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The Houston Rockets are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA and over the years they've had plenty of Hall of Famers don the famous red shirt. The Rockets have won 2 NBA titles and have made it to the NBA Finals four times, a bit on the lower side considering all the great players who have suited up for them.
The criteria for the list would include multiple factors, like of course performances, duration with the team and postseason success. For that reason, someone like Clyde Drexler who, while he did win a title, he did only spend a little over 3 years with the team and hence won't make the list. It's a difficult job to pick the 5 greatest from such a group, but here's my top 5:
#5 Calvin Murphy
A little dynamo, Calvin Murphy is one of the greatest little men to ever play in the NBA. Standing at just 5'9, Murphy dazzled crowds with his speed, ball handling, and jump shooting during his 13 years with the Rockets.
Despite his miniature stature, Murphy was an excellent defender as well. Drafted in the 2nd Round in 1970, he had a solid start to his career, but the team didn't enjoy much success in the postseason, but that was about to change. In 1976, Moses Malone joined the team and they reached the Conference Finals.
Murphy then had the best 3-year stretch of his career, and in 1976-77 he averaged over 25 points a game. He would also make his only All-Star appearance in 1979. The team's postseason performances, however, began taking a downturn but in 1980, the team was realigned to the West.
They then had one of the most memorable playoff runs ever, as a 40-42 team made it all the way to the Finals in 1981 but they would eventually lose to the Celtics. He retired just two years later. Murphy is currently 2nd in points and 1st in assists in franchise history.
The reason he gets in here ahead of the likes of Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming is that he had some postseason success with the team, unlike T-Mac who never made it out of the 1st round or Yao who did it only once.
#4 Elvin Hayes
Drafted 1st overall in 1968, by the then San Diego Rockets, Elvin Hayes was the 1st superstar the franchise had. A monster in the low post, Hayes used his trademark turnaround jumper to deadly effect during his career and he currently ranks 10th on the all-time scoring charts.
Also read: Top 10 Regular season scorers in NBA history
Hayes led the struggling franchise to the playoffs in what was one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time. He averaged 28 points, which led the league and 17 rebounds a game. They would, however, bow out in the Semifinals to the Hawks. That would surprisingly be the only time they made the playoffs during his first stint with the team and in 1972, Hayes was traded to the Bullets.
He would return to the Rockets in 1981, but he clearly wasn't the same by then. They made it to the playoffs but were bounced out in the first round itself. As with his 1st stint, he wouldn't make it back to the playoffs after that and retired in 1984.
All in all, despite averaging over 20 points and 12 rebounds a game during his 7 seasons with the team, Hayes only made it to the playoffs twice which is why he doesn't go higher than 4th despite putting up some absolutely ridiculous numbers. He currently ranks 2nd in rebounds and 5th in points in franchise history.
#3 James Harden
While he has had some question marks at times in the playoffs, there is no denying James Harden's greatness. An isolation scorer extraordinaire, Harden has improved his game in so many facets since joining the Rockets. He's turned himself into an exceptional playmaker and his knack for getting to the line causes teams all sorts of problems.
After playing a reserve role for the Thunder, Harden was traded to the Rockets, as they were unwilling to match his salary demands. It would turn out to be one of the biggest mistakes they ever made.
Now as the focal point of the offense, Harden showed everybody what he was capable of. He's averaged over 25 points a game in all 6 seasons with the team and his assists have gone up every year except this season. He also joined a select group of players including Tiny Archibald, Wilt Chamberlain, and Jerry West, to have led the league in scoring and assists.
Harden has led the Rockets to the only two Conference Finals they've made in this century and they were potentially a Chris Paul injury away from making the Finals this season by dethroning the Warriors. He can potentially climb higher up the list, but he probably needs to at least get to the Finals for that. He's currently the franchise leader in points and assists per game.
#2 Moses Malone
One of the most dominant big men of all time, Moses was a force to be reckoned with during his stint with the Rockets. He used an array of post moves, had a knack for getting to the line and was a ridiculously good offensive rebounder. Malone joined the Rockets from the Buffalo Braves in 1976 in a trade. With Malone in tow, the Rockets reached the Conference Finals for the 1st time in franchise history in 1977, but they couldn't get past the Philadelphia 76ers.
Also read: Top 10 Regular season scorers in NBA History
Moses continued to improve as the seasons went by and in 1979, he would be crowned MVP. That season started a run, where he led the league in Rebounding for 6 of the next 7 years.
After the NBA realigned the Rockets to the Western Conference in 1980, they reached the Finals in 1981. They beat the Lakers in the 1st round, as Moses was perhaps the only player who the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar struggled to play against. In the Finals against the Celtics, the Rockets lost in 6 games despite Moses leading both teams in scoring and rebounds.
He would win his 2nd MVP the following year, but the team got bounced out in the 1st round. Moses would subsequently leave the Rockets as a free agent. Malone is currently 2nd in Points per game and 1st in Rebounds per game in franchise history. While Moses was amazing with the Rockets, not winning a championship is what keeps him off #1.
#1 Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon is by some distance the greatest player to ever play for the Rockets. A force on both ends of the court, Olajuwon clowned players in the post with his dream shake and on the other end, was one of the most feared shot blockers of his time.
Drafted in 1984, Olajuwon made an instant impact, and by his 2nd year, the Rockets reached the NBA Finals by destroying the defending champions Lakers in 5 games. They did come up short in the Finals, however, but there was no shame in losing to arguably the greatest Celtics team ever.
Immediate early success was followed by mediocrity and it wouldn't be until 1994 that they'd get back to the Finals and this time he wouldn't be denied. The Rockets beat the Knicks in 7 games and Olajuwon won Finals MVP. It capped off a remarkable season where he became the only player in league history to win MVP, DPOY and Finals MVP the same year.
The following year, the team traded for Clyde Drexler and won the title again, with Olajuwon having a postseason for the ages. He dominated some of the greatest bigs of his time in those playoffs, in Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, David Robinson and then Shaquille O'Neal in the Finals.
His performances against Robinson who won MVP that year will forever be etched to the memory of every Rockets fan. Olajuwon is currently the franchise leader in Points, Rebounds, Steals, and Blocks.
Who makes your list of greatest Houston Rockets players? Tell us in the comments below!
