Houston Rockets: What Would've Been

There's a fair possibility that this may have been posted before, so i'm going out on a limb putting this down. Anyway, I was wandering around the world wide web, when i stumbled upon this article that put me in definite awe. Anyway, back in the 1980's, the Houston Rockets were planning to build a superb roster. They did so. A roster which revolved around Hakeem Olajuwon. They won back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995. But they could've won more, MUCH MORE.

Before the 1984 NBA Draft, the Rockets Ralph Sampson, the ROY from the previous year. Before the draft happened, the Portland Trail-Blazers had a trade proposal for the Rockets. The Blazers were offering Clyde Drexler and the #2 pick for Malone and Sampson. The Rockets declined it, which probably turned out to be a very, very huge mistake.

Now if the deal went down, the Rockets would have Drexler on their roster earlier than in reality, and they'd have the top two picks in the draft. Their future star Olajuwon would no doubt be drafted at #1. But at #2, would make the same mistake the Blazers did in drafting Sam Bowie? Hopefully not. They probably would've drafted arguably the greatest player in NBA history: Michael Jordan. That could've/would've started probably one of, if not, the greatest NBA dynasty. Just look at this core: Olajuwon-Jordan-Drexler. Without a doubt, that would translate into a championship team that could erase the records held by the Boston Celtics.

The thing is, it never happened. If it did, the face of basketball would've changed entirely. Bulls fans wouldn't be who they are now. And the Blazers would be recognized as being even more stupid today. Proof goes to this story in The Chicago Tribune. I'm still scratching my head after finding this out, because that's what would've been.

Last edited by Skills on Thu Nov 13, 2008 1:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

woulda coulda shoulda

I'm a little confused. Drexler's first season was 83-84 (check his stats: 7.7PPG), where he did jack all. Moses was already in Philly in the 82-83 season.

Yeah, I love counterfactual history, but this one doesn't make any sense. How does Houston trade a player they don't have for a draft pick Portland wasn't guaranteed to have. (When does Portland get that eventual number two pick from Indiana? Anyone know?)

And, got a link?

EDIT: Found it referenced. Doesn't mention anything at all about Moses Malone. And it is from Sam Smith. Apparently the Pacers dealt that pick "years before." (Appears to be 1981.)

Also the story is completely different:

"There was a time when we felt there was a chance to make a trade with Chicago with Sampson for Jordan," Fitch said. "But nothing was ever done."

That was after the 1985-86 season.

My mistake. It was actually just Sampson for Drexler and the #2. I don't know where I got Malone from. I'll edit that.
As for my source, I was looking through these boards and it directed me to a link that brought me the info. Don't remember the link though.

Who would have taken the backseat, though? Jordan, Drexler, and Olajuwon were their teams main options, so they got the playing time and the possessions that helped them develop. With all of them on the same team, would they have developed as well as they did?

I read that with his second round pick, Jack Ramsay would have chosen John Stockton. Of course this is in hindsight.

I think Olajuwon would have been the centrepiece, owing to the belief that teams should be built around dominant big men which has been defied by a couple of teams since (including the Bulls with Jordan and Pippen) but then if Jordan exploded the way he did for the Bulls then his career may well have taken a similar path with him as the #1 option following by The Dream.

Wow, that's a new information for me. What a great opportunity that was tossed away. A big shame really. Just sad.

What would've been? My prediction is that they take MJ at 2, he blows out his knee as a rookie & never becomes one of greatest players of All-Time. As you can see, there are no guarantees with anything. Perhaps the Rockets put team around Dream, & try to turn MJ into a spot up jumpshooter, as silly as that may sound, it might've happened. Perhaps the Rockets trade Jordan early, realising Drexler is their gun at SG. I can definitely see why the Rockets didn't trade Sampson, as you never trade talented big for small. Obviously Sampson wasn't as durable or as good over his career as expected, but those are the breaks I guess.

Well one thing is for sure, a lot of people outside Chicago who are Bulls fans probably wouldn't have become enarmoured with them, particularly internationally given the way the exposure of the Bulls during the 90s resulted in a lot of people becoming Bulls fans, especially here in Australia.