The poll says "favorite" which means you can pick whoever the hell you want. I like Cat, Sam, then Steve. Steve made the craziest layups i've ever seen, though. I don't know I guess I liked Cat the most because other than T-mac, he's the last shooting guard who could dribble worth a damn...
LOL... Sam I Am by far.. how can we forget his first two seasons in the league.. the same years we won back-2-back NBA Championships.. he contributed a great deal to those winning teams and he will forever be one of my favorite Rockets of all time... I still can't believe we traded away a majority of our team!!
Why are you trying to bury Rocket Hero Stevie Franchise? Steve never got to play with Hakeem in his prime, nor did he get the luxury of other great bigs like Garnett and Elton Brand. To knock him for that simply isn't fair. Stevie was the heart_and_soul of the Rockets franchise during his stay here. Cat is also the embodiment of CLUTCH. Here you have a second round pick taking the last shot of his very first NBA game. Note, his teammates include Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, and Scottie Pippen. BALLS!!!
who would you have play PG, Sam in his prime (#2 in the league in assists with the Bucks (no luxury bigs there)) or Steve in his prime?
Come to think of it, how do you manage to steal a guy like Mobley in the second round and completely blow 2 out of 3 first round picks the same year?
It depends who else is on the team. If Sam or Stevie is going to be my only "star" player, then I have to go with Francis.
I would go with Sam, shooting %, decision making, and proven not to dribble til the 24 second clock expires. We all know why people like Steve: 1. Steve was here longer and people watched him develop 2. Steve is Yao's buddy 3. Steve can do all the fancy Streetball stuff Also Rudy T allowed Steve to play to his strengths and mask his weaknesses. strengths: one-on-one play weaknesses: point guard play post Rudy T (and post Cuttino) Steve was never the same player post Rudy T, Sam has been stellar and playing at a high level every year. even at his old age.
no, the question to ask is, would you swap Steve and Sam during their particular stay with the Rockets. Put rookie Francis on the 94-96 team and we have more than 2 championships. Put Sam from 94-95 on the 99+ team we have Kenyon Martin and Kwame Brown.
This is too close to call between sam and steve but if i had to choose sam by a very slight edge maybe because he has two rings with us
All right, I'm replying to the question as written - not to as who is the best, most talented, or won the most championships - as a case for Chucky Brown or Pete Chillcut could be included. On the biggest impact player for the Rox - obviously Cassell is the only one with...not one, but two rings with H-town, so he would obviously get the nod. However, the way I read the question - is who is my favorite? - I gave the nod to Steve. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to meet all three - Cassell took a photo with me and a few buddies after the WCF series against SA in 1995, but he rolled his eyes and looked all around during the photo as if to say he wished he was somewhere else - not that I blame him, but damn, how hard would it have been to actually look at the camera, nevertheless, it still hangs on my office wall. Mobley signed a baby shoe for our first daughter and was quite the class act - did so happily. Francis actually stopped his car outside Compac Center (after practice) and waited till I crossed the street to sign for me - Mobley was with him - he signed a basketball that I still have to this day. He also took out a full-page in the Chronicle thanking Houston after he was traded - which I thought was completely classy. Stevie also came "Back to Texas" - (ala 'Bowling for Soup') for less money than he could have gotten elsewhere. Stevie may not be the best or most talented of the bunch, but he gets my vote - I hope after we win the Championship - he earns a few more votes.
Thats a great story. You are a lucky man, meeting all three of those players. You just changed my mind. As a player I would love to have Cat, but I love seeing a player respond to a city like Steve does. That's a major reason why we love him so much in Houston. When I asked my dad if he watched the Denver game, the first person he mentioned was Francis. I remember that page in the Chronicle. I was so devastated when we traded those three players and was being a total homer, but I'm glad we got the best of that trade.
not a good night for the old 3. tonight steve 2pts sam 2pts (and gets hurt) cat 4pts ..we got tmac for steve and cat! what an awesome trade
