Without accolades, does AD have arguments over Olajuwon?

[SkyBill40]

Olajuwon was a difference maker on both sides of the court. Davis has to try and stay on it to even attempt to measure up. The only similarity here is that they're both centers, but even that is a stretch as I'd more consider Davis a stretch four and not a true pivot guy.

[NZB2323]

AD at one point had the potential to be the next great generational superstar after Lebron.

If you take away Hakeem’s accolades, accomplishments, ability to stay healthy, motor, leadership, and toughness then I feel like AD is on the same level.

[LewisnotMiller]

Both are very skilled big men. AD is more athletic and versatile. An elite defensive player as well like Hakeem.
As a big man, is AD on the level of Olajuwon without looking at the accolades?

AD doesn't belong in a conversation with Hakeem. And I think you're underselling how athletic Olajuwon was.
Davis is a good player (in an all time sense) and not a great one. And his consistent unavailability at points of his career is legacy-impacting at this point.
Hakeem is top ten all time.

Take Hakeem off those Rockets and put in AD. Do they win?
Take Davis off the Lakers and put in prime Hakeem. Do they win?

Obviously times have changed, etc, but it's not close.

[bubonicphoniks]

No

[SF_Warriors]

Guy won a championship with a supporting cast of Thorpe, Jet and Horry. Putting Davis in the same sentence as him is frankly insulting considering AD’s playoff resume before this year

Over shaq no less, and b2b championships..AD has never done anything remotely as impressive

[G35]

I suspect I watched Hakeem from '91-'97 as much as nearly anyone on the boards. Anthony Davis is the most similar player to Olajuwon that I have seen since Olajuwon in terms of skill and ability on both ends. It's obviously difficult to compare across eras, but the one thing that can be compared across eras is attitude and mindset. Olajuwon had a far higher motor - even past 30, even during Ramadan. Olajuwon thirsted for blocks and steals. He was insatiable on both ends. He demanded the ball down the stretch of games. Not asking him to carry you in a close game simply wasn't an option. It was never considered, because Olajuwon refused to allow that. Olajuwon was as competitive as a player can be. AD has no argument over Olajuwon, in my opinion. Olajuwon (past 30) was a better passer than AD, among the other things listed here. He also, obviously, had far more moves and counter moves with the ball in his hands.

Also, one of the things people forget when they compare young bigs to Olajuwon is that he made the NBA Finals in his second season, beating Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the WCF. That's how impactful he was.

All this. The difference in eras is attitude/mindset.

This is what the elite players did in past eras...they demanded the ball. If the game was close in the 4th quarter, he would run into the post and put his arm up and demand the ball. He wasn't asking nicely...he was telling Kenny Smith, Vernon Maxwell, Sam Cassell, give me the ball and clear.

When is the last time you ever saw AD do that?

The other thing is thirst. I've noticed that young people do not want to be "thirsty" or be a "tryhard" or a "sweaty".

To me that is what defines as a player...it is what separates you from the rest, is how hard you try.


This is where I put Kobe up higher than he probably should be, is because he was a tryhard. He didn't play as if "these are regular season games....we are just trying to set up for the playoffs". That is the mindset of the modern player...and the modern fan.

You know why some fans want to cut down the regular season games?

Because everyone knows the players aren't trying as hard and the only thing that matters to them is the playoffs.

The difference in the past is the RS and the PS mattered......

[lamscott]

Hell No. And I'm a Laker fan.

[spanishninja]

Both are very skilled big men. AD is more athletic and versatile. An elite defensive player as well like Hakeem.
As a big man, is AD on the level of Olajuwon without looking at the accolades?

what the **** are you talking about? Hakeem is way more versatile for his passing alone.

[Egg Nog]

lol @ Davis being more athletic than Hakeem...100% pure ignorance...

There is literally no single aspect of athleticism in which Davis is superior to Hakeem unless you're comparing young Davis to old Hakeem.

[spanishninja]

I suspect I watched Hakeem from '91-'97 as much as nearly anyone on the boards. Anthony Davis is the most similar player to Olajuwon that I have seen since Olajuwon in terms of skill and ability on both ends. It's obviously difficult to compare across eras, but the one thing that can be compared across eras is attitude and mindset. Olajuwon had a far higher motor - even past 30, even during Ramadan. Olajuwon thirsted for blocks and steals. He was insatiable on both ends. He demanded the ball down the stretch of games. Not asking him to carry you in a close game simply wasn't an option. It was never considered, because Olajuwon refused to allow that. Olajuwon was as competitive as a player can be. AD has no argument over Olajuwon, in my opinion. Olajuwon (past 30) was a better passer than AD, among the other things listed here. He also, obviously, had far more moves and counter moves with the ball in his hands.

Also, one of the things people forget when they compare young bigs to Olajuwon is that he made the NBA Finals in his second season, beating Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the WCF. That's how impactful he was.

Fake news. You're making up history now

what?

https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_1986.html

[Tor_Raps]

LOLLLLLLLLLLL

[spanishninja]

i think as a logical punishment for this incredibly nonsensical thread, OP should have to study olajuwon for his homework and write an essay "making the case for goat center: hakeem". 500 words should be enough.

Hakeem is probably my favorite non-Suns player ever, and that's really saying a lot considering how he singlehandedly ruined my team in the playoffs in the 90s.

[FreeThrowLine]

[spanishninja]

I suspect I watched Hakeem from '91-'97 as much as nearly anyone on the boards. Anthony Davis is the most similar player to Olajuwon that I have seen since Olajuwon in terms of skill and ability on both ends. It's obviously difficult to compare across eras, but the one thing that can be compared across eras is attitude and mindset. Olajuwon had a far higher motor - even past 30, even during Ramadan. Olajuwon thirsted for blocks and steals. He was insatiable on both ends. He demanded the ball down the stretch of games. Not asking him to carry you in a close game simply wasn't an option. It was never considered, because Olajuwon refused to allow that. Olajuwon was as competitive as a player can be. AD has no argument over Olajuwon, in my opinion. Olajuwon (past 30) was a better passer than AD, among the other things listed here. He also, obviously, had far more moves and counter moves with the ball in his hands.

Also, one of the things people forget when they compare young bigs to Olajuwon is that he made the NBA Finals in his second season, beating Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the WCF. That's how impactful he was.

All this. The difference in eras is attitude/mindset.

This is what the elite players did in past eras...they demanded the ball. If the game was close in the 4th quarter, he would run into the post and put his arm up and demand the ball. He wasn't asking nicely...he was telling Kenny Smith, Vernon Maxwell, Sam Cassell, give me the ball and clear.

When is the last time you ever saw AD do that?

The other thing is thirst. I've noticed that young people do not want to be "thirsty" or be a "tryhard" or a "sweaty".

To me that is what defines as a player...it is what separates you from the rest, is how hard you try.


This is where I put Kobe up higher than he probably should be, is because he was a tryhard. He didn't play as if "these are regular season games....we are just trying to set up for the playoffs". That is the mindset of the modern player...and the modern fan.

You know why some fans want to cut down the regular season games?

Because everyone knows the players aren't trying as hard and the only thing that matters to them is the playoffs.

The difference in the past is the RS and the PS mattered......

https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1995-nba-finals-rockets-vs-magic.html

33/12/6/2/2 while playing 44 minutes a game in the finals. If AD tried to ever play 44 minutes a game in a series we would see the human equivalent of the blue screen of death from him.

[CS707]

Olajuwon’s accomplishments were the result of his greatness, not the other way around.