Houston Rockets; Top 5 trades

The Houston Rockets, that were originally founded in San Diego prior to the 1967 season, have been one of the most storied franchises in the NBA, most notably in the 1980's and especially the 1990's when they enjoyed winning NBA Championships in 1994 and 1995 giving them and the city of Houston the nickname "clutch city", since they rallied to win the 95 championship as the 6th seed in the playoffs, which is still the lowest seed to ever win an NBA Championship.

I am now going to look back and give my version of the top 5 trades in the franchises' history, that have turned the team around each time.

MY Top 5
1.) Moses Malone

DEAL: 1977, Rockets acquire HOF Moses Malone from the Buffalo Braves for his negotiating rights from the ABA Utah Stars.

ANALYSIS: An NBA Hall of Famer and one of the best ever to hit the hardwood, Moses helped turn around a Rockets team that was trying to find it's identity and that was in crisis mode in the mid 70's. He won the league MVP in 1979, and with him, the Rockets soon formed a new trio that included stars Calvin Murphy and Rudy Tomjanovich. All three would appear in the 79 all star game. Moses would help lead the Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1981, where they would lose to the Boston Celtics and Larry Bird in 6 games after defeating the reigning champ Lakers in 3 games and George Gervin's Spurs in 7 to get there. Moses would win the MVP award again in 1982, but the Rockets wouldn't make the playoffs. He would then be traded following the 82 season to the Philadelphia 76ers, the team in which he would lead to the NBA title in 1983. It's funny how that works sometimes. Karma......Karma.

2.) Clyde Drexler

DEAL: 1994-95 / mid-season. Rockets obtain Clyde Drexler from the Portland Trailblazers in exchange for Otis Thorpe.

ANALYSIS: This trade was prompted due to the Rockets early struggles at the beginning of the 95 season. Trading for Drexler and pairing him with fellow and former University of Houston teammate Hakeem Olajuwon really turned the Rockets season around. En route to the 95 championship, Drexler helped the Rockets beat four teams with 50 or more wins, all while remaining the sixth seed themselves. It is a feat that has yet to be matched, and probably will never be matched. Drexler and Hakeem would both celebrate the championship in Houston, after sweeping the Orlando Magic and Shaquille O'Neal and earning the nickname "clutch city". Game one of that series is still known as one of the best comebacks in playoff history. Down by 20 in the second half, Drexler and Olajuwon led the Rockets to an overtime victory which ultimately drained the Magic of their confidence in the next four games. Drexler would knock on the championship door once again in 96 and 97 alongside Barkley and Olajuwon, but to no evail, as the Rockets fell short both times. He would retire following the resolution of the 1997 season.

3.) Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue, Reece Gaines

DEAL: 2004. Rockets trade Cuttino Mobley, Steve Francis, and Kelvin Cato to the Orlando Magic for Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard, Reece Gaines, and Tyronn Lue.

ANALYSIS: It is a deal that many thought would lift the Rockets to the upper echelon of the NBA elite. After the Rockets drafted center Yao Ming with the first pick in the 2002 draft, Rockets executives surmounted that the trio, Steve "Franchise" Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Yao would take the team to new heights; Well they were all wrong. The chemistry clearly wasn't there, and the onl playoff trip made under Francis' leadership went downhill quickly as they were blown out by the eventual Western Conference Champion Lakers in 2004. T-Mac, who was one of the young, up and coming elite players in the game, was thought to be able to give the Rockets the clutch play that Cuttino and Steve never provided. Francis was a great point guard, but he was not the proven superstar that could take over games like McGrady could, plus, many believed he was overpaid at his position. McGrady and Yao proved to be a perfect fit in their first season together when they led the Rockets to a 51-31 record in the 2005 campaign, even though they were ousted by Dallas in seven games of the first round after winning the first two on the road. 2006 was a horrendous campaign, as both he and Yao were plagued by injuries and never on the floor at the same time. The Rockets finished 34-48 and ended up with the 8th pick in the draft which essentially gave them Shane Battier, who had been the defensive weapon they lacked. Although many in Houston still question the move seeing that they had to give up potential number one pick Rudy Gay in the deal.

4.) Charles Barkley

DEAL: 1997 / mid-season. Rockets obtain Charles Barkley from the Phoenix Suns for Sam Cassell, Robert Horry, Chucky Brown, and Mark Bryant.

ANALYSIS: This trade was presumably made because the Rockets thought that their aging roster was not going to be competitive enough to compete against the top teams in the West or the Chicago Bulls. It did give the Rockets the best trio in their history, but it never amounted to a Championship. They would get to the Western Conference Finals in the 97 playoffs, but were soon ousted by John Stockton and the Utah Jazz in game 6 in Houston on Stockton's game winning 3. (That 3 still haunts my dreams to this day). The 98 season was marked by injuries, as the Rockets trudged to a 41-41 record and an eventual first round loss to the Utah Jazz again. After Drexler retired following the 98 season, the Rockets signed Scottie Pippen to a five year deal. However, during the 99 season, Barkley and Pippen never got along and it led to a first round exit once again in 4 games to the LA Lakers. During the 2000 season, Barkleys long and historic career would come to an end where his career started, against the Philadelphia 76ers, after tearing both his MCL and ACL in a collision with Sixers center Matt Geiger underneath the basket.

5.) Steve Francis

DEAL: 1999. On Draft day, the Rockets obtained the rights to Steve Francis, from the Vancouver Grizzlies for Brent Price, Antoine Carr, Michael Dickerson, and Othella Harrington.

ANALYSIS: The Rockets got the better end out of this trade at the time, but over time, it didn't really pan out the way everyone wanted to. Only one playoff appearance was made during the Franchise era (2004), and they were plastered by the LA Lakers in four games. The trio that featured Francis, Cuttino, and Yao never worked out and he was soon shipped to Orlando as a part of the mega deal that gave Houston Tracy McGrady.

HONORABLE MENTION

6.) Shane Battier

DEAL: 2006. Obtaining Shane Battier from the Memphis Grizzlies for 8th overall pick Rudy Gay.

ANALYSIS: This move continues to impress Rockets fans everyday even though most were torn when it was first announced, since Rudy Gay was a potential number one pick with a lot of talent. He is the overall team MVP along side McGrady, for his relentless defensive prowess is rarely matched in the NBA. Always guarding the opposing teams best player and making the occasional 3, Battier always does the little things for a Rockets team that doesn't feature any other gritty hard nosed player. The defensive intensity, offensive prowess, and overall grittiness makes a great NBA player, and that is exactly what Battier is. Had this deal been made a couple years ago, it would have probably been in the top 5 knocking the Francis deal off.