This page will contain news stories about Houston Rockets, as they become available.Houston RocketsThis article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality.See How to Edit and Style and How-to for help, or this article's talk page. The Houston Rockets are a National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas.
The team's former home was the Compaq Center, originally called The Summit. The Toyota Center was eventually built after the team pressured the city for a new arena.
Franchise History1967-1968: Beginnings in San DiegoThe San Diego Rockets entered the NBA in 1967 as an expansion team in the same year the Seattle SuperSonics entered. They selected Pat Riley with their first draft pick in 1967, and proceeded to a then-NBA record 67-loss season. 1968-1971: The "Big E" coin tossThe Rockets won the coin toss versus the Baltimore Bullets, earning them the number one pick in the NBA Draft, selecting Elvin "the Big E" Hayes from the University of Houston. Hayes led the team to the franchise's first ever playoff appearance in 1969. Move to HoustonIn 1971, real estate broker Wayne Duddleston and banker Billy Goldberg bought the franchise for $5.6 million and relocated the team from San Diego, where there was a lack of fan support, to Houston, Texas, the home town of Hayes. The Rockets began playing at the Astrodome and AstroHall, both in Houston, the HemisFair Arena, in San Antonio, the Hofheinz Pavilion, on the University of Houston campus, and at Waco. However, fan support was also scarce in the football-dominated city, and the Rockets averaged less than 5000 fans per game the first season. A local legend has it that some days the local churches in Waco drew more people than the Rockets. Despite this, the team played well, acquiring two promising young players in Calvin Murphy and Rudy Tomjanovich. 1972-74: Hayes tradedAfter trading Hayes to the Baltimore Bullets for Jack Marin, the Rockets went into a rebuilding mode for the next two seasons. The lack of winning did little to capture the city's attention. 1974-76: PlayoffsWith Coach John Egan's guidance and Tomjanovich, Murphy, and Mike Newlin leading the way, the Rockets made their first appearance in the playoffs since arriving in Houston. The rockets defeated the New York Knicks (with Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Bill Bradley, and Jerry Lucas) in the first round and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals before losing to the Boston Celtics. 1976-77: A saviorAt the insistence of new coach Tom Nissalke, a trade was completed with the Buffalo Braves to acquire Moses Malone, who as a high school star made the unprecedented decision of bypassing college basketball to sign on as a professional with the Utah Stars of the ABA in 1974. The Rockets, now led by Tomjanovich, Murphy, Newlin, Malone, Kevin Kunnert, and rookie guard John Lucas, took the Central Division title. Malone, then a novice 21-year old, outbattled Wes Unseld and Hayes to help the Rockets to a playoff victory in six games against the Washington Bullets. The Rockets' hopes ended against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Finals on a controversial charging call against Lucas in the final moments of Game 6. 1977-78: The punch felt 'round the worldIn a December 9 game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Kunnert got into a fight with the Lakers' Kermit Washington. As Tomjanovich ran over to the two, Washington turned and blindly swung his fist. The powerful blow landed squarely on the face of a running Tomjanovich, causing massive jaw, eye, and cheek injuries; Tomjanovich's skull was also fractured when his head hit the floor. That shocking scene became the defining moment of not only the Rockets' 1977-78 season (a conference finals team the previous year, collapsed into last place with a 28-54 record) but also of two basketball players' professional careers. Tomjanovich, displaying the "heart of a champion", spent the next five months in rehab returning to play as an NBA all-star. 1978-80: Malone shines, slow playoff progressMalone receives the league's MVP Award. Malone, not exceptionally big or quick, used subtle moves, perfect positioning, and bulldog determination to become a superb center. Malone, Murphy, and Tomjanovich (who had returned to average 19.0 points) all played in the 1979 NBA All-Star Game. Rick Barry also joined the team that year as a free agent, with the Rockets sending John Lucas to Golden State Warriors as compensation. The future Hall of Famer, now in the twilight of his career, averaged a modest 13.5 points. He did set a new NBA record, however, by posting a .947 free-throw percentage for the season. He would play one more year for the Rockets before retiring in 1980. The Rockets went 47-35 in 1978-79, Nissalke's last season as coach, finshing second in the Central Division losing two straight to Atlanta in a best-of-three first-round series. Del Harris replaced Nissalke at the helm for the 1979-80 campaign. The Rockets finished the year at 41-41, tying the San Antonio Spurs for second place in the Central Division. After beating the Spurs, two games to one, in the first-round playoff series, they were swept by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The arrival of a third NBA team in Texas, the Dallas Mavericks, caused a reshuffling in 1980-81 that sent Houston to the Midwest Division of the Western Conference, which also included San Antonio, Kansas City, Denver, Utah, and Dallas. 