What is the most talented Rockets team in History (on paper)

85-86 team was the deepest in rockets history, there were guys that could beat you on any given night all over the floor. hakeem wasn't the dominant offensive force he was in the 90's but defensively he was one of the greatest forces in the history of basketball(i'm not pulling a bill walton, this is the truth!).
i just wish i was old enough to truly enjoy and appreciate that team before it was to late.

 

if you're not considering intangibles, chemistry and toughness then i don't know where that leaves this team. Without that Battier, Hayes, Landry and Scola aren't nearly as effective. Our only real talent players are Yao, Tmac, Artest, and Barry. The rest either thrive on those things you are dismissing or don't play.

 

Rudy T said to never underestimate the heart of a champion.

Well I say never underestimate the number of "ifs" in a fan' life.

Yeah, loosing Ralph was one of the biggest "if" pills I have ever swallowed.

 

1996-97 in a landside. Two-and-a-half freaking MVPs in the last year of their primes - they were so good they made Matt Maloney a multimillionaire.

Bad officiating (and you guys think the refs are merciless against us in Utah now...) cost them a title.

 

Scotty Pippen was the most talented (on paper) to put in a Rockets team history.

 

Without finishing reading this whole thread, this seems to be the most sensible post. Several things could change on this team before even training camp. Will we have Landry and Mutumbo? Will Francis be healthy and 100% ready to go? Will there be another trade that brings in another quality player for some of our role players like Head and Hayes?

I at first voted for this team, but on second thought it had to be the 85-86 team without a doubt at this point. This can be debated again after this year is over. But the 97 team is just not there to me. The Big three of Hakeem, Barkley and Drexler...yes....but the supporting cast doesn't match up and it takes a whole team to win...which is why Barkley never got a ring.

 

The team we will be going to war with this season is definetely the DEEPEST team out of the bunch. Most talented is still up for assessment.

In 97 we had a bunch of guys past their prime. I hope we dont look back at this season and in retrospect say that Yao and Mac were past their primes.

 

86 team with 97 2nd. 86 squad with Lucas would smash this team. It would be mismatches pretty much everywhere. They had depth and versitility along with size.

 

Cause there's a good chance he's young or not very hardcore/relatively new fan. The pole results indicate most of the voters here fit in those categories.

IMO, it has to be a debate between that '86 squad that slayed the awesome Lakers (the defending NBA champs who also won the following 2 years, and went to the Finals 7 out of 8 years...would have been 8 for 8 if it wasn't for that Rockets team)...that squad vs. the '97 team.

That 97' team was soooo talented...do you guys remember the regular season that year? I can just remember on the radio listening to so many games in '97. Most nights in my memories were blowouts. It wasn't a 58 win team that struggled all the time....it was dominant. It was also at the time the highest rated WCF of all time. Damn freakin cheating Jazz.

 

The 85-86 team was probably the most talented; even thought they didn't win it all they probably beat the best team any Rockets team has ever beaten in the playoffs in the Showtime Lakers.

I will say this though. I picked the 94-95 team because Hakeem in '86 wasn't half the player Hakeem in '95 was. Drexler was a HOFer still in his prime, and Horry and Cassell even at their young age were better than the over-the-hill Barkley we acquired the following summer.

And seriously, after the Rockets pulled off that turn-around in the '95 playoffs, would you have bet against them if they faced ANY team in history after sweeping the Magic??? Let's say there was one more round after the Magic. I don't care who they played, Jordan's Bulls Magic's Lakers or Larry's Celts, my money would have been on the Rockets. That was a team of destiny. Nothing was stopping that train.

 

Well said my man.

Fark those ******* Bulls fans who talk smack about "if MJ didnt go play baseball" crap.

They have no idea how lucky not to face that team.

Besides, they had Jordan in 95, but couldn't get past the Magicians from Orlando - who were so crafty they got SWEPT by us.

Screw Bulls fans.

 

The Rockets of the 90s had the perfect blend of role players. Versatile, tough, and they came through in the clutch.

A solid powerforward? Otis Thorpe
Gritty defenders? Mario Elie
Streak Shooters? Maxwell
Versatile and Athletic ? Horry
Consistent shooting and low turnovers? Kenny Smith
A pace changer off the bench? Cassell

 

They started out an ungodly 21-2 (comparable to Boston's 20-3 start last year) and were something like 30-5 (sorry I can't find the exact stat) when the Big Three was able to suit up together.

That Western Conference may not have been as deep top to bottom as it is today, but I'd take the superpowers of Houston, Seattle, Utah, and LA over just about any of its teams now.

 

I still blame the ugly uniforms for the team's downfall.

 

'97 was the last year in "The Summit."

 

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tinman, you need to do an Eddie Johnson thread to educate our newcomers. Surely he has a spot in the pantheon of Rockets Heroes.

 

team 85, no team can stop the twin towers.
And i meant no team.