The San Diego/Houston Rockets (four years in San Diego, before moving to Houston for the 1971-72 season), have been defined through the years by their talented big men.
Sure, the Rockets have had the occasional backcourt standout, but all of their meaningful success has come with a gifted big man (or two) in the middle.
It started with Elvin Hayes, a dominant but polarizing (maybe nicest thing ever said about him) big man from the University of Houston who joined Rockets in the franchise’s second season and put up massive numbers for four sub-.500 teams, one of whom (the 37-45 1968-69 team) snuck into the playoffs and was dismissed in six games. This was a fitting result for the Elvin Hayes era.
Why? Because it’s hard to expect much success from a guy who, by all accounts, is one of the least likable in NBA history.
Hayes was once referred to by Alex Hannum, his first NBA coach, as "the most despicable player I have ever coached."
And Hannum had him during a stretch when Hayes was a perennial All-Star and good for no worse than 25-15 a night!
The Rockets, now without a big presence in the middle, made ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Emile Avanessian
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August 13th, 2010 by Emile Avanessian Leave a reply »
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