The Olajuwon-Barkley-Drexler and Olajuwon-Barkley-Pippen trios were old men (in NBA years) when they teamed up with the Rockets, but they still brought a bit of excitement to the league. Jersey Player Pos HT WT YOS Pre-Draft Team Draft Status Nationality 9: Melvin Booker: G: 6-1: 185: 1: Missouri: 1994 NBA Draft, Undrafted: United. The "Super Team" era in Houston was over. 1995-1996 Houston Rockets Regular Season Roster. Pippen would be traded to Portland in the offseason after only one season in Houston, Barkley retired the following year and in 2001, Olajuwon was dealt to Toronto, where he would play the final season of his career. Unfortunately, though, the star-studded trio couldn't deliver the team a title, as they were defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. While Olajuwon earned a spot on the All-NBA Third Team, Barkley pulled down 12.2 rebounds per game (second in the league), and Pippen earned All-Defensive First Team honors for the eighth consecutive season. Led by the new Big Three, the Rockets finished the strike-shortened 1999 campaign with a 31-19 record. Other new faces in town included rookies Michael Dickerson, Cuttino Mobley and NCAA tournament hero Bryce