Hakeem Olajuwon

There are those who believe the New York Knicks shoul trade Patrick Ewing for a bushel of players and draft choices and start over.Be advised that David Checketts is not among you. In fact, Ewing's presence, and the challenge of appeasing the Knick center's lofty salary demands -- while finally getting the club under the salary cap at the same time -- appealed greatly to a person looking for higher mountains to climb."

Hakeem Olajuwon had been in a thoughtful, analytical state for about 20 minutes. He was the only player left in the Houston Rockets' locker room after a recent home game, and he had been calmly discussing the differences among the National Basketball Association's blue-blood centers -- the New York Knicks' Patrick Ewing, San Antonio Spurs' David Robinson and, of course, himself.Finally, Olajuwon no longer could sit. The subject demanded animation. He bolted to his feet and began an impressive show-and-tell session.