#2009 HOUSTON ROCKETS ROSTER PROFESSIONAL#

Paired with 7-foot-4-inch (2.24 m) Ralph Sampson, they formed one of the tallest front courts in the NBA. In the 1984 NBA draft, once again with the first overall pick, the Rockets drafted center Hakeem Olajuwon, who would become the cornerstone of the most successful period in franchise history. As of 2021, the 1980–81 Rockets are the last team since the 1954–55 Minneapolis Lakers to make it all the way to the NBA Finals with a losing record. They would lose in six games to the 62–20 Boston Celtics, led by Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and future Rockets head coach Kevin McHale. Led by Malone, the Rockets reached their first NBA Finals in 1981, becoming only the second team in NBA history to do so with a losing record. During the 1980–81 season, the Rockets finished the regular season with a 40–42 record but still made the playoffs. Malone went on to win the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award twice while playing with the Rockets and led Houston to the Eastern Conference Finals in his first year with the team. The Rockets did not finish a season with a winning record for almost a decade until the 1976–77 season, when they traded for All-Star center Moses Malone. In the 1968 NBA draft, the Rockets were awarded the first overall pick and selected power forward Elvin Hayes, who would lead the team to its first playoff appearance in his rookie season. The Rockets won only 15 games in their debut season as a franchise in 1967. In 1971, the Rockets relocated to Houston. It was established in 1967 as the San Diego Rockets, an expansion team originally based in San Diego. Throughout its history, Houston has won two NBA championships and four Western Conference titles. The team plays its home games at the Toyota Center, located in Downtown Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division.

#2009 HOUSTON ROCKETS ROSTER PROFESSIONAL#

Eason remains behind Jabari Smith on the depth chart, but the 21-year-old could emerge as a core piece of the second unit next season.The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The rookie forward was a consistent force on the glass to end the season, recording at least six boards in each of the last eight games and averaging 8.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 steals in 26.6 minutes off the bench during that stretch. The 24-year-old averaged 20.0 points, 6.1 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game in 28 appearances for the Rockets' G League affiliate.

Outside of that three-week stretch where he played four games, Hudgins was featured in only one other game throughout the season. Hudgins served as a depth piece for Houston in February with Kevin Porter and Jalen Green in and out of the lineup. The LSU product impressed in the G League this season, averaging 24.4 points and 9.8 rebounds, but it will be difficult for him to carve out a significant role with the Rockets, who have a solid young frontcourt duo in Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith. Days was a February depth piece with a few starters and rotation pieces banged up, but he wasn't able to make his way into the rotation at any other point during the 2022-23 campaign.

2009 houston rockets roster