I don't even think Hayes belongs in the same discussion as Yao personally. At least not during his career as a Rocket. Keep in mind Hayes prime was spent elsewhere. And by the time he came back to the Rockets he was already nearly done.
I think you're too careful with your words. We can confidently say that Harden is a Harden Only Fan without any reservations.
Nice list, but I'd have it like this: Moses Big E Sampson Yao Otis I give Ralph points for what he accomplished while he was healthy. Getting to the Finals is a big deal.
1. Hakeem 2. Moses 3. Elvin Hayes 4. Sampson - short but sweet, he brought the Rockets back on the map of relevance with Hakeem 5. Yao - great player, greater man 6. Rudy T - people forget how good he was as a player 7. Otis - championship staple, but not a legit superstar Hopefully in a couple years, we can add Dwight above Sampson at number 4 (which would mean we have won a ring or two)
Random thoughts: At their peak, offensively Yao. On creativity, Sampson. The best winning player, Moses (he wasn't sexy, just effective). I also liked OT's large hands go to work. Barkley surprised me. I didn't realize the mental part of his game was so developed until he played for us. He was beast. He often says he wasn't that good when he played for the Rockets, but I argue he was primed to win. He lost all that cockiness that prevented him from winning earlier in his career. The Rockets would have gotten to the Finals if KJ were running the point(as he was available), but for some odd reason the Rockets stuck with Maloney. It was easy to see that those late 90s teams were missing dribble penetration (as Cassell wasn't there anymore) but for some reason it was lost on management that picking up KJ would put them over the top. As far as perimeter players go, the most talented physically and skills-wise was T-mac. The most effective was Drexler because he had a more gladiator mentality and his body could take on rough-playoff-play a little better. The most razzle-dazzle handles--Steve Francis. The most sound with the ball--Rafer Alston, surprisingly. I liked watching Sleepy play but he's not in the conversation. I liked Maxwell for his toughness and clutchness. Purvis Short was the secret of the NBA. He was on his last legs, but he was so fun to watch shoot. The highest arching shot of all NBA history (somebody can correct me if I'm wrong). Another gunner for hire, World B. Free was on his last legs also when he joined the Rockets but had one crazy game for us when he scored 35+ off the bench.
What can I say, I like the Round Mound of Rebound. Barkley may have been old, but he was still a very good player. It was really hard trying to place an order between him, Otis, and Rudy so I ended up going with who I liked better as players. I was thinking of Houston Rockets and only recalled the last 3 seasons he had with us. Sorry about that one guys.
You put Yao over Big E? Like you, I think the top three were fairly obvious, Dream, Moses and Big E. I love Yao but he never came anywhere close to those three. Big E had multiple seasons of 28 and 16 with the Rockets. He was the best shot blocker in the history of the franchise after Dream and it's not close. Plus he is an NBA champion having lead The Bullets to multiple NBA Championship Series. Plus Big E was an iron man. Like I said, Big E was just on another level than Yao.
No worries I still think your wrong about OT and Barkley but that's why it's a fun debate, we can both make good arguments and in the end my opinion is no better than yours.
Are we talking about since 1990's or the entire history of NBA? If beyond 1990's, for the overall game, Kareem leads them all at center.
When exactly did Kareem play for the Rockets? By the way, say what you want but both Moses and Hakeem kicked his ass on the court. But that's a different debate.
Well said! Heck, if we were going by personalities, Elvin would probably be ranked last. By almost everything I've heard about E during his playing career, he was hell to get along with in the locker room. The guy put up with a lot when he was a kid, and folks react to that sort of thing in different ways. Had a real chip on his shoulder from growing up in such a segregated environment in his town in Louisiana. Coach Guy V Lewis doesn't get enough credit for integrating the UH basketball program back when it was a huge deal, and Elvin was part of that. Him and Don Chaney. I also understand some guys putting in a word for Barkley. Considering we got Sir Charles when he was 33 and had a lot of miles on him, he put up terrific numbers when healthy, and helped get us to the WC Finals, getting us past the hated Sonics (which was why we got him, of course), only to lose to the even more hated Jazz, damn them all to hell (think Charlton Heston in Planet of the Apes and the scene on the beach for how I feel about Utah!). If he'd only decided never to hoist a shot from behind the arc the rest of his career! It was a flaw he had, like Ralph deciding at the drop of a hat that he was a guard. You never knew when either one would uncork what they should have left in the bottle. ;-)-
Pig Miller. Super loyal. Always available. Did the best he could with his given talents. Bonus points for the toothpick. Honorable mentions for Serge Zwikker and Zan Tabak.
