Like your mother always told you: Never trust the word of a man wearing a taco suit.
Seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry showed up on ESPN's "The Jump" on Monday with a take 20 times hotter than the spiciest taco sauce.
He was talking about how his mid-1990s Rockets title teams could have beaten the Bulls, even if Michael Jordan was on the team, citing Chicago's inability to guard Hakeem Olajuwon. That wasn't the opinion that got everyone fired up, however. What got him in trouble came at the end of his explanation.
"They had nobody that could guard Dream (Olajuwon's nickname)," Horry said. "They had nobody that could guard Dream. I'm gonna say that twice because Dream was just that dominant. When we played San Antonio one time, Tim [Duncan] was killing me on the block, and [then-Lakers coach] Phil [Jackson] refused to double-team Tim to get the ball out of his hands. And Dream is 20 times better than Tim Duncan."
The throw-away line at the end solicited expected "oohs" and "aahs" from the panel, which included Rachel Nichols and former NBA players Paul Pierce and Stephen Jackson. When pushed on the subject, Horry offered analysis to back up his bold claim.
"I played with both. I know the work ethic of both. I've seen it live," Horry said. "I've seen these two guys in the gym. I know what Dream brought to practice and I know what Tim brought to practice. I know Tim brought work ethic to practice, but to be a superstar you need to go to the extra level -- not saying Tim's not a superstar, but I'm saying what Dream brought to the game was amazing, and I don't think people understand how good Olajuwon was.
"I always tell people, you judge a player on what they cannot do. Who would you want at the free throw line at the end of the game, Dream or Tim Duncan? You gonna go with 85 percent or you gonna go with 70 percent from the free throw line? ... You don't want Tim on the free throw line at the end of the game if you're down. You do not want him on the free throw line."
Yeah, the argument kind of fell apart there at the end. I love Olajuwon as much as the next guy, probably more than most, but saying he's 20 times better than Tim Duncan is just absurd. And then to use the rationale that it's because Olajuwon is better at free throws?
For their careers they were basically identical shooters from the free-throw line (Olajuwon shot 71 percent to Duncan's 70), and it was virtually the same in the playoffs (Olajuwon 72 percent, Duncan 69 percent). Not sure what math Horry is using where that makes Olajuwon 20 times better.
Either Horry has an ax to grind with Duncan -- he supposedly never liked the "Big Shot Bob" nickname that Duncan bestowed upon him -- or he's just spewing hot takes to try to get some publicity for Taco Bell. Either way his argument makes no sense and should be dismissed without further thought.
