On BSPN they are allowing everyone to choose the best players ever from every team to create the best starting lineup of the franchise. What would your starting line up be? Mine was C-Olajuwon PF- Elvin Hayes SF- Rudy Tomjanovich SG- Clyde Drexler PG- Calvin Murphy WOW!!!!!! http://espn.go.com/espn/greatestteam/index/_/teamId/5556939/the-greatest-rockets-team-all-time
I'd somehow get Moses on the team. Depth wise - we'd dominate just about any other team up front. I remember they did one of these "tournaments" with all time teams on ESPN or CNNSI a while back. I'm pretty sure they had the rockets as the 3rd best all-time team behind the Lakers and Celtics, because of our big man depth.
Center - Dream PF - Malone SF - Elvin Hayes...taking liberties but hey its my list and he has to be on it. SG - Clyde PG - Maloney....JUST KIDDING....Murphy 2nd team Center - Yao PF - OT...I would pick Ralph but dam those injuries. SF - Rick Barry SG - TMAC not McGrady PG - Francis
At the 5, Dream and Moses with Ralph/Yao getting honorable mention. The Big E at the PF with OT getting credit too. Rudy T was a 3/4. I'll take him as my swingman with Sweet Lew LLoyd getting some run. Calvin was more of a SG than point. Along with him would of course be Clyde. Up top I have to go with John Lucas and Sam I Am.
I hate how they have predetermined choices for every position. I would have rather played TMac at the 3.
Consider the prime of all these players, C-Olajuwon PF- Moses Malone SF- Elvin Hayes SG- Clyde Drexler PG- Calvin Murphy
The ESPN list is terrible. They have Kenny Smith as a choice for SG instead of Maxwell. The problem with that is Kenny never played SG.
McGrady at SG - Sorry Clyde. This isn't a Blazers or a UH roster Lucas at PG - Better distributor than Murphy, gotta move the ball around with 4 scorers on the court.
People are voting more for Drexler because of his championship year. He was at his best with the Blazers. Contrary to popular belief, Tmac with the Rockets (Early) = Tmac with the Magic. The Tmac fans don't understand that he had better players with the Rockets even though it's the same result in the playoffs, they didn't need him to jack up a billion shots (which the tmac fans want).
Kenny played PG not SG. Whoever is voting for Francis instead of Lucas must have never seen Lucas play. Murph and Francis were both shoot first PGs but Lucas was probably the best pure PG the Rockets have ever had. A true floor general.
hakeem - obviously OT - because he fits with hakeem and my fav Horry - again, fits with hakeem as an outside threat and very clutch Clyde Lucas -Not Calvin because there's only one ball... I looked at it less as an all-star team and more as a team that would win
If the question was who was more talented, then TMAC but GOAT is more then just talent thus Clyde gets my vote. Championship heart seprates the great players from GOAT IMO plus I believe his FG%, 3 point %, APG and RPG where all better as a Rocket.
PG - Murphy (HOF) SG - Drexler (HOF) SF - McGrady (MVP candidate in prime) PF - Moses (HOF, really a center but can't not include him) C - Hakeem (duh)
C- Yao (7'6 changes shots and Yao is high percentage shooter) F- Malone (no explanation needed) F- Hakeem (out of position but quick enough to guard other SF and dominate) SG- Drexler PG- Tmac (handles, shot, drive, pass. as much as i dislike him, he was a beast) who's gonna stop a backcourt of McGrady and Clyde? not to mention a front court of Yao, Moses, and Hakeem would create mismatches for any opponent offense or defensively.
