Hakeem, Harden, and Moses are my top 3, and the 4th pick is tough. I think I'll go with Calvin Murphy, over Yao.
People seem to be overlooking how good Moses Malone was on the Rockets. * 5 all-star seasons * 2 MVP seasons * 5 seasons leading the league in offensive rebounding percentage * 2 years made All-NBA 1st team, and 2 years made All-NBA 2nd team (second to Kareem is nothing to be ashamed about!) * Best player on Finals team Yes, he only played 464 games as a Rocket, over 6 seasons. By comparison, Yao played 484 games, and McGrady played 303 games, and Drexler played 219 games. To me, Moses is clearly in the top 3, and I'm surprised so many don't even have him in their top 4.
Dream - My favorite athlete of all time. Yao - Favorite Rocket not named Dream. Rudy - Great on the court and the bench. Calvin - The suits!
You're right. That's why Dream wasn't there too. Well, technically Rudy T wasn't a lifer either. He coached for the Lakers.
How about the Basketball card Mt. Rushmore. Hakeem Olajuwon - Star Rookie Jalen Green Kaboom Yao Ming Chrome Refractor Jabari Smith Panini Draft Day
Agree and to further support @durvasa 's points: Moses took an arguably less good team to the finals in 1981, beating the Celtics twice, than Harden took to the western finals more recently. He was also the opposite of McGrady in terms of having no quit in him. Dude was so relentless. It's hard to describe, but he was like Rodman without a crazy attitude and with a good offensive skillset. He was a gamer in the playoffs too... distinguishing him from, um, some Rockets. And who else had this poster on their wall as a kid? It's so turrrible, but I loved it. I like the Calvin love I'm seeing, and he played 1,000 games, but I can't vote for him basketball wise. It's just kind of sentimental. He wasn't a great shooter and average just over 4 dimes as a point guard.
