How do y'all Rockets minds think Acquiring Dwight Howard will compare to the historic Rockets acquisitions? Note am limiting this to established players and not draft picks. Here are my thoughts on some of the previous big Rocket acquisitions back in history: 1. Moses Malone. Acquired by the Rockets from the Buffalo Braves in 1978 after playing in the ABA. One of the defining players of Rockets history, an NBA legend and led to the Rockets NBA Championship appearance in 1980. 2. Joe Barry Carroll. Acquired by the Rockets in 1987 from the Warriors in the Ralph Sampson trade. At the time considered one of the NBA's better centers. Didn't do much for the Rockets. 3. Sleep Floyd. Also acquired in the Sampson trade. A previous All Star and at the time the Sampson trade was considered one of the biggest trades in NBA history. Floyd was a solid player for the Rockets but not spectacular. 4. Clyde Drexler. Acquired by the Rockets in 1995 from the Portland Trailblazers in a trade for Otis Thorpe. Besides acquiring Moses Malone probably the greatest Rockets acquisition and a key reason for winning a second championship. 5. Charles Barkley. Acquired by the Rockets in 1996 from the Phoenix Suns for Robert Horry and Sam Cassell. A great contributor for a short while to the Rockets but probably too late in his career (and Dream's and Clyde's) to make the Rockets the dynasty that they could've been. 6. Scottie Pippen. Acquired by the Rockets in 1999 from the Chicago Bulls in trade for Roy Rogers. Possibly the worst big acquisition for the Rockets. Pippen seeking to come out of the shadow of Jordan never catches on with the Rockets and is shipped out a few months later. 7. Steve Francis. Acquired in 1999 from the Vancouver Grizzlies in a trade for Michael Dickerson, Antoine Carr, Brent Price and Othello Harrington. The start of the post Dream era for Houston. A streaky inconsistent player who never quite lived up to his promise but loved Houston and the Rockets except for JVG. 8. Tracy McGrady. Acquired by the Rockets in 2004 from the Orlando Magic in a trade for Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Kelvin Cato. Potentially the best player in basketball who due to injury and attitude never could lead a team to post season success. 9. James Harden. Acquired by the Rockets in 2012 from OKC Thunder for Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb. After one season looking so far like a winner for a Rocket and after being a great 6th man now a great starter. 10. Dwight Howard Acquired by the Rockets in 2013 from the LA Lakers in Free Agency. ?
Harden has to be top 5. Howard is top 10 but depending on how he produces and how far we go could move up the ladder fairly quickly.
All those you listed came via trade. One GIANT difference with Dwight is that he came as a free agent. We had to give up absolutely nothing (save for Thomas Robinson in cap savings) in order to get him.
Is this your rankings? I would not have Francis ahead of any of the acquisitions you have listed below him.
Sorry for the confusion. Not ranking them but putting them in chronological order. If I had to rank them I would go with. 1. Moses Malone. 2. Clyde Drexler. 3. Charles Barkley 4. Steve Francis 5. Tracy McGrady 6. James Harden (I would go higher but want to see more than one season) 7. Sleepy Floyd. Sorry for the typo earlier. 8. Joe Barry Carroll 9. Scottie Pippen. ? Dwight Howard
I would put Tracy above Stevie but that looks about right to me. Here's hoping that Dwight goes straight to number 1.
I'm only going to rank the ones I've been alive and coherent for. 1) Clyde Drexler: Brought a second title and was a HOF player out of UofH. 2) Charles Barkley: Hall of famer that was famous and a stud at the time we got him. The history with PHX made it all the more important. 3) Tracy McGrady: This city blew up when we got McGrady. It's easy to forget now how exciting this was 4) Dwight: This is a franchise altering signing 5) Harden: See above, but with the questions about him as a solo star the excitement was a little more tempered than with McGrady and Dwight 6) I rank Francis last because I was really upset during the post Olajuwon years and took it out on Francis. I never embraced him.
McGrady was a better player than Francis but Francis was more important to the Rockets than McGrady was. Francis for a few years was the only star that the Rockets had. His literal embrace of Yao also greatly helped Yao to settle into the Rockets and the organization.
this is a great list chronologically and all. I would have added all the CBA players during the first championship and grouped them into a group CBA calls ups to include Charles jones. Pete chilcutt. etc. was chucky brown a call up or a trade ? I forget. nonetheless he flustered Barkley big time
Hold on now, are forgetting the another "asset" Morey had to dump? According to some Houston just gave up LBJ-lite. Royce White aka Royce "bang bus" White Royce "toss my salad" White Royce "baby mama drama" White Royce "be well" White
I agree with you but getting a whinny youngster that hasn't ever bounced a ball on an NBA court doesn't seem to equate to getting a proven top 3 player in the league. What Stevie did after we got him was special and I like the direction of your argument that he probably did more for the Rockets than Tracy but the magnitude of the trade at the time of the trade is why I rank Tracy above Stevie. Getting Tracy when we did was HUGE.
The Rockets acquired Rick Barry as a free agent in 1978. It was a really big deal at the time. Barry was a perennial all-star and future all of famer. Barry had just come off a season where he averaged 23 points per game with Golden State, so he was still considered to be one of the top players in the league. The Rockets were forced to give up John Lucas as compensation to Golden State for signing Barry. Barry was more of a role player here in Houston and was about the 4th option on offense behind Moses, Calvin, and Rudy.
McGrady was a top five player at the time and in the prime of his career when we acquired him. Dwight's acquisition is on that level. When it's all said and done, Dwight will either be at the top of that list next to Moses Malone or Scottie Pippen Part II.
scottie pippen played here? whoooa. (insert Keanu reeves image) I don't get why the perception to outsiders is the way it is. We've always been able to get big names. It's like the one where the nba's top 3 players wanted to participate in a private orgy should erase 46 years of awesomeness. clyde was the most important, jejejejejejejejejejeje.