um we had dream and drexler. it was like shaq and payton taking less money. it wasn't loyalty or anything. barkley wanted to win a ring. playing with hakeem and clyde gave him a great chance. there is ZERO loyalty in sports. once you think there is, you get blindsided. it's a business.
Drexler during the Pippen year was on his last legs. Dream also was slowing down. He could have joined a young Kobe and Shaq.
Ive been a die hard rockets fan for over 20 years. Memories that come to mind of when Chuck was a rocket are a game winning shot in SA i believe and when he took down Shaq at the Compaq Center.
a young kobe who was cocky as hell? a young shaq who didn't mature and wanted to be hollywood? drexler may be on his last legs, but he was a veteran. pippen was a veteran. hakeem was a veteran. and all those 3 guys won rings before (so they know how to win). kobe and shaq didn't win yet. so barkley thought if i teamed up with these guys who had tons of experience and who KNEW WHAT IT TOOK TO WIN, i might win. that's a decision 99% of the players would choose. and let's be real, barkley had the utmost respect for hakeem. him and kenny always talk about hakeem like he's a top 5 player of all time. so trust me, barkley made the right choice. i wanted him to win with us b/c barkley went through a lot in his career. unfortunately it didn't happen. but i enjoyed his tenure (extremely entertaining)
Barkley came in out of shape but he worked his ass off on the floor. Gave it his all every night and lead vocally and with his performance. He took less money, he came off the bench, he did whatever was needed to win. Which honestly is more than I can say of Olajuwon and Drexler who I don't feel believed in the team (past 97). Anyone who wanted Cassell and Horry was a fool. Those role players were not going to take us anywhere, and Cassell's prime was far away. Horry never became a legit impact starter after he left. Not knocking Horry, just saying... Of all the eras I probably know that one the best (sadly). Names like Recasner mean more to me than you will ever know.
I remember thinking how close the Drexler/Pippen/Francis years were together. I figured one day people would look back and assume our lineup was... Olajuwon Barkley Pippen Drexler Francis And look. It has already started to happen.
Then he really was on his last legs! hahaha thanks dude. Almost forgot the Cuttino/Dickerson backcourt. I'm getting old
Those 97 Rockets were a point guard away from a title. When healthy they were amazing, I think 25 games into the season they had the best record in the league (over the Bulls). But then the injuries started... We beat the Sonics though. Willis and Barkley were brought in solely for that. Couldn't meet the Bulls if you couldn't handle the Sonics.
It really is a shame Barkley never won a title. He was a great player, but unfortunately he turned out to be one of those great players that never got a championship. He and Dan Marino should go have a beer together or something...
Drexler was my favorite player which is why I instantly went from a Blazer fan to a Rockets fan the day Drexler got traded. I hated Hakeem before Drexler arrived but quickly grew to love him. I didn't like the trade very much and wasn't the biggest Barkley fan when he first got traded to the Rockets but he quickly became one of my favorite Rockets all time because of all the things you mentioned (hard work, less money, vocal leader, whatever) most noteably he even put his personal differences with Drexler aside all for the chance at a ring. I still remember Barkley sticking up for himself and dodging that punch by Shaq and taking him to the ground. I still remember an old, fat, out of shape Barkley (I believe it was against the Grizz) where he had a MONSTER 1 handed put back slam where it looked like he was a foot above the rim. The most and lasting impression of Barkley though was him taking a ROOKIE STEVE FRANCIS under his wing before blowing out his knee. Most players that blow out there knee the way Barkley did... no matter how tough they are would roll around and scream in pain. I remember Barkley just sitting there with no expression or show of pain on his face waiving over the training staff. He was one tough SOB. He was a badass since his early days as a 76er. Long live the Round Mound of Rebound.
