Bulls was 5-1. In fact, during that same time frame, the Spurs' record against the Bulls was also 5-1.

I'm convinced that if Jordan did face Olajuwon in the Finals, the Rockets would've prevailed. Therefore, playing baseball was one of the best things he could've done for his legacy.

And btw, Jordan did play in the 1995 playoffs. They lost to a Magic team that the Rockets swept.

[sook]

I

The 94 and 95 Rockets wouldn't win a ring in the 2000's. They wouldn't beat the Lakers 3 peat team. Wouldn't beat the Spurs 03, 05, 07 Spurs. Detroit would beat them too. Hakeem was great but Duncan greater. 4 rings don't lie.

youre right, he wouldn't be able to beat a fatass shaq even though he swept the athletic one

[sook]

Besides, the Greatest PF ever is the stupidest thing I could ever think of.

Duncan is a Center! Hakeem is more of a PF than he is

[kingmalaki]

Actually, whether you Rocket fans like it or not, Duncan is probably closer to those individuals than Hakeem is. Timmy actually has impacted his era just as strongly as Jordan, Bird and Johnson did their own. Hakeem's legacy will be that he was a elite/dominant player, but he needed to the greatest player of his generation to "retire" to win 2 les. Duncan has the benefit of having beaten, and been beat, by three other great players of his/the next generation in Shaq, Kobe and LeBron (obviously, LeBron leads the next gen.).

>

Actually he probably isn't. And he hasn't impacted his era as much as either of those players. He didn't save basketball like Magic and Larry. He wasn't in the Finals over a span of 4 straight years like Larry. He didn't win 3 MVPs in a row like Larry. He didn't get to the Finals 8 times, or repeat like Magic. He doesn't have a winning record against his main comp like Magic (2-1 vs Bird, while Shaq/Kobe have sent Duncan home 4 times). He didn't dominate his era like Jordan, winnng 6. He never even repeated. So I can't say he has impacted his era like those guys, and the point you are trying to make is silly regardless because his main comp for dominating his era (Shaq/Kobe) are all considered less than Bird, Magic or Jordan. Duncan should just be happy that he was born later, lol.

Either way, the OP asked if Dream could get his on Duncan. You guys keep trying to twist his question into a career comparison. Can you not read?? Can you list the elite bigs Duncan has actually shut down? He had Robinson save him from Shaq until 2004, and he didn't stop him then. Amare lit him. Dirk lit him. He wasn't stopping Gasol in 08. Yet Hakeem couldn't get his?

[EricD]

You rocket fans are treating this debate like there's such a significant drop off between the two players.

Sorry, but that simply is not the case. These two players all around games are more identical than any set of big men to ever play the game.

It's that close and it's stupid to spend hours arguing over the issue because it's that close.

Spend your time better, this obviously isn't getting anywhere.

[EricD]

The reason why I'm pointing out rocket fans and not Spurs fans is because they are rebutting Duncan's stature by starting arguments with ignorant and immature expressions as such over and over again.

Like it's so wrong for a person to think a 2 time MVP, 3 Time Final MVP, 4 rings, 9 time ALL NBA First team, 8 time ALL NBA Defensive First team, 12 time all start has a slight edge on the player that has lead the Rockets to 2 championships and 1 MVP.

Get real Red Rowdies. The difference between the two players in their prime is so minuscule it could go either way and I wouldn't have a problem with the opinion.

[wekko368]

Sorry, but that simply is not the case. These two players all around games are more identical than any set of big men to ever play the game.

Identical?

Olajuwon was more athletic, more explosive, faster, and had better footwork.

[wekko368]

Get real Red Rowdies. The difference between the two players in their prime is so minuscule it could go either way and I wouldn't have a problem with the opinion.

The difference is great enough that every Rockets fan would take a prime Olajuwon over prime Duncan, and so would a number of Spurs fans.

[jacobdrj]

Wish I could have seen Dream play. Anyone who can eat Shaq/Robinson for breakfast in their prime had to be something special...

[EricD]

Identical?

Olajuwon was more athletic, more explosive, faster, and had better footwork.

We are talking about Duncan from 1998-2003 Duncan vs. 1993-1995 Olajuwon.

Not Duncan from 2008-2010 vs. 1993- 1995 Olajuwon.