1980-81: The promised landMalone carries the Rockets to NBA finals. Murphy, the shortest player in the league, sets two NBA records, sinking 78 consecutive free throws to break Rick Barry's mark of 60 set in 1976 achieving a free-throw percentage of .958 breaking Rick Barry's record set with the Rockets in 1979. Other members of the 80-81 team were Rudy Tomjanovich, Robert Reid, Mike Dunleavy, Sr., Allen Leavell, Billy Paultz, Bill Willoughby, Calvin Garrett, Tom Henderson, and Major Jones. Houston tied with Kansas City for second place in the Midwest behind San Antonio with regular season at 40-42. Houston playoff run began by drawing the defending NBA-champion Lakers and Magic Johnson in the first round. The Rockets upset Los Angeles, two games to one, then got past the Spurs and George Gervin, four games to three, in the western conference semifinals. This set up an unlikely conference finals matchup with Kansas City. The Kings, led by Otis Birdsong, Scott Wedman, and Phil Ford fell to the Rockets in five games. The Houston Rockets finally made it to finals, the first time a team from Houston played for a championship in basketball, football, or baseball. The championship series with Boston was fought to six games. Unfortunately, the Celtics with Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Cedric Maxwell, and Kevin McHale were too strong. The Celtics defeated the Rockets again in the 1986 NBA Finals. 1993-94: Champions at Last!With Hakeem Olajuwon as their center, the Rockets defeat the New York Knicks in seven games. After being down 3 games to 2 in the NBA Finals, the Rockets win the last two games on their home court, thanks to the misfortunes of New York's best shooter: Knicks guard John Starks misses what would have been a series-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer in Game 6 after the shot was blocked by Olajuwon, and he shoots a cold 2-for-18 from the field in Game 7, missing all six of his 3-point shot attempts. 1994-95: The Glide Comes HomeIn a midseason trade with Portland, the Rockets obtain star guard Clyde Drexler, who had played alongside Olajuwon at the University of Houston. Houston struggles in the regular season, and they enter the playoffs as a sixth seed in the Western Conference. They are not expected to defeat the Utah Jazz in the first round, the Phoenix Suns in the second round, or the San Antonio Spurs in the conference finals. In fact, the Suns lead the second-round series 3 games to 1 (just as they did in the same round the year before). However, Houston comes back to win the last three games of the series, and then gets past the Spurs to reach the Finals, where they are matched up with the Orlando Magic. With Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway, the Magic is expected to win the championship, but Houston sweeps the series in four straight games. Like his old friend Olajuwon did the previous year, Drexler experiences the joy of winning an NBA championship at last. 1996-00: Post-Championship yearsThe post championship years declined the team as Hakeem Olajuwon was aging. Some of the role players like Sam Cassell and Robert Horrywere traded for Charles Barkley from the Phoenix Suns and Matt Maloney drafted into the team in 1996. They were good, but the Utah Jazz eliminated them from the Western Conference Finals in 1997 and in the Western Conference Semifinals in 1998, dimished any chances of holding an NBA title again. Then in 1999 brought the fall of the winning team reputation they had, as Charles Barkley was injured and planned to retire after the injury, but the fall also brought some once thought new hope, Scottie Pippen was traded from the Bulls after Micheal Jordans 2nd retirement, and Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley arrived into the team that year. They got into the playoffs in 1999 with a record of 45-37 on a 7th place seed, but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round with a series of 4-1, this ended the Rockets winning years as the the years ahead would bring a series of losses and a bad reputation. 2000-02: The Struggling YearsThe Rockets during the this era were a total blowout, and in return brought loss of national respect they once had, the Rockets however in the year 2000 brought a 45-37, but it still didn't cut them into the playoffs. Then the aged Hakeem Olajuwon was traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2001 which only leaves Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley as their successors in being the head stars in the team, but the following 2001-2002 season was no success, as their team was moslty made up of young Rookies and bench players which made Steve and Cuttino's job of making the team a winning one more difficult. The first "Hakeem-less" season in almost 20 years was tied up at a disspointing record at 28-54. 