5 greatest players in Houston Rockets' franchise history
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.