Both were the best post players in their era, Duncan was the best defender of his era of the big men and Olajuwon was one of the best in his, and both had the best footwork of their era. And both could also shoot from the outside and had the best all around game out of any big men in their era. So many similarities.

And Duncan was a lot closer athletically than you are implying. You are getting 08'-2010 Duncan confused with Prime Duncan 1998-2003. The two were very close athletically when were are talking about their primes.

Here's a video of some of Duncan's younger years in case you never really watched.

[wekko368]

We are talking about Duncan from 1998-2003 Duncan vs. 1993-1995 Olajuwon.

Not Duncan from 2008-2010 vs. 1993- 1995 Olajuwon.

Both were the best post players in their era, Duncan was the best defender of his era of the big men and Olajuwon was one of the best in his, and both had the best footwork of their era. And both could also shoot from the outside and had the best all around game out of any big men in their era. So many similarities.

And Duncan was a lot closer athletically than you are implying. You are getting 08'-2010 Duncan confused with Prime Duncan 1998-2003. The two were very close athletically when were are talking about their primes.

Yes. I was referring to the prime Duncan earlier. Prime Duncan may have been the best of his era, but his era was MUCH weaker than Olajuwon's era. And prime Olajuwon is still noticeably more athletic than prime Duncan.

Let's not forget that prime Olajuwon could chase down a guard from halfcourt on a breakaway layup and block him.

I hate to use quotes to support my opinions, but I'm going to reference that interview with Mario Elie that I alluded to earlier. Keep in mind that Elie played with both a prime Duncan and prime Olajuwon.

Friedman: "Is the difference between Olajuwon and Duncan the athleticism?"

Elie: "Exactly. I just think that 'Dream' was more athletic, had a better game on the box and was a better shot blocker.

[kingmalaki]

Prime Duncan was not the best post player of his era, while he was in his prime. That was Shaq. If Duncan surpassed him it was once his decline hit (around 2005). Duncan was better defensively but Shaq was much better offensively, and Duncan couldn't even match up with him anyway. You applaud him as a defender and he was great defensively, but when he matched up against bigs that could actually score he wasn't stopping them. Shaq, Dirk, Amare....no sir no way. If the question is would Dream beast him you really don't have a leg to stand on.

[ChrisRichards]

Wish I could have seen Dream play. Anyone who can eat Shaq/Robinson for breakfast in their prime had to be something special...

Olajuwon in those two championship years was really special. His combination of speed, footwork and soft hands for a guy with his size and length was surreal.

[Cry Havoc]

In their primes, I'd take Hakeem.

I might take Olajuwon over any player in NBA history when he was in his prime, with the potential sole exception of Jordan (the other potentially being Wilt, but that's a special case).

He was unstoppable. Totally destroyed anyone he played. Yes, Duncan would get his, but Hakeem was the best Center the league had ever seen in the modern era when he was at his peak. He was a guy with defensive skills of a 5 and the moves of a guard.

Duncan has the arguable advantages in passing, IQ, and help-side defense. He'd definitely push Hakeem to his limit, that goes without saying. But Duncan has almost always been less about 1 vs 1 matchups and more about contributing to the team dynamic.

On even teams, I'd say Hakeem's in 7. However, Duncan has been a top defender for longer than the Dream, who depended more on his athleticism to play well than positioning and intelligence.

[cheguevara]

Well Hakeem was a beast. but only for a few years.

Duncan was dominant for longer.

[Mr.Robinson]

Yes. I was referring to the prime Duncan earlier. Prime Duncan may have been the best of his era, but his era was MUCH weaker than Olajuwon's era. And prime Olajuwon is still noticeably more athletic than prime Duncan.

Let's not forget that prime Olajuwon could chase down a guard from halfcourt on a breakaway layup and block him.

I hate to use quotes to support my opinions, but I'm going to reference that interview with Mario Elie that I alluded to earlier. Keep in mind that Elie played with both a prime Duncan and prime Olajuwon.

Duncan could chase people down. He could also run a fast break at times. Can we stop the weak era crap already. Hakeem played in the 80's and 90's that era was weak. So many slow and stiff players back then. Yes there's was many superstars but also many guys who wouldn't have a job in today's league. Players are more skilled now. They are more athletic, stronger, faster. I laugh at nostalgic fools.