2002-Present: Yao Ming EraThe losing season of 2001-2002 brought dishonor and a total loss of faith of the Rockets nationally and locally in Houston. But then Yao Ming a tall 7 foot and 6 inches Chinese basketball player from the Shanghai Sharks decided to participate in the NBA draft of 2002, eventually he was picked and was ready for the job. People conidered him as the "New Hakeem" due to his height and the ability to shoot the ball easily, and his tough blocking defense. The 2002-2003 basketball season was a big clean up and a definite return of a winning team reputation which was lost during the turn of the century and a new "Rockets trio" (Yao Ming, Steve Francis, and Cuttino Mobley). However the season ended in a familar record of 41-38. The next 2003-2004 season was totally similar season, with another familiar record of 45-37, but the only difference was that they finally made their 21st Century playoff debut, however they were eliminated in a similar fate as their preceeding teams, being knocked out with a 4-1 record in the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers. Then during the offseason the Rockets trio ended as Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley and other familar teamates were traded to the Orlando Magic, but in return was Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard, and many others. McGrady and Yao let their team to their best record in 10 years, finishing the year at 51-31 and seeded 5th in the Western Conference Playoffs. Their season ended in the first round of the playoffs as they lost to their in-state rival, the Dallas Mavericks 4-3 in the Western First Round. Players of noteBasketball Hall of Famers:
Current Roster (updated April 24, 2005)Starters
Bench
Injured Reserve
Not to be forgotten:
Retired numbers:
This page about Houston Rockets includes information from a Wikipedia article. Additional articles about Houston Rockets News stories about Houston Rockets External links for Houston Rockets Videos for Houston Rockets Wikis about Houston Rockets Discussion Groups about Houston Rockets Blogs about Houston Rockets Images of Houston Rockets |
|
Injured Reserve. * Both clubs. Bench. 3000. Starters. The Brewers are featured prominently in the 2004 film Mr. Their season ended in the first round of the playoffs as they lost to their in-state rival, the Dallas Mavericks 4-3 in the Western First Round. He was also suspended by Major League Baseball, and would issue an apology to Block. McGrady and Yao let their team to their best record in 10 years, finishing the year at 51-31 and seeded 5th in the Western Conference Playoffs. Simon was arrested, charged, and fined for disorderly conduct. Then during the offseason the Rockets trio ended as Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley and other familar teamates were traded to the Orlando Magic, but in return was Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard, and many others. Block suffered only a scraped knee. The next 2003-2004 season was totally similar season, with another familiar record of 45-37, but the only difference was that they finally made their 21st Century playoff debut, however they were eliminated in a similar fate as their preceeding teams, being knocked out with a 4-1 record in the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers. During the Brewers' "Sausage Race," in which four contestants wearing sausage costumes have a footrace on the field, Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Randall Simon leaned over the dugout railing and hit college student Mandy Block with a bat. However the season ended in a familar record of 41-38. One of the most memorable events of the 2003 season occurred at Miller Park on July 9th. The 2002-2003 basketball season was a big clean up and a definite return of a winning team reputation which was lost during the turn of the century and a new "Rockets trio" (Yao Ming, Steve Francis, and Cuttino Mobley). However, on January 16, 2004, Selig announced that he was putting the team up for sale, and had retained a New York firm to handle the deal. In September of 2004, it was announced that the Brewers had reached an oral agreement with Los Angeles investment banker Mark Attanasio to purchase the team for US$180 million. People conidered him as the "New Hakeem" due to his height and the ability to shoot the ball easily, and his tough blocking defense. Wendy Selig-Prieb, Bud's daughter, is now CEO. But then Yao Ming a tall 7 foot and 6 inches Chinese basketball player from the Shanghai Sharks decided to participate in the NBA draft of 2002, eventually he was picked and was ready for the job. The Selig family's ownership of the Brewers is the longest continuing ownership in the majors now. The losing season of 2001-2002 brought dishonor and a total loss of faith of the Rockets nationally and locally in Houston. Therefore, it was decided to have a 16-team National League and a 14-team American League. The first "Hakeem-less" season in almost 20 years was tied up at a disspointing record at 28-54. In turn, this would have required that single interleague games be scattered throughout the season. Then the aged Hakeem Olajuwon was traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2001 which only leaves Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley as their successors in being the head stars in the team, but the following 2001-2002 season was no success, as their team was moslty made up of young Rookies and bench players which made