I for one would have enjoyed watching Steve and Cat leave it all on the court than Mclazy half step it. The years would have been more enjoyable, playoffs or not.
They would have got married and adopted a couple of kids. It was close to happening (allegedly) but to much pressure from the outside and how the NBA would perceive its first openly gay couple.
You mean a healthy Mobley + Francis + Yao. Yao would never leave under any scenario. Last season of Steve/Cat/Yao http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/HOU/2004_games.html 45-37, Finished 5th in NBA Midwest Division (Schedule and Results) Coach: Jeff Van Gundy (45-37) Playoffs: Lost NBA Western Conference First Round (4-1) versus Los Angeles Lakers
If JVG never was the coach of the rockets, then both could never left, but Tmac was still better than those two, we would not have a better result with Steve and Cuttino although they both played very hard.
We would have gotten out of the 1st round much sooner. We would have been no worse than the MeMac era Rocket River
I don't understand the poll options. You say If Steve and Cuttino never left ... and then three of the option have one or both leaving.