HOUSTON -- The Houston Rockets discussed trading Hakeem Olajuwon to the Toronto Raptors but ruled out a deal, coach Rudy Tomjanovich said Tuesday.
"Any deal involving Hakeem Olajuwon would be very hard for me
to make," Tomjanovich said. "I have an emotional attachment to him and that's the
way it is."
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Olajuwon appeared on the Fox Network program "The Last Word"
Tuesday and said he would consider retirement if he was traded, but
felt good after talking with Tomjanovich.
"I've been in Houston 19 years and I don't see myself being
anywhere else," Olajuwon said. "That is something that when you
get to that bridge, you have to cross."
Olajuwon is accustomed to hearing offseason rumors, but the
latest trade talk surprised him.
"People were calling the house early this morning to find out
what was going on," Olajuwon said. "I am happy because I talked
to coach Rudy Tomjanovich, and we have a great relationship.
"We had an open conversation. If anything is done, it will be
done the right way."
The Houston Chronicle and Toronto Sun reported Tuesday that the
teams were discussing a trade for the star center. The deal
reportedly involved Kevin Willis, Doug Christie and two first-round draft picks.
"I approached Houston and inquired about his availability, but
they said no," Raptors general manager Glen Grunwald said Tuesday
from Toronto.
Sources close to the talks said discussions started about two
weeks ago, the Chronicle reported. Negotiations became more serious
Sunday and Monday, the sources said.
Olajuwon, 36, is Houston's most-celebrated athlete,
ranking with Nolan Ryan and Earl Campbell. In his 15 years with the
Rockets, Olajuwon led the team to NBA championships in 1994 and 1995.
The thought of sending Olajuwon elsewhere was unthinkable to
many in Houston.
"No. No. No. Not now. Not ever," Houston Chronicle columnist
Fran Blinebury wrote Tuesday. "If you trade Hakeem, you end the
dream, the fantasy, that has been his truly remarkable 15-year NBA
career and our ride to the most wonderful places with him."
By dealing Olajuwon, Houston would have started a rebuilding
process following consecutive first-round playoff losses.
A deal for Olajuwon would have a bearing on Charles Barkley's future. He
is considering retirement and said he wanted to return only if he
thought the Rockets were title contenders.
The deal reportedly would have involved Willis, who played
two seasons with the Rockets before he was traded to Toronto last
June for Roy Rogers and two first-round draft picks. Willis, 36,
averaged 12 points and 8.3 rebounds last season.
The reports said Houston also would have gotten swingman
Christie, 29, who played 3½ seasons for the Lakers and Knicks
before spending the last three seasons in Toronto.