Steve and Cuttino's job of making the team a winning one more difficult. Making both leagues equal in size would have meant that each league would have 15 teams, an odd number. The Rockets during the this era were a total blowout, and in return brought loss of national respect they once had, the Rockets however in the year 2000 brought a 45-37, but it still didn't cut them into the playoffs. Major League Baseball wished to keep interleague play in designated blocks during the season. They got into the playoffs in 1999 with a record of 45-37 on a 7th place seed, but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round with a series of 4-1, this ended the Rockets winning years as the the years ahead would bring a series of losses and a bad reputation. The team was moved from the American League to the National League in 1998 during baseball's realignment in order to make sure that each league had an even number of teams. Then in 1999 brought the fall of the winning team reputation they had, as Charles Barkley was injured and planned to retire after the injury, but the fall also brought some once thought new hope, Scottie Pippen was traded from the Bulls after Micheal Jordans 2nd retirement, and Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley arrived into the team that year. (The city had also had a major-league team by that name around 1900, plus a minor-league team with the same name in the first half of the 20th century.) The team had six days to remove the Pilots logos from team uniforms and replace them with Brewers logos. They were good, but the Utah Jazz eliminated them from the Western Conference Finals in 1997 and in the Western Conference Semifinals in 1998, dimished any chances of holding an NBA title again. The team was renamed the Brewers to honor Milwaukee's beer-brewing traditions. Some of the role players like Sam Cassell and Robert Horrywere traded for Charles Barkley from the Phoenix Suns and Matt Maloney drafted into the team in 1996. The trucks carrying the team's equipment were sent to Salt Lake City, Utah from Arizona, where they were to receive instruction whether to continue to Seattle or Milwaukee. The post championship years declined the team as Hakeem Olajuwon was aging. The team was still in spring training as the Seattle Pilots. Like his old friend Olajuwon did the previous year, Drexler experiences the joy of winning an NBA championship at last. The team was purchased on April 1, 1970 by an ownership group headed by Milwaukee auto dealer Bud Selig. However, Houston comes back to win the last three games of the series, and then gets past the Spurs to reach the Finals, where they are matched up with the Orlando Magic. With Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway, the Magic is expected to win the championship, but Houston sweeps the series in four straight games. Much of the story of the Seattle Pilots' only year in existence is told in Jim Bouton's classic baseball book, Ball Four. In fact, the Suns lead the second-round series 3 games to 1 (just as they did in the same round the year before). The Brewers were part of the American League through the 1997 season, after which they switched to the National League. They are not expected to defeat the Utah Jazz in the first round, the Phoenix Suns in the second round, or the San Antonio Spurs in the conference finals. They are in the Central Division of the National League. Houston struggles in the regular
season, and they enter the playoffs as a sixth seed in the Western Conference. The Milwaukee Brewers are a Major League
Baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In a midseason trade with Portland, the Rockets
obtain star guard Clyde Drexler, who had played alongside Olajuwon at the
University of Houston. Arizona Brewers The Celtics defeated the Rockets again in the 1986 NBA Finals. Nashville Sounds. Unfortunately, the Celtics with Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Cedric
Maxwell, and Kevin McHale were too strong. National League The Kings, led by Otis Birdsong, Scott Wedman, and Phil Ford fell to the Rockets in five games. Strikeouts: Jose Hernandez, 188 (2002). This set up an unlikely conference finals matchup with Kansas City. Hitting streak: Paul Molitor, 39 games (1987). The Rockets upset Los Angeles, two games to one, then got past the Spurs and George Gervin, four games to three, in the western conference semifinals. Stolen bases: Tommy Harper, 73 (1969). Houston playoff run began by drawing the defending NBA-champion Lakers and Magic Johnson in the first round. Triples: Paul Molitor, 16 (1979). Houston tied with Kansas City for second place in the Midwest behind San Antonio with regular season at 40-42. Doubles: Robin Yount, 49 (1980). Other members of the 80-81 team were Rudy Tomjanovich, Robert Reid, Mike Dunleavy, Sr., Allen Leavell, Billy Paultz, Bill Willoughby, Calvin Garrett, Tom Henderson, and Major Jones. Hits: Cecil Cooper, 219 (1980). Murphy, the shortest player in the league, sets two NBA records, sinking 78 consecutive free throws to break Rick Barry's mark of 60 set in 1976 achieving a free-throw percentage of .958 breaking Rick Barry's record set with the Rockets in 1979. Runs: Robin Yount, 121 (1980). Malone carries the Rockets to NBA finals. Runs batted in: Jeromy Burnitz and Richie Sexson, 125 (1998 and 2001). The arrival of a third NBA team in Texas, the Dallas Mavericks, caused a reshuffling in 1980-81 that sent Houston to the Midwest Division of the Western Conference, which also included San Antonio, Kansas City, Denver, Utah, and Dallas. Home runs: Gorman Thomas and Richie Sexson, 45 (1979 and 2001). After beating the Spurs, two games to one, in the first-round playoff series, they were swept by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Batting average: Cecil Cooper, .352 (1980). The Rockets finished the year at 41-41, tying the San Antonio Spurs for second place in the Central Division. 