better big man in their prime - KG or The Dream?

I posted this on niketalk as well to generate some discussion. I want to see what both sides of the community think, so here it goes.

before we start, please don't bring the " hakeem has 2 rings therefore he's better than kg " argument in here.

i know this question is kinda hard to answer considering i don't even think KG has hit his prime yet, the dude still manages to pull off insane stats every year. his size and offensive game complement each other so well that if you plan to put a big on him he'll pretty much just blow past you.. or if you put a smaller, quicker guy on him he'll post you up and hit that turnaround J or dunk it in your face. defensively, he's a good individual and helpside defender.. probably top 5 in the league. i think it sucks how he has never won a DPOY award yet someone like ben wallace, who is a good weakside defender but an adequate-at-best individual defender has won the award 3 out of the last 4 years.

then we have The Dream. personally, I've never seen anyone handle shaq, david robinson, patrick ewing, alonzo mourning in their primes like this man did. his offensive arsenal was quite similar if not better than KG's -- jump shots, jump hooks, turn around J's, and of course the "The Dream Shake" .. if any of you guys can, try to find the .gif of him Dream Shaking then-league-MVP david robinson in the playoffs and making him look like an absolute tool. defensively, when you think of the great pick-pockets in the NBA you think of guards like allen iverson, jason kidd or swingmen like kobe bryant, shawn marion and lebron james. did you know that in one season hakeem averaged 2.60 steals per game? that's UNHEARD for in a big. he also averaged 3.44 blocks in the very same season and then almost replicated those exact numbers by pulling a 2.12 SPG and 4.59 BPG the following year. the dude was unreal.

so who do you think is better? it's a hard pick for me but for now I have to go with The Dream. stats don't really tell much a player about a players greatness (eg. scottie pippen averaged 16, 5, 5 his entire career yet it seemed like he gave you more each time he stepped on the court -- and he did.) but in this scenario it's really hard to ignore the stats itself. KG might've pulled off more 20-10-5's already than hakeem has in his entire career but hakeem was MAD CONSISTENT (not saying KG isn't) for 13 years! in those 13 years he managed to score more than 21 ppg, averaged 50% or more in field goal percentage and swatted 3 or more shots a game. will KG be a better player than hakeem? I sure as heck don't know but I'd love to find out.

KG's Best Season:
*CH = Career High*

24.2 Points Per Game (CH - 47)
13.9 Rebounds Per Game (CH - 25)
5.0 Assists Per Game (CH - 12)
1.46 Steals Per Game (CH - 7)
1.57 Blocks Per Game (CH - 8)
49% Field Goal Percentage (CH - .502 Twice)

Side note: 2003 All Star Game MVP - first player since Michael Jordan in 1988 to score more than 35 points.


Hakeem's Best Season:

24.3 Points Per Game (CH - 52)
14.0 Rebounds Per Game (CH - 25)
2.9 Assists Per Game (CH - 12)
2.12 Steals Per Game (CH - 8)
4.59 Blocks Per Game (CH - 12)
50.1% Field Goal Percentage (CH - .538)

Side note: One of four players to ever register a quadruple double.

Last edited by j.23 on Mon Sep 19, 2005 7:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

That's a tough decision. They're both madly versatile, both on the offensive and defensive end, but I have to give the edge to The Dream. He had much greater offensive repertoire than KG will ever have and his superb ability to swat shot made him a bigger presence on the D. Plus, he's a centre who could neutralize all other good/great centres in the league. You have Shaq? Yao? No, you don't. He would crush them and their teams (in fact - like you said - he did completely humiliate Shaq in his psychical prime).

I'd go with The Dream, too. For the reasons already posted.

Side note: One of four players to ever average a quadruple double.

Now that would be insane. Averaging a quadruple double...

Even without the stats, The Dream. Just in another class of dominance. He was clutch and just dominated both ends.

Hakeem all the way. He was so dominating in his prime, even Shaq had nightmares, and David Robinson... I won't go there, but he got owned. Take a look at some of the NBA records in blocks, steals, points, and rebounds, and you'll find Hakeem in at least the top 25.

I don't think you can really compare them. They play 2 different positions, they played in different eras, and one is a versitle guy who can do it all while the other guy is a monster under the rim who has actually won a title(it kills me to say that being a wolves fan)

The Dream. For all the reasons above.

I still think Hakeem is better than KG. Hakeem has more strength and toughness than KG. Even though their points and rebounds averages are almost identical. But Hakeem dominated on the defensive ends, especially steals and blocks. Also, Hakeem can hits clutch shots when the game is on the line.

I'd say that Hakeem is better than KG, because he won 2 championships, and KG have never led a team to a championship, + Hakeem has a slight better advantage in stats!

I'd say that Hakeem is better than KG, because he won 2 championships, and KG have never led a team to a championship, + Hakeem has a slight better advantage in stats!

Although I do agree with everyone who says Hakeem, that is the stupidest way to compare two players.

4.59 Blocks Per Game (CH - 12)

That is just outrageous, scary too

more steals, more blocks makes hakeem win this. KG defense isn't as good as hakeem was

before we start, please don't bring the " hakeem has 2 rings therefore he's better than kg " argument in here.

I'd say that Hakeem is better than KG, because he won 2 championships

Do you have a mental illness?

Very very tough, and honestly I think its tough to compare them, apart from stats which just goes to Hakeem.
But as i said its tough to compare them as they have totally different game, and Hakeem is a Center and KG is a PF who can play SF.

Id rather have Hakeem on my team though....

before we start, please don't bring the " hakeem has 2 rings therefore he's better than kg " argument in here.

I'd say that Hakeem is better than KG, because he won 2 championships

Do you have a mental illness?

Nah, it's called incomprehension.

This shouldn't be a question, while KG is good, Hakeem definately takes this one.

He was a better scorer, he had 4 seasons over 26 PPG, while KG's high is 25 PPG. About an equal-better rebounder because KG has played along side fairly weak rebounders for the most part, but on any team is still an 11-12 RPG guy. Much superior defender, KG is good, but Hakeem is one of the best interior defenders EVER, and was great and a 2 time DPOY.

The only area he lacked in comparison to KG was passing, and he's no slouch as a passer himself. He was also a capable shooter from the outside, had range to three, was one of the quickest C's ever, and right there in athletic ability. He was a little quicker and stronger than KG while KG is faster and a higher jumper.

"Hakeem is the best center to ever play the game."

Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlin, 1997.

I have never seen the Dream play but looking at his defensive stats... they're quite huge. I think I would go with The Dream in his prime.. umm, wat's the Dream Shake? Can anyone describe it?

Dream-Shake is where Hakeem makes you his bitch....no wait, that's every move Hakeem does.

Basically, Hakeem has more bitches than Chamberlain apparently screwed.

His block and steal stats are unbelievable. His offense was exceptional, i mean you feel that if he wanted to he could of averaged 30ppg for his career. His D was OWNAGE.

Basically, there's never been a more complete big man than Hakeem....GOAT!!!!

I have to give this one to The Dream. Not only do his achievements fit the generally accepted criteria to be a superstar and all-time great, he was also a new breed of centre that was also true to the traditional form. He's incredibly versatile for a big man, he's got stats, he's got rings, he's got MVPs, he was a leader...and he could make some of the league's best athletes look clumsy with his incredible footwork and post moves.

KG is a great player, no doubt, but Hakeem's achievements and dominance at his position place him higher on the totem pole at this point. Mind you, it took Hakeem a decade to win his first NBA title so it's not as though KG can't rise in the unofficial "all-time player rankings".

can anyone tell me hakeem's career free throw shooting percentage please? aint in the mood to look, but just thought it be interesting to look at, if its high for a centre or if hes just like shaq at the charity stripe.

can anyone tell me hakeem's career free throw shooting percentage please? aint in the mood to look, but just thought it be interesting to look at, if its high for a centre or if hes just like shaq at the charity stripe.

Jaesus Christ, all you gotta do is open a new tab or window, type in, "www.google.com" and enter "Hakeem Olajuwon stats." You could've saved yourself time typing out this message and making yourself look like a damn fool. You owe me 30 seconds of my time.

can anyone tell me hakeem's career free throw shooting percentage please? aint in the mood to look, but just thought it be interesting to look at, if its high for a centre or if hes just like shaq at the charity stripe.

Jaesus Christ, all you gotta do is open a new tab or window, type in, "www.google.com" and enter "Hakeem Olajuwon stats." You could've saved yourself time typing out this message and making yourself look like a damn fool. You owe me 30 seconds of my time.

1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10...11...12...13...14...15...16...17...18...19...20...21...22...23...24...25...26...27...28...29...30 Done, time owed.

1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10...11...12...13...14...15...16...17...18...19...20...21...22...23...24...25...26...27...28...29...30 Done, time owed.

You sure love to live up to your name don't you?

I also have to agree with everyone that the Dream is better for the reasons stated above. But I prefer Garnett mainly because Hakeem screwed the Raptors' cap space over.....

can anyone tell me hakeem's career free throw shooting percentage please?

.712

Now give me your lunch, bitch!