Mutombo disses Isiah Thomas and claims he may not be ready to retire.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Rockets, NBA pay tribute to Mutombo tonight
Finger might wag at retiring

By FRAN BLINEBURY
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
March 25, 2008, 11:27PM

They were going to hold a retirement party for Dikembe Mutombo tonight at Toyota Center.

Except he won't stop.

Last year when Yao Ming broke his leg, Mutombo picked his venerable body up off the bench and helped the Rockets hold their season together with a 20-12 record.

Last month, when Yao went down again with a stress fracture in his left foot, Mutombo, 41, stepped up once more, and the Rockets have remained in the hot playoff race with 12 wins in 15 games.

"He's done more for us than I would ever have expected," said coach Rick Adelman. "I can't think about next year. I'm sure he'll decide when it's time."

That time keeps getting pushed back over the horizon every time Mutumbo steps onto the court, blocks a shot, wags his finger, grabs a rebound and lopes down the floor with unbridled glee.

Senior citizen
The NBA's oldest player said back in training camp that this — his 17th — would be his final NBA season.

But now, with the Rockets and the NBA planning a halftime tribute during tonight's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he's not so sure.

"It is a celebration of Dikembe Mutombo's career as it's getting close to saying goodbye to the game," Mutombo said, laughing. "Am I putting it correctly or not?"

NBA commissioner David Stern and Rockets owner Leslie Alexander will honor the league's second-leading shot-blocker of all time and its foremost humanitarian. The Rockets will present Mutombo with an oil painting that depicts many of the key moments in his career, and Alexander will make a $500,000 donation to the Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital and Research Center, the 300-bed hospital named after his late mother that he built in his hometown of Kinshasha, Democratic Republic of Congo. Each fan will be given a commemorative foam finger in honor of his trademark finger wag after a blocked shot.

"I think it's a good ceremony and a great effort on behalf of the Rockets organization to dedicate a special night for me and the (17) years of my career," Mutombo said. "It seems like a long journey.

"I'm feeling like I've been invited to another State of the Union. I didn't think the commissioner was going to come."

Neither did Mutombo think he would get to this point in the season and still be feeling the pull of his teammates, the front office and the game he loves to return for another season.

"People are trying to get me to say, 'OK, I'm coming back,' " Mutombo said. "I don't want to say that right now.

"I want to play this year and go home. If I change my mind, I'll let you know. At some point, I have to come to the decision that I'm going to walk away from this game. If it doesn't happen today or tomorrow, someday it has to happen."

After one season with New York in 2003-04, Mutombo was told by then-general manager and now head coach of the Knicks Isiah Thomas that the day had come, and that blunt message has driven him for the past four years.

Wounded by Thomas
"It's still a wound," Mutombo said. "My wife and I still talk about it. It's still a bit sad to see the commissioner coming and all those people coming to celebrate the 17 years of my career and accomplishments and you look back and say that about (four) years ago, I had a guy tell me that I couldn't play basketball no more, to go to the beach and onto vacation. That's the same guy who's losing his job tomorrow.

"I never said nothing (to Thomas)," Mutombo said. "The last time we played at the Garden (Jan. 9), my wife asked me to go shake his hand, to just forgive him. I went and shook his hand and I told him, 'On behalf of my wife, I want to shake your hand and I forgive you for everything you've done to me.'

"He said, 'Tell your wife I said thank you so much.' That was the way to put it behind me.

"I think it helped me a lot. You might not be appreciated by everyone. But you have to fight your own war."

The Knicks traded his rights to Chicago in August 2004 and one month later he came to the Rockets, where he quickly became beloved.

"What can you get the man who could be the reincarnation of Mother Teresa," teammate Shane Battier said. "I don't think there is anything we could give him to signify how much we love him as a teammate and how much he means to the NBA. Honestly.