44 Henry Aaron. Del Harris replaced Nissalke at the helm for the 1979-80 campaign. 42 Jackie Robinson (retired throughout baseball). The Rockets went 47-35 in 1978-79, Nissalke's last season as coach, finshing second in the Central Division losing two straight to Atlanta in a best-of-three first-round series. 34 Rollie Fingers. He would play one more year for the Rockets before retiring in 1980. 19 Robin Yount. He did set a new NBA record, however, by posting a .947 free-throw percentage for the season. 4 Paul Molitor. The future Hall of Famer, now in the twilight of his career, averaged a modest 13.5 points. Rollie Fingers (1981). Rick Barry also joined the team that year as a free agent, with the Rockets sending John Lucas to Golden State Warriors as compensation. Rolaids Relief Man of the Year
Tomjanovich, displaying the "heart of a champion", spent the next five months in rehab returning to play as an NBA all-star. Rollie Fingers (1981). That shocking scene became the defining moment of not only the Rockets' 1977-78 season (a conference finals team the previous year, collapsed into last place with a 28-54 record) but also of two basketball players' professional careers. Cy Young
In a December 9 game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Kunnert got into a fight with the Lakers' Kermit Washington. Most Valuable Player
At the insistence of new coach Tom Nissalke, a trade was completed with the Buffalo Braves to acquire Moses Malone, who as a high school star made the unprecedented decision of bypassing college basketball to sign on as a professional with the Utah Stars of the ABA in 1974. 25 Rich Dauer (bench). The rockets defeated the New York Knicks (with Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Bill Bradley, and Jerry Lucas) in the first round and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals before losing to the Boston Celtics. 35 Bill Castro (bullpen). With Coach John Egan's guidance and Tomjanovich, Murphy, and Mike Newlin leading the way, the Rockets made their first appearance in the playoffs since arriving in Houston. 16 Butch Wynegar (batting}. The lack of winning did little to capture the city's attention. 36 Mike Maddux (pitching). After trading Hayes to the Baltimore Bullets for Jack Marin, the Rockets went into a rebuilding mode for the next two seasons. Coaches
In 1971, real estate broker Wayne Duddleston and banker Billy Goldberg bought the franchise for $5.6 million and relocated the team from San Diego, where there was a lack of fan support, to Houston, Texas, the home town of Hayes. Don Sutton. Hayes led the team to the franchise's first ever playoff appearance in 1969. Paul Molitor. The Rockets won the coin toss versus the Baltimore Bullets, earning them the number one pick in the NBA Draft, selecting Elvin "the Big E" Hayes from the University of Houston. Rollie Fingers. They selected Pat Riley with their first draft pick in 1967, and proceeded to a then-NBA record 67-loss season. Henry Aaron. The San Diego Rockets entered the NBA in 1967 as an expansion team in the same year the Seattle SuperSonics entered. The Toyota Center was eventually built after the team pressured the city for a new arena. The team's former home was the Compaq Center, originally called The Summit. The Houston Rockets are a National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas. 45 Rudy Tomjanovich. 34 Hakeem Olajuwon. 24 Moses Malone. 23 Calvin Murphy. 22 Clyde Drexler. Bill Willoughby. Walt Williams. Jimmy Walker. Otis Thorpe. Kenny Smith. Purvis Short. Ralph Sampson. Glen Rice. Robert Reid. Brent Price. Scottie Pippen. Moochie Norris. Mike Newlin. Cuttino Mobley. Rodney McCray. Vernon Maxwell. Matt Maloney. Sam Mack. John Lucas. Lewis Lloyd. Allen Leavell. Kevin Kunnert. Don Kojis. Toby Kimball. Buck Johnson. Robert Horry. Carl Herrera. Steve Harris. Othella Harrington. Eddie Griffin. Dave Gambee. Steve Francis. Eric Floyd. Mario Elie. Pete Chilcutt. Kelvin Cato. Sam Cassell. Matt Bullard. Chucky Brown. Scott Brooks. Rick Barry. Charles Barkley. PG - #17 Charlie Ward (Florida State). F - #5 Juwan Howard (Michigan). SG - #7 David Wesley (Baylor). F - #30 Clarence Weatherspoon (Southern Miss). PG - #23 Moochie Norris (West Florida). C - #55 Dikembe Mutombo (Georgetown). PG - #13 Mike James (Duquesne). SG - #20 Jon Barry (Georgia Tech). F/C - #42 Vin Baker (Hartford). C - #11 Yao Ming (姚明) (China). SF - #40 Ryan Bowen (Iowa). PF - #35 Scott Padgett (Kentucky). PG - #3 Bob Sura (Florida State). Zion Christian Academy, Rocky Mount, North Carolina). SG - #1 Tracy McGrady (Mt. Clyde Drexler. Calvin Murphy. Moses Malone. Elvin Hayes. |