We know Hakeem Olajuwon has become the Pai Mei of low-post mentorship. He helped LeBron James develop a low-post presence before he became an NBA champion, he’s helping Dwight Howard in Houston and he’d like a crack at helping Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin, too. But now he’s set his teaching sites on…Jeremy Lin?
Mark Berman of the Fox Sports in Houston, sent out a series of tweets, and spoke with Dream during a recent excursion to Aspen about his work with, not just Dwight, but the 6-3 point guard from Harvard, Jeremy Lin. Olajuwon joined Rockets head coach Kevin McHale in Colorado to oversee the training of Dwight Howard and Jeremy Lin. He was impressed with both, but the Lin post moves were a revelation.
Hakeem Olajuwon on working with Jeremy Lin for the 1st time: "He has a nice post move. I said 'how come you are not using that in a game?' "
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) September 18, 2013
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Olajuwon on Jeremy Lin:"I was told Jeremy's very strong. If he's stronger than a guy,take him in the post.The post is not just for big men"
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) September 18, 2013
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Not only does Olajuwon believe Lin can take smaller guards in the post, but after witnessing him shoot in Aspen, he believes Lin’s struggles with his shooting accuracy are hooey and were unfairly trumped up because of the hype surrounding his 2012 season in New York.
“The first thing I told [Lin] when I saw him shooting, you hear from different people, a lot of them say he cannot shoot. So I went to him and I said ‘I thought you can’t shoot,’ because the way he was shooting, I was very impressed. He was working on his shot. He was shooting tough shots and was making them.
“So I went to him (and said) I thought you can’t shoot and he was laughing. He really has been working on his shot and I love his work ethic.”
Olajuwon also thinks the addition Howard this summer — combined with James Harden — will take pressure off Jeremy to perform to a supernatural degree after he burst onto the scene with the Knicks in 2012.
“To be on the right team, which he is right now, he can really help and play his role very well and be effective,” Olajuwon said. “There’s no pressure on him now.
“It’s on Dwight and James (Harden). His position is crucial for the team’s success and he can play that role very well.”
While in Aspen, Olajuwon was also evaluating and working with the Rockets’ acclaimed free agent acquisition this summer, D-12. He took time to praise Dwight’s game and correct recent stories saying he’d called Dwight’s game raw — which he felt were unfair and taken out of context.
“Dwight can clearly dominate this league comfortably,” Olajuwon said. “He has everything that he needs and he has desire and work ethic to do it.”
[…]
Olajuwon took time out to “correct” quotes that were recently attributed to him in a story where he reportedly said Howard is “raw.”
“That was insulting,” Olajuwon said. “The guy’s been in the league for 10 years. Every time I work with him, I see him train, I’m more impressed to see how much talent and how far he can take it.
“So how can you say that kind of player is raw. I was very upset because that was insulting to me and to Dwight.”
Olajuwon also believes Kevin McHale can help Dwight since Dream and the lanky former Celtic used to battle each other back in their playing days (e.g., the 1986 Finals).
“Getting the chance to work with [McHale] now, I’m even more impressed because of his communication with the players and also tremendous respect that he’s been there.
“He’s a good teacher. He’s a good communicator. He’s a demanding guy who knows he can win and he’s a winner and that attitude carries over.”
The mastermind behind the current Rockets roster, GM Daryl Morey, recently told MaD Radio (via Eye on Basketball) the Rockets are still chasing at least three other teams in the league, and they’re not yet among the top-top teams:
“I think there are probably at least three teams better than us if not more,” Morey said about the chances of winning a championship this season. “Until you’re going into a season felling like you are the top one or two I think it’s, and we haven’t really accomplished anything, I think it’s hard to talk about ‘hey we’re one of the favorites to win the championship.’ But I do think we go in with a chance, where as we haven’t in the last few years.”
We’d probably put the Rockets below the the Heat, Thunder and Spurs, but right there with the Pacers, Bulls and Nets in the East and even with Memphis, the Clippers and Golden State in the West (obviously more on this later). But Morey is right that they’re not yet one of the favorites for a spot in the Finals. According to Olajuwon though, that might all change soon.
A lot of where Houston ranks league-wide hinges on Dwight. Is his back still bothering him after the surgery last offseason? Is he happy and enjoying the game again? Is he committed to improving those aspects of his game critics have pointed to when they castigate his recent production (free throw shooting, footwork in the post)? Only time will tell, but if Howard brings the same defensive ferocity he did while leading Orlando to the 2009 NBA Finals, that puts Houston right in the middle of the title discussion — regardless of Morey’s self-effacing words.
[MyFoxHouston; h/t Michael Pina]
What do you think about Lin developing his post game and the Rockets’ title chances next season?
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