Rocket Jones, I decided to make this it's own thread. I've decided to assume Dream is cemented in like his statue as a vote. So it's 4 choices. http://www.nba.com/rockets/fans/rockets_team__the_90s_2012_03_01.html Vote For Your Rockets All-Decade Team of the 1990s Celebrating 45 years of Houston Rockets Tradition Clutch City. It's been nearly two decades since the inception of that goose bump-inducing moniker and the mere mention of it still floods the senses with a symphony of sights and sounds that can send spirits soaring and reduce grown men to tears. That is its beauty. Such is its power. But achieving full appreciation of the Clutch City label requires an understanding of everything that came before: all the heartbreak and pain; the what ifs and what might have beens; the scarlet letter 'C' that had previously been emblazoned upon the chest of Houston's sports scene, proclaiming our teams and athletes – all of us, really – as nothing more than a bunch of underachieving chokers. And then Leslie Alexander changed it all. Clutch City began when Alexander became owner, took charge, and injected new leadership and life into this already proud franchise. Then Hakeem Olajuwon went from being the best big man in the NBA to the league's best player, period. Others like Otis Thorpe, Robert Horry, Vernon Maxwell, Kenny Smith and Sam Cassell found their roles and fit perfectly into place. Alexander and Head Coach Rudy Tomjanovich pressed all the right buttons. And on June 22, 1994, the heart of a champion was born. Their demons of the past forever exorcized, the Rockets then went about the unique business of concocting a sequel even more spectacular than the original. A hometown hero returned, electrifying a city and sending a fan base to even greater heights. And what followed from that point forward – simply the stuff of pure legend: Clutch City conquered the Jazz; a kiss of death smote the Suns; Olajuwon bamboozled the Spurs; while the Magic meekly disappeared in the face of the Rockets' real wizardry. It was truly a decade of dreams for the Rockets; a kaleidoscope of moments never to be forgotten. And now, as part of the Rockets' 45th anniversary season and in an effort to pay homage to those memories, Rockets.com gave you the opportunity to select your team of the decade – a squad that will be honored at halftime of Houston's March 22 game against Golden State. Below, you'll find the basics on the top candidates. So take a look, do you own due diligence and cast your vote prior to midnight of March 9. It's going to be a close race. VOTE NOW Be sure to make your way to Toyota Center March 22nd for the Rockets game against Golden State, when the franchise and its fans will pay tribute to the team of the 1990's that you selected. As a special bonus, you can purchase a 45th anniversary pack for March 22nd - Each ticket includes a 45th anniversary t-shirt and a large beer or soda for $45 on the lower level or $25 for the upper level of Toyota Center. BUY TICKETS
Charles Barkley Sam Cassell Clyde Drexler Mario Elie Robert Horry Vernon Maxwell Kenny Smith Otis Thorpe
Hakeem Barkley (need a PF) Drexler (SF reach but allows me to...) Elie Smith Horry, Cassell, Maxwell, Thorpe all were traded AWAY and spent less time as a Rocket than those listed above. Thats how I came up with my choices.
Drexler played for 4 seasons with the Rockets and 11 seasons with the Blazers. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/drexlcl01.html OT and Maxwell, played more seasons as Rockets than Clyde http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/maxweve01.html http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/thorpot01.html you need to check your facts. Plus Maxwell didn't get traded, he signed as a free agent September 26, 1995: Signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers.
If only we could get every player on that list. I would love to see whether or not Chuck shows up. I'm excited for this night.
your facts are wrong. Maxwell and Thorpe spend MORE TIME as a Rocket , more seasons and more games. Otis Thorpe regular season games played as a Rocket: 518 Vernon Maxwell regular season games played as a Rocket: 402 Clyde Drexler regular season games played as a Rocket: 219 You're just wrong. that's all.
Is Rockets.com giving credit for the championships to Les Alexander...as if in one year he took them over the top.
Just like I thought, Vernon and OT cannot even be voted in the top 5 on this board which is supposed to be for Rockets fans.
Arrgh. They all deserve it. How do you choose among Sam Cassell, Kenny Smith, Mario Elie, and Vernon Maxwell? They were all very important. All hit major clutch shots at various points.
You wonder why I always talk about Clutch City? It's about education. the real facts and real stories. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uKZLpb4rwi0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Easy, look at their careers with the Rockets and you get Kenny & Vernon. Cassell is my top 10 fav players of all time but I didn't vote for him because he was here just three years and didn't have the impact Kenny had. Elie was a solid defender, had the kiss of death but other then that Vernon was better and had more important shots and plays.
People here have the abbreviated version of Kenny Smith, the dude who jacks up a bunch of 3s against Orlando and the TNT guy. They don't know about the 17.7 points and 7.1 assists and 52% from the field Kenny from 91. http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=135984
For the record, I voted for Kenny too. 2 reasons: 1) tenure 2) if Kenny hadn't "jack[ed] up a bunch of 3s against Orlando", the Rockets may not have won that series at all.
he was important against Utah in 94. 27 points in game 1 of the WCF http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199405230HOU.html 25 points in game 4 of the WCF http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199405290UTA.html They just don't replay these games as much as Orlando Game 1
Clyde, Horry, and Kenny are shoo-ins to me. Maybe all more for symbolic value than statistical achievement, but **** it. I was a kid in the 90s, symbolic value is about all I have. Choosing between the rest for a single spot killed me. Finally punched in Thorpe but I'm not going to attempt to justify it, because we all know we love all these guys and any of them could make it without angering too many people.
