Hold the "are you crazy" comments please...which SUPPORTING CAST is better the old school rockets or our current team? Which team do you think would play more efficiently without their stars?? It's to easy to say old school is better but take out the dream factor and t-mac and yao (if you guys wanna call t-mac a star) then make your decision.
Not neccesarily. The old rockets were heavily dependent on Hakeem. Their primary offense was the in and out. We proved to be a contender even without Tracey. I don't think its that black and white.
it is black and white. when hakeem got hurt during the Don Chaney era, the Rockets broke out some 11 game winning streak with Kenny Smith and Otis Thorpe running an unstoppable pick and roll. Every Yao fan's favorite, Larry Smith turned into a rebounding machine. sorry, but you need to take Rockets 101. And this was BEFORE HORRY OR CASSELL. In 1994, When the Rockets down 0-2 going to Phoenix in a must win game, it was Vernon Maxwell who dropped 31 points on the Suns. That had nothing to do with Dream. You honestly thing Aaron Brooks is better than Sam Cassell? The Sam Cassell who can post up smaller guards and has a superior mid range jumper. You think Rafer is a better PG than Kenny Smith? Kenny has the highest 3pt% in Rockets history. He shot 60% 3pt % against the Jazz. You think any of our players can be as versatile as Robert Horry? A guy who can play the 3 or 4, block shots, get steals, and hit game winning shots in the playoffs? Sorry. Not even close. the 94 Team had Dream, Otis Thorpe, and Horry, Everybody over 6-10 And Carl Herrera off the bench So ask your dad or mom about the 94 95 Rockets and they can probably tell you the same thing.
I was thinking the same thing. It wouldn't even be close. Their role players would actually step up and do something tangible. Horry cut to the basket and smashes over someone. OT rolling to the basket and finishing with the 1 hand dunk. What is shane going to do? What about Rafer and Scola. Gimme a break.
I bet Aaron Brooks or Rafer can't even do this <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vwiDrew67GA&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vwiDrew67GA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
Thanks a lot, tinman, for taking the fun out of this unimportant debate and ending it early for the rest of us, sir. MR. MEAN! 20 REBOUNDS!!!! Unbelievable.
Some people underestimate how GOOD Otis Thorpe was, the Maxwell's etc. These were players that were very good at something and they fulfilled their roles very well. They may have not been as talented but they played VERY well collectively and played their roles very well.
An assist from T_Man to Tinman... <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aWGuUwjS4Pc&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aWGuUwjS4Pc&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
ya know, i don't think this topic has ever been brought up. That dunk that Kenny did, kids do that with ease. I guess in that time, it was great. The only person on this Rockets bench that could b**** slap anyone on the 90s Rocket is... Ron Artest.
I know I'll get flamed for this but it's not black and white.. Are Yao and Artest "supporting cast"? If so, then I think you may have to give the nod to the current roster. Of course, they haven't won anything yet but I don't think the 94 team would have come close to contending without Hakeem. I guess the comparison would be the current team without TMac versus the 94-95 team without Hakeem. With illegal defenses, I think Yao would have been a lot more dominant back then. Either way it's pretty close and of course, the current team still has to prove they can actually win something. Also, while the 94 team was loaded with clutch guys, this year's team is a lot more questionable.
Sorry, y'all, but tinman's right. Don't count out OT -- the dude was a BEAST. If you don't remember, go check out the Clutch City tapes or the 1994 NBA Finals DVDs. The guys was CRAZY good, and I remember yelling out (with my sister), "Ooooooooooooooooooh Teeeeeeeeeeeeee!" whenever he did something great. And he did. Horry, when he wanted to turn it on, could turn it ON. The guy could throw down better than anyone on the team (besides OT), nail the 3, and put nails in opposing coffins. Again, go watch the old Clutch City tapes. You'll see what I'm talking about. Mad Max, despite all his (numerous) shortcomings, was a freaking hero to every Rockets fan back then. As kids (I was 10), we used to take pride in all of the following: 1.) Mad Max was crazier than Charles Barkley, 2.) Mad Max could hit a 3 from anywhere on the court, and 3.) he was freaking UNSTOPPABLE from the corner in NBA Jam. tinman, don't forget Kenny Smith setting a new 3pt record for the Rockets. The Rockets could feel comfortable giving the ball up to Kenny with Maxwell on the bench. I went to his basketball camp 3 times. And the guy could shoot 3s all day. When Mad Max basically quit on the team after Clyde arrived, they had Sam Cassell. Sam is one of the best midrange shooters in the past 15 years. Period. What more do I need to say? And that was only 95. Carl Herrera was a quality backup C. Pete Chilcutt and Chris Jent got some quality minutes in 94, and Air Bull got a few in 95. They had a coach who could do crazy things to win (What? We have a great record when Scottie Brooks and Mario Elie play 4 minutes of every 4th quarter? I'm doing it EVERY GAME!), unlike the current Rockets coach (as much as I love the guy). The best bench guys on the Rockets now are Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry. Carl Landry is what Robert Horry would be like if he couldn't shoot the 3 and wasn't as fast. If Landry was about twice as strong and an inch taller (though I think his height is fudged taller by an inch), he'd be Otis Thorpe. Except just not as good. I think the best way to describe OT to people is Scolandry + athleticism. Fact is, the 94 Rockets without Hakeem could easily go DEEP into the playoffs today. You have 2 extremely quality PFs, 3 deadly 3pt shooters, and a couple of serviceable Cs. And multiple players who can just TAKE OVER in the playoffs. Sounds a lot like Dallas in 05... EDIT: Holy crap. I hardly mentioned Mario Elie. Dude was Chuck Hayes with a little less D and a little more 3. In other words, yup, he was a poor man's Ron Artest.
Man don't forget Mad Max played DEFENSE. We had Mad Max on Jordan, NO DOUBLE TEAM. yes we didn't DOUBLE team the greatest SG of all time. That's how freaking good he was on defense. On top of that Mario Elie was a good defender too. And the MOST IMPORTANT thing, everyone knew their role and every can confidence in each other that they could hit the game winner. Something I can't say about the Rockets in the last several years. Even Drexler knew his role and he knows that the DREAM is option #1.
That and the fact that he was MENTALLY UNSTABLE!!!!! Crazy as Jack Nicholson in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"
Nobody on today's team can palm the ball like OT. On a fast break, his left hand would never touch the ball. Every forward on today's team would be shrugged off by OT as a nuisance. OT took on the Knicks' thugolicious front line and manhandled them enough to allow Dream to do his thing. Rockets don't beat the Knicks without OT doing yeoman's work on the weak side. And don't forget how he could run the floor. Thorpe was a man.