Hibernation over
"What he is doing is miraculous. Almost an old bear waking up from hibernation after a long winter's sleep and coming out and running up and down the court like a young bear again. I don't really think anybody expected him to repeat his success after Yao went down last year."

In a league and sport where offense is the focus of most attention, Mutombo carved out his career at the other end of the floor.

"I want to be remembered as one of the greatest defensive players to ever play this game," he said. "Right now, as we talk about it, I see myself falling into that class with Bill Russell, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, (Patrick) Ewing, (Alonzo) Mourning, David Robinson, Gary Payton and all those guys that were considered being a stopper. I feel like I'm in that class.

"There will be kids coming into the NBA that want to follow the footsteps of Dikembe Mutombo — being a great shot-blocker and a great defender."

There might also be kids coming into the NBA in another year or two who get to learn from him firsthand.

"Knowing him and knowing his heart," Battier said, "it's going to be very, very, very difficult for him to sign his retirement papers when the time comes."

If it ever does.

[7even]

I consider Isiah a terrible person. Anyone who talks shit about him gains sympathy from me.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

He wasn't like this in his playing days...

[MontrealCity's Most]

Yeah ISah sounds like a dick

[Citizen-Y]

"I never said nothing (to Thomas)," Mutombo said. "The last time we played at the Garden (Jan. 9), my wife asked me to go shake his hand, to just forgive him. I went and shook his hand and I told him, 'On behalf of my wife, I want to shake your hand and I forgive you for everything you've done to me.'

"He said, 'Tell your wife I said thank you so much.' That was the way to put it behind me.

Mutombo is truly a great person and one that we should all model ourselves after.

[thisoneguy360]

Yeah ISah sounds like a dick

[jeromechickenbone]

I'm gonna miss Isiah.  He single handedly turned the knicks into the most dysfunctional team in the nba. 

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

"I never said nothing (to Thomas)," Mutombo said. "The last time we played at the Garden (Jan. 9), my wife asked me to go shake his hand, to just forgive him. I went and shook his hand and I told him, 'On behalf of my wife, I want to shake your hand and I forgive you for everything you've done to me.'

"He said, 'Tell your wife I said thank you so much.' That was the way to put it behind me.

Mutombo is truly a great person and one that we should all model ourselves after.

I met Mutombo, and he came off as a cocky prick...I know he's done some great things, but I'd say modeling ourselves after him is going a bit too far.

[Eddz]

 It's crazy (in a good way) that Mutombo is still playing, he is the last from that era to still be playing.

[OG Hack Wilson]

"I never said nothing (to Thomas)," Mutombo said. "The last time we played at the Garden (Jan. 9), my wife asked me to go shake his hand, to just forgive him. I went and shook his hand and I told him, 'On behalf of my wife, I want to shake your hand and I forgive you for everything you've done to me.'

"He said, 'Tell your wife I said thank you so much.' That was the way to put it behind me.

Mutombo is truly a great person and one that we should all model ourselves after.

I met Mutombo, and he came off as a cocky prick...I know he's done some great things, but I'd say modeling ourselves after him is going a bit too far.

how long did you meet him? did you get to ask him anything?

he mustve TOWERED over you (i assume your not 7 feet tall)

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

"I never said nothing (to Thomas)," Mutombo said. "The last time we played at the Garden (Jan. 9), my wife asked me to go shake his hand, to just forgive him. I went and shook his hand and I told him, 'On behalf of my wife, I want to shake your hand and I forgive you for everything you've done to me.'

"He said, 'Tell your wife I said thank you so much.' That was the way to put it behind me.

Mutombo is truly a great person and one that we should all model ourselves after.

I met Mutombo, and he came off as a cocky prick...I know he's done some great things, but I'd say modeling ourselves after him is going a bit too far.

how long did you meet him? did you get to ask him anything?

he mustve TOWERED over you (i assume your not 7 feet tall)

He just came off as a cocky jerk. I saw him briefly visiting Versaces house in Florida when Versace got shot...and yea, he's pretty damn tall.