[cbssports]Rockets/Knicks '94: Where are they now?

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/24574716/rockets/knicks-94-where-are-they-now


Rockets/Knicks '94: Where are they now?
By Tony Moss | Senior Editor
June 3, 2014 8:04 am ET


Rolando Blackman, Doc Rivers, and Scott Brooks -- three men bound by a commonality they'd probably be pleased not to draw a lot of attention to. The three were on the rosters of either the New York Knicks (Blackman, Rivers) or Houston Rockets (Brooks) during the teams' run through the 1994 NBA playoffs -- and none of the three played a single minute in the epic, seven-game Finals.

The circumstances of those absences were entirely different. Blackman, in a move for which then-Knicks coach Pat Riley would later admit regret, was benched in favor of John Starks. Rivers, who was coming off knee surgery, was shelved in another Riley move that incensed the player in question. Brooks appeared earlier in the playoffs but was a forgotten man in the Finals behind Sam Cassell and Kenny Smith, a status that caused friction between him and Rudy Tomjanovich.

We know what became of Rivers and Brooks, who are among the NBA's top coaches. Blackman, meanwhile, lives in Dallas and runs a foundation to assist underprivileged children.

But what of the 21 men who did appear in the '94 Finals? We're glad you asked. (Players listed below in order of scoring average in the NBA Finals):


HOUSTON ROCKETS

Hakeem Olajuwon, C. '94 Finals stats: 26.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.9 blocks per game. Olajuwon, 51, alternates time between Houston and the nation of Jordan, where the devout Muslim pursues Islamic studies. The 2008 Hall of Famer also runs his own line of shoes and clothing, called DR34M.

Vernon Maxwell, SG. '94 Finals stats: 13.3 points, 3.3 rebounds per game. Maxwell, 48, is retired and living in Charlotte. His son, Brandon, will be a freshman member of the basketball team at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga this fall.

Robert Horry, SF. '94 Finals stats: 10.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists per game. Horry, 43, retired following the 2007-08 season and has taken up a number of business and philanthropic initiatives including heading up The Ashlyn Horry Foundation, named after a daughter who died at age 17 in 2011 of a rare genetic disorder. Horry is also involved with the Robert Horry Sports Rehab Center in Houston.

Sam Cassell, PG. '94 Finals stats: 10.0 points, 2.9 assists per game. Cassell, 44, retired from the NBA following the 2007-08 season, and currently serves as an assistant on the Washington Wizards staff.

Otis Thorpe, PF. '94 Finals stats: 9.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists per game. Thorpe, 51, is retired and living in the Houston area.

Carl Herrera, PF. '94 Finals stats: 7.1 points, 3.6 rebounds per game. Herrera, 47, serves as head coach of the Guyana Gigantes of the LPB, the pro basketball league in his native Venezuela.

Kenny Smith, PG. '94 Finals stats: 5.6 points, 3.1 assists per game. Smith, 49, is a broadcaster with TNT and CBS, serving as a studio analyst for NBA and NCAA broadcasts.

Mario Elie, SF. '94 Finals stats: 2.4 points per game. Elie, 50, is a stay-at-home dad in the Houston area, where he and his wife (local TV anchor Gina Gaston) are raising 11-year-old triplets.

Matt Bullard, PF. '94 Finals stats: 4.0 points, 3.0 rebounds per game (27 total minutes). Bullard, 46, serves as a Rockets television color analyst for Comcast SportsNet Houston.

Earl Cureton, PF. '94 Finals stats: no stats accumulated (2 total minutes). Cureton, 56, works for the Pistons in his native Detroit, where he represents the organization in anti-bullying and Boys & Girls Club events.

Chris Jent, SF. '94 Finals stats: 0.3 rebounds per game (7 total minutes). Jent, 44, is one of the few NBA alumni who played in more career playoff games (11, all in the '94 playoffs) than regular season games (6). He's now an assistant with the Sacramento Kings.

 

Don't forget the system was not PG driven, it was Hakeem driven. The offense was to get the ball to Dream and allow him to make decisions.

I think Maxwell led the Rockets that season in assists. Also, the whole team passed well, so you won't see one player dominate in assists.

 

I thought Otis lives in round rock

 

the hand check rule was changed because of that