I was a Rocket's fan when Rudy was playing. I'm stuck, because if I could choose, frankly I would be following another team. For the last thirteen or so years, with few exceptions, the Rockets have been the most frustrating team in the league. They consistently break your heart. Some of the trades, contracts, and such have been so mind numbingly stupid as to be inexplicable. I have never liked the current owner, and I think he is a big part of the problem. IMO, he makes emotional decisions about players. The Francis/Mobley era was ridiculous. Some of the stupidest basketball I have ever seen at any level. The TMac/Yao era has been equally frustrating because of their temperaments and their lack of durability. The Dream era was a dream, but by the time Barkley got here, it was largely over, and so was his career. Rudy was a heck of a player, Hayes was incredible, Sampson could have been one of the all time greats, Malone was amazing, Calvin could shoot like you couldn't believe, and I could go on. Maybe Morey can turn things around, maybe not. I watched Portland play Utah last night, they got clobbered, but I saw some beautiful basketball. High flying dunks, torrid shooting, beautiful cuts to the basket, incredible passing, and so on. With the current Rockets, first, you don't who will show up to play, whether they will be interested or not, whether they can make a basket or not, and so on. Some nights it like watching a constipated person sit on a toliet. Something I really wouldn't choose to do. Somehow I feel better.
There's a reason why Barkley never won a championship, Jordan said himself that Chuck never really put forth the dedication that it takes to win championships. Charles thought his way of playing basketball was good enough to win but his work ethic outside the game itself is pretty much summed up in the phrase "whenever he felt liked it". That's why I see it as poetic justice that Charles never won a ring so that his words will always have a tinge of hollowness to them.
Oh man, the Francis/Mobley era was freaking awful. I kept up with the Rockets very loosely during that time period... I completely agree about how our current era is frustrating too. Ideally, we should be in the finals or the WCF each year... we have two top 15 players, a lot of strong roleplayers; yet, because of injuries, bad luck, bad play, or whatever else we've completely fallen short of where we should be. One thing that pacifies me though is that over the next three years is when we will really have our chance at a title. In the years leading up to this one, I expected good things but considered them learning experiences for our team to use when it hit its prime. Well, I think this Yao/T-Mac era is just now beginning to hit its prime-so to speak. Injuries aside-Yao and Tracy are both still in their personal primes; plus, we have 3 of the best defenders in Artest, Hayes, and Battier, we have the deepest bench we've had in as long as I can remember, and we have a balance we lacked in previous years. If we can keep this squad together and functioning (with a few minor additions/subtractions) then I think we have a really good shot at that title in the next 3 years or so. Finally, I get that same feeling watching our team play sometimes, Solid. Like, even if we ultimately win the game soundly... the way we get there looks boring and uninspired. It's not always the case, but there are plenty of times I watch our team and wish they could be a bit more exciting. A win is a win though, and we're more a defensive force that grinds down opponents anyway-so it stands to reason that the Rockets don't do finessee well. Some nights though, the uninspired play is just inexcusable, and I really hope that sort of play doesn't show up to hurt us late into the season or in the playoffs.
I don't know if I agree with that, man. No question Barkley didn't always give his best, and he would fall in and out of shape... but Shaq is the same way, and Shaq holds numerous titles. No, I think Barkley just didnt play on a good enough team in an era where there were so many top tier teams to overcome. The Pistons, Bulls, Sonics, Jazz, Rockets... some of the all time great teams are what Barkley regularly had to face. And he had to do so (in his prime in Phx.) on a good, but not good in comparison to the best, Suns team. You don't win a title by yourself, even if you completely dedicate yourself and are Lebron James good. No, you have to have the supporting cast, and in his prime Barkley never had that. You must agree that a lot of times, sports icons go titleless because they just never get on a good team that can play consistantly great and also get lucky at the right time. Guys like Karl Malone, Marino, Jim Kelly, Warren Moon, Dominique Wilkins, and probably guys like Steve Nash consistantly play hard and well... it just never works out for them. So, I don't think you can really blame an all time great like Sir Charles missing out on his championship due to his work ethic... he was good enough to win it all, its just his teams never were-not against the powerhouse teams of the day anyhow.
This caught my eye today so I had to post this. http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3765684&categoryId=2564308&n8pe6c=2 Who's the Rocket in the background ESPN cover? Looks like Quitten!
