Come on guys, do get your Clutch City I and II facts right. 1. Scott Brooks was on the first squad but didn't get much playing time. 2. McGrady? NO. 1. Vernon Maxwell 94 <object width="420" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ASxTyFlLYso?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ASxTyFlLYso?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object> 2. Clyde Drexler 95 <object width="420" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/j1tf28qahCo?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/j1tf28qahCo?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object> 3. Actually the main reason for Scott Brooks not playing was Cassell who was AMAZING in both playoff runs <object width="420" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KBJ8MfQKmQA?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KBJ8MfQKmQA?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object> Clutch City wasn't putting a bunch of dudes with fantastic stats (McGrady etc) on a team, it was CHEMISTRY, LOVE, TRUST, FIRE, and HEART. Besides that would NEVER WORK, Everyone on that Rockets squad knew that the best player and the offfense HAS TO RUN through HAKEEM. McGrady would not succumb to that strategy. There were no Egos. Only HEROES
Thorpe was part of the Drexler package. One title each ... Tough call between Drexler and TMac, Drexler helped get the second title whilst McGrady and Yao had the promise to lead the next great Rockets squad. On sheer impact I reluctantly chose TMac but it essentially. Ones down to regular season brilliance against superb support of Hakeem
It's not even close. The single greatest trade of all time was Houston sending nothing to San Diego in exchange for the Houston Rockets. :grin:
Trading Moses Malone so we could suck for a couple of years and get Hakeem in a coin flip would be up there...
In the future, the Chase Budinger for Terrence Jones trade will be the most historic in all of Rockets History!!
The barkley trade was pretty good even though we gave up cassel. People forget the rockets lost to the sonic 16 straight times. They lost every game to sonics from playoff game 7 in 93 until 97. When you're trying to win atitle, its tough to stay status quo when your biggest rival has beaten you 16 straight times. Not to mention they were a younger team and getting better.
I voted for the Scola trade but it was only because you left out possibly our biggest trade of all time which was for Barkley. I was shocked all to hell by that trade and for half a minute I hated it. Then I thought, but we have Barkley! And Houston Rockets basketball immediately got twice as fun to follow. And then Karl Malone put on his bear hug and Pippen dribbled the ball off his own foot (and laughed about it) and the trade was a bust. But that wasn't Barkley's fault. He's probably my all-time favorite Rocket. And his time with the team was definitely the peak of my fandom. More than when I went with my dad on season tickets to Moses Malone games, more than the champ years even. I was never a huge Drexler fan (I always felt shooters and even slashers were kind of a dime a dozen) but once the Big Sexy came around I frigging loved Houston Rockets basketball all over again. I miss those days.
Where did you get those stats from? The Rockets didn't lose 16 straight times to the Sonics since game 7 of 1993 WCSF. That being said, the Sonics had their number which was mainly on defense to the point where the Rockets couldn't score. The problem still was not Horry, it was the way Rudy T insisted on using him at the 4. It worked in the playoffs but he was and still is a SF. He could never bang with the big guys and didn't spend time in the post. We should've kept Herrera or traded for another PF without giving up Cassell. A starting line-up of Cassell, Drexler, Horry / Elie, new PF & Olajuwon would've worked. Just not giving up 2 starters for Barkley unless we would've brought in a good PG like Abdul-Rauf who was on his way out in Denver because of the anthem incident. There were other good PGs available but instead we went with some bad unproven ones who outside of a few good games, did nothing special. Also, the Sonics were beaten by the Nuggets in 1994 and the reason why was mainly because they had a lot of good bigs in LaPhonso Ellis, Brian Williams, Rogers & Mutombo + Pack was fearless and attacked the basket and amazingly shot well from three. We didn't have one solid big outside of Olajuwon since Horry lived outside the paint. Rogers, Williams & Laphonz were bangers and made the Sonics work hard on defense. We were lucky to beat the Sonics in 1997 and did it with just one extra big in Barkley. I think we could've beaten the Sonics in 96/97 if we had taken some young solid bigs and cheaper veterans like Brian Williams (Bison Dele) as well. Cassell would've been our Pack who was not afraid to attack the basket, put pressure on Payton and shoot the three. Plus with a solid back up, Kenny was injured and didn't like being replaced thus on his way out, in Abdul-Rauf we would've been able to imo.
Cannonball actually looked at this situation as a fact and that Tmac actually played incredibly well for Houston when he wasn't injured and carried this team when Yao was out. Clyde did well but he wasn't nearly as good as Tmac was in Houston. Most people here hate on Tmac just because they are bitter about the nasty breakup. But you haters have to know that Tmac was injured so he was never the same after. But when he was healthy in his first few years here, he was such a joy to watch. He brought entertainment and great times and bad times to the city of Houston. He carried us through that stretch when Yao was out to that 22 game win streak. But because he had a few bad moments at the end, people hate him to death for that. They seem to neglect the fact that he did a lot for Houston but instead find different ways to hate on him and call him She mac etc...
That ties into the original trade to get Malone as the best trade. He was a hall of fame player who led a bunch of Houston assets into the finals. As you pointed out, his subsequent trade to Philadelphia helped Houston land Hakeem.
Ask these guys about the Barkley trade: The fact is the Sonics owned us before and after the championships. In fact it could be argued that one of the major reasons the Rockets were able to win back to back titles was because Seattle was eliminated in the 1st round those years (by Denver and L.A.). That argument is bolstered by the fact that when we did meet up with the Sonics again, they SWEPT us. The Barkley trade was absolutely crucial to getting past Seattle. Furthermore, it got us to the conference finals where, save for a mugging by Malone, the Rockets may very well have made it back to the championship for a much anticipated match-up with MJ's Bulls.
I agree that the Barkley trade HAS to be included in the list and is one of the top 5 trades in the team's history. However, I write this to defend my choice, which was the trade for Francis. I know the Drexler trade led to a title (and that was my 2nd choice), but I am going with the Francis trade, not because of Francis as a player, but because of the overall impact it had on the franchise. Look at what we gave up for Francis -- none of those players were in an NBA rotation 2 seasons after that trade (well, Harrington was to some degree I think). Dickerson was talented, but his career was destroyed by injuries. Without the Francis trade the TMac trade never would have been possible. Without the Francis trade the Rockets would have had one less all star point guard for about 10 straight years.
Absolutely, it's an insult to ROCKET FANS not to include this trade regardless what side of the fence you are on. It was absolutely major, it changed the dynamics of the NBA history FOREVER. Robert ended with a bunch of rings. Sam Cassell ended up changing crap franchises into winners. The Rockets beat the Sonics. Don't blame Barkley for the WCF, our weakness was PG. Who saw in their crystal ball that Shawn Kemp would get fat and have hundreds of kids?
George Karl was probably the only coach in the NBA at the time that could frustrate Hakeem by mixing up defenses (i.e. Playing an illegal zone). The Sonics were the best at it. Barkley did help, but I didn't love the trade at the time.
there's not even a debate here. Moses Malone hands down!!!!!!!!!!!!! Next time you put a "fun" list like this you might do a little more research.
