Monday, September 24th, 2012 at 10:40 am  |  61 responses

Hakeem Olajuwon Thinks Miami Can Win ‘3 Out of 5 Championships’


by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Hakeem Olajuwon’s tutelage of LeBron James in the low post last summer has been well-documented. And while Hakeem took enormous pleasure in LeBron finally breaking through and leading his team to an NBA title, Dream thinks LBJ and company are just getting started.

Olajuwon wouldn’t go as far as LeBron did when he promised something like 6 or 7 NBA championships upon his arrival in South Beach, but Hakeem is convinced that James and the Miami Heat can collect quite a few more gold trophies in the next few years.

From the Sun-Sentinel:

With the Heat set to open training camp Saturday, Olajuwon, who knows what it takes to repeat, has some bad news for the rest of the league. He believes LeBron will soon incorporate even more of the low-post game they polished. “That was just last year,” Olajuwon says. “That was his first year. Now I think he gets a little more comfortable. When he gets more comfortable, he will come more into his own in the post.” Nor does Olajuwon, while acknowledging the presence of several “legitimate” title contenders out west, see any reason LeBron can’t do what Kobe did and follow up his Hakeem Sessions with back-to-back titles. “I think it will be much easier for him,” Olajuwon says. “All the pressure of, ‘OK, can he do it?’ That’s gone now.”

“The goal is different,” Olajuwon says. “It’s not to prove a point to people. Now it’s just to take advantage of the opportunity: ‘Can we really achieve something great in the real sense? Can we get three out of five [championships]?’” Olajuwon’s eyes widen. He leans forward.  The Dream is about to forecast an NBA nightmare. “That is a very realistic goal,” he says. “In fact, it’s scary.”

Bold, headline-grabbing claim aside, Hakeem talks at length about what he worked on with LeBron during their brief time together in the gym – everything from proper balance, spin moves, attack dribbles, and so on. It’s a fascinating read.

The Miami Heat will soon begin their title defense, and the weight of expectations will only grow heavier.

  • Add a Comment
  • Share
  • RSS

Tags: , ,

← Older Comments
  • shutup

    I don’t think you understand what the term “Trojan Horse” means, maybe you mean “Achilles’s Heel”. The Trojan Horse was utilized……..Oh, never mind. Look it up.

  • http://www.facebook.com/myselfunderkarma Fredd.

    everybody was asking for a change, … now you have the time to work … at work ;)

  • http://twitter.com/natures1stgreen JaM

    Houston Rockets- Barkley, Drexler, Olajuwan; Lakers- Kobe, Shaq, Malone, Payton; Trailblazers- Rasheed, Pippen, Steve Smith, Damon Stoudamire; NY Knicks- Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Bill Bradley, Dave Debusschere; Lakers- Wilt, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West; Boston Celtics- Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Bill Walton, Dennis Johnson okay, that’s 6

  • LakeShow

    Do I need to name more than @JaM did for ya? Cause he’s missing a few…
    Your wrong. Again.

  • LakeShow

    Just wanted to make sure you weren’t acting like Stevey and Kobe were in the same defensive category..

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    haha i feel you. i definitely didn’t mean for it to come off how it did. that’s my bad.

  • Redd

    Yeah cause he didn’t name 6,go ahead.

  • Redd

    Larry mchale were drafted by the Celtics so wrong. Elgin Baylor Jerry also were drafted. The Portland 3 were beyond their prime. And then most of the players you named weren’t hitting 17 points or more a game like the Miami big 3 so nice try.

  • LakeShow

    “I think the league is about to become concentrated with star power in single teams.”
    That was your sentence.
    Has nothing to do with drafting or signing or trading. You were specifically speaking of certain teams having multiple stars. Which has always been the norm.

  • http://twitter.com/natures1stgreen JaM

    I definitely named 6 teams ” concentrated with star power in single teams” and then your second criteria “I mean 3 stars coming together in one team. No players who played themselves into stardom in the same team don’t qualify.”

    It’s funny how even when it’s in writing, people will find a way to wiggle out of a corner when they are wrong. Larry and McHale were there but DJ and Walton weren’t.. so that gives you two outsiders coming in, just liek the Heat, no? Rasheed was MOST certainly in his prime in Portland and Scottie and Smitty were very good players still. Also, you never said they had to be in their prime. Ever. Additionally, scoring has nothing to do with it. Roles on teams as well as overall trends in league scoring factor into how much a given person scores per game, no?

  • http://twitter.com/natures1stgreen JaM

    It’s crazy how little respect the Nets are getting. They need to prove something, but that team is STACKED. Also, the Knicks have a shot at being really good this year. I can’t say they’re on the same level as the Heat just, but we’ll see hwo the season plays out, won’t we.

← Older Comments
Advertisement