#1988 HOUSTON ROCKETS ROSTER SERIES#
The Rockets led by two points at the time and that charge allowed them to hold on to the win and take a 3-2 series lead. The picture you see above shows his reaction after taking a charge on Utah's Derrick Fisher in the final seconds of Game 5 of Houston's 2007 first round series with the Jazz. He has valiantly carried the Rockets through Yao Ming's various injuries and has come up big a few times in the postseason. Hayes is a great competitor, winner and essential glue guy. His physical limitations have never limited his actual impact on the court, and while I never saw Kevin Kunnert play, I bet he would have little trouble making him nothing more than a spectator. So how in the world did Hayes make the list and finish ahead of Kunnert? Because Hayes is 6'6' and is one of the best at defending a position where his man typically stands five or six inches taller. Hayes was picked up by the Rockets after going undrafted in 2005 following a stellar college career at the University of Kentucky.Īs far as numbers go, Hayes' actually pale in comparison to what Kunnert produced in his four-and-a-half seasons in Houston.Ĭoming off his most productive year in which Hayes averaged eight points, eight rebounds and finished with the second most first place votes in the Defensive Player of the Year vote, he still has career averages of 4.4 points and 5.8 rebounds.
Where do they rank on the list of the top 10 centers in the rich history of the Houston Rockets? Take a look. 1 on this list, but what about Yao Ming? What about Ralph Sampson and Otis Thorpe?
The Dream is simply the best center to ever don a Rockets uniform, and arguably the best that ever lived. 1 overall pick by the Rockets in the 1984 draft and rose to such great heights that the public either forgot or deemed it unnecessary to chastise the organization for passing on Michael Jordan. It's no wonder then why the Houston Rockets were one of the NBA's elite franchises from 1980-2000.
#1988 HOUSTON ROCKETS ROSTER PROFESSIONAL#
Most of you probably don't because the last decade of professional basketball has been guard oriented.īut way back when, it was the giants in the paint that often decided the outcome of each game, and the teams that had a premier big man stood at the front of the line. Remember when the center position used to dominate the NBA?