Rockets All-Time Players Roster has to be top 3 in NBA History

Missing Rick Barry, Elvin Hayes, Ralph Sampson. In terms of which all time squads could beat us? Lakers definitely because that's a ridiculous group of names, I'm sure there's a few others when you look at the lists in totality but we're definitely up there if injuries/drugs/when they were in their prime is irrelevant.

 

The crazy thing with the lakers is they could run any of Wilt, Kareem or Shaq and still have one of the most dominant 5's of all time, and that's not even talking about their actual power forwards which is another ridiculous list: Pau Gasol, Dennis Rodman, Karl Malone, Spencer Haywood. Small forwards behind LeBron you've got Baylor, Worthy, Dantley, Wilke. Genuinely they could probably beat most all-time squads with their all-time 2nd and 3rd string squads. It's insane at every position

 

I dont think many all time best rosters made like this would be out of their league against others.

Problem is Rockets Durant, Pippen, Barkley, Dikembe, Carmelo, Westbrook, Cousins, Wall were either out of or FAR out of their primes.

Rockets Westbrook, Melo and Pippen should be on zero lists. They were a tire fire. Similarly for example the Raptors have no business having Olajuwon on any lists.

 

To each their own. But lol at having Josh Smith on a list like that.

 

Lakers are insane, Celtics are probably up there but I definitely feel confident we have a top 3 all-time team.

 

Every time this comes up, the problem for me with trying to rank teams or just the Rockets is, how you include some of these players. I mean we're putting Durant on the Rockets team and he hasn't even played a minute for us yet. And even if he does, will it be like TMac, Barkley, Pippen, etc. where we get to see him at the tail-end of his career and his best years were in the rearview mirror?

Then you've got people that have played for multiple teams pushing them all up the rankings even though they weren't very good players by the time they got to their last (two, three...) team(s).

Based upon this, I'm wondering if the Rockets would even be top-10. It'd be close, though. The Lakers and Celtics would be my top 2. Warriors and Spurs may be in my top 5. Sixers would definitely be in there. Part of my problem ranking these teams is it just goes back to something like "but he's really known for what he did somewhere else than what he did for the Rockets." lol.

 

You should only include the player for how they were with the Rockets or whatever team you’re talking about. Magic are actually kinda cool, having prime Penny/tmac with dwight/shaq is fun.

 

That's a good one. I'll throw in one a lot of people don't think about : Milwaukee Bucks. Front line with Lew/Kareem and Giannis is on another level. Backcourt of Ray Allen and Oscar Robertson. You're talking about two of the greatest post players ever with one of the best point guards along with one of the best shooters ever. I'm not sure who the 5th player would be since I can't think of a ton of Bucks players who would qualify as "historically elite", but I'll throw in maybe a Marques Johnson or Sidney Moncrief? Maybe Terry Cummings. Hell, with the first 4, they could probably play 4 on 5 and still win. lol.

*EDIT* : Well, hell... now that I think about it and looked it up, Oscar played for the Cincinnati Royals most of his career. For some reason, I thought he played a lot more years in Milwaukee.

 

It's actually less fun ranking them and more fun coming up with some of the crazy lineups people might not expect tbh. Bullets/Wizards:

PG Wall
SG Arenas
SF Jordan
PF Elvin Hayes
C Wes Unseld

All them players in their prime and that's another ridiculous squad. Literally every long term team should have great all time squads. It's only the younger expansion teams that wouldn't.

 

A team having Wall and Arenas with Jordan, Hayes, and Unseld. Either Arenas would shoot somebody, Wall would act like he's still the man, or Jordan, Unseld, and Hayes would beat the hell out of one or both of them.

 

Fun to watch though. Wall's a very underrated distributor, if that's all prime versions I think they'd score like crazy.

 

Swap out Moses Malone on center with Sengun and we have the best all time team in NBA history....

 

Love the list, but there should be a ‘games played’ minimum, as Carmelo Anthony, John Wall, and DeMarcus Cousins don’t really belong in this list. Might as well include Kevin McHale at that point.

 

My all-time team, which would be built to go against the Lakers:

Center: Dream/Moses/Yao/Howard--That's four guys to go against Wilt/Kareem/Shaq and gives us 6 extra fouls. Plus, you need some more size to go against Pau and AD if they are playing at the same time as one of the centers. I think either Dream, Moses, or Howard could cover any big 4 the Lakers roll out. I'd have Yao on Shaq most of the time while depending on Dream to bother Wilt and Moses to outmuscle Kareem. The Rockets are absolutely the only all-time team that could play the Lakers close to even at the 5.

PF: Elvin and Ralph. Against the Lakers, Ralph probably plays more to give us length and shot-blocking. Elvin brings it all though. Lakers best 4s are Pau, AD, and who? Lebron plays 4?

SF/Big Wing: Durant, Clyde for sure. I also think you put Horry in here as a guy who can switch between 3 and 4 with enough length and quickness to jump passing lanes and be disruptive on D. Plus, he's clutch and a great post-entry passer. Lakers have Worthy, Baylor, and LeBron.

PG/SG/Wing: McGrady, Harden, and Murphy. Murphy brings good shooting and quicks that nobody on the Lakers has, plus nobody wants to fight him. Other options for that 12th man are Paul and Francis. I could be talked into putting Paul here and maybe we need a true PG for the second team. Clyde can play some SG as well. Just need to limit damage from Magic, Kobe, and West. Their 12th man is probably Goodrich or Cooper.

I'm not worried about the Celtics. They would have good starters, but their depth could not compete.

Golden State has a good starting lineup, especially with Wilt, but again, no depth. Same with a Wilt-led 76ers.

The Bulls have Artis Gilmore at Center and then nobody.

Really, it's between the Lakers and the Rockets.

Edit: May find room for Amen just for defense on Magic and Kobe. Alpi may take over Howard's spot soon enough.

 

You missed Rodman and Karl Malone for their 4's.

 

The All-time Warriors team is stacked as well:

Wilt Chamberlain
KD
Rick Barry
Klay Thompson
Steph Curry
Baron Davis
Jason Richardson
Tim Hardaway
Mitch Richmond
Chris Mullins
Antwain Jamison
Monta Ellis