Good Luck to Big Brother...Wishing him a speedy
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Friday, 16 March 01

Olajuwon says health to determine if he comes back

HOUSTON (AP) - Hakeem Olajuwon, his season ended
prematurely by a blood disorder, said his health would
determine whether he returns to the NBA next year.

``My position from the beginning of the season was to
play out this year and look at all the options and
make a decision,'' the Houston Rockets center said
Thursday. ``What's important is how realistic is my
health. Can this be corrected? To the doctor,
this is nothing new, other people have this symptom
and can be corrected.''

Olajuwon, in the final year of his contract, also did
not rule out returning to the Rockets for a 17th
season. He will undergo six months of treatment for
what doctors said Thursday was a blood clot in his
lower left leg.

``I've been here in the old uniform and the new
uniform,'' Olajuwon said. ``The most important thing
is I like the chemistry that we had before the injury.
Everybody felt comfortable, the coaches, the
teammates.

``This is my home, it is the ideal situation.''

His physician, Dr. James Muntz, said Olajuwon has been
responding well to medication.

``I expect him to do excellent with treatment and
expect him to have full recovery and come back,''
Muntz said. `` I'm not sure about this year but for
sure he'll be able to play next year and
longer if he wants to.''

Olajuwon, who grew up playing soccer in his native
Nigeria and took up basketball at the University of
Houston, redefined the center position in the NBA with
his spin moves and athleticism and led the Rockets to
a pair of championships in the mid 1990s.

His contract, which pays him $16.5 million this year,
expires with the end of the season and it was unlikely
the Rockets would offer him, at 38, another similarly
lucrative deal to return although his play had
improved tremendously in weeks preceding disclosure of
his ailment.

The Rockets have said they would not close the door on
his return.

Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said Thursday
that Olajuwon remained a viable center in the NBA and
refused to concede he had played his last game with
the team.

``I don't want to think about that,'' he said. ``I
kind of want to get him back.''

A week ago, he left a game in Atlanta with what was
described as a calf problem. Doctors isolated the
blood disorder Monday and prescribed a blood thinner
called coumadin. The medication, however, raises the
possibility of hemorrhaging if he gets banged
around on the court so doctors have refused to clear
him to play.

Olajuwon, the overall top pick in the 1984 draft, was
the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 1994, when he became
the only player to ever win honors as MVP, Defensive
Player of the Year and MVP of the NBA Finals.

He is the Rockets' all-time leader in nearly all
categories, including games, points, free throws,
rebounds, steals and minutes.

Olajuwon averaged 11.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.55
blocks in 49 games this year. Last week he scored a
season-high 27 points at Dallas and in a game last
month had 20 rebounds against Washington.

For his career, he has averaged 23 points and nearly
12 rebounds per game. In the playoffs, his average is
almost 27 points and more than 11 rebounds.

``I have to go into the mindset this summer if I'm
playing next year,'' Olajuwon said. ``You have to have
a goal so you can shoot for it: what kind of
condition, how you want to play, do you just want to
play or want to play and dominate?''

As for reports that indicated he had played his last
game, he replied: ``I think they've ben doing that for
three years.

``Nobody likes to go out with an injury, but if that's
the case, just be grateful for all the good years
you've had.''







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