Hakeem: KP is a dream
HOUSTON — Hakeem Olajuwon is now a Rockets advisor who has expressed interest in an ownership stake. So the Nigerian great no longer can run his post skills school where he once hosted Amar’e Stoudemire as a Knick.
Nevertheless, Olajuwon said he would love to work with 7-foot-3 Kristaps Porzingis but, frankly, the retired Rockets superstar doesn’t think he needs much help. Porzingis already has dabbled in attempting the “Dream Shake’’ earlier this season.
“I think [he makes it] easy,’’ Olajuwon said. “He’s very skilled, very smart. The height he has the advantage in the post. The guy that got skill in the post game, he’s already amazing. It gets much easier for him.”
Olajuwon missed the chance to see Porzingis live Saturday as he sat out the Rockets game at Toyota Center with back stiffness. Porzingis’ improvement this season has been his post game — more in the mid- post than deep inside.
“Everyone can always get stronger,’’ Olajuwon said. “But he’s fantastic, always plays with confidence, has a lot of moves, shooting 3’s. I think the post game is most important because of his length. He’s so skilled he can do whatever he wants on the floor.”
Porzingis said he has watched a lot of film of Olajuwon, who beat the Knicks to win the NBA title in 1994, across the years. “I’ve tried the Dream Shake, but I wouldn’t say I can do it like him,’’ Porzingis said. “Not close.’’
Facing Chris Paul, Frank Ntilikina had a rough time offensively, shooting 1of-4, making a 3-pointer. He was a team-worst minus-27 in 16 minutes.
The Knicks are shooting 48 percent at the Garden — 44.5 percent on the road. The biggest disparity by player is sixth man Doug McDermott, who is at 50 percent shooting at home and 37.4 percent away from MSG.
Knicks rookie shooting guard Damyean Dotson got 50 tickets for the game for friends and family for his Houston return. Dotson is a Houston native and played at the University of Houston. He said when the schedule came out, the first thing he did was search for the game in Houston. In 10 minutes of fourth-quarter action Saturday, Dotson scored 2 points, shooting 1-of-3. In the first game against Houston at the Garden Nov. 1, Dotson scored nine points, making 4-of-5 shots.
Courtney Lee followed up his 26-point outing Friday in Atlanta with 17 points, but just 2 in the second half. He’s averaging career-highs in several categories this season, logging 12.3 points per game. “We just ran out of juice,’’ Lee said.
Incredibly, the Rockets have won 24 of the last 26 meetings against the Knicks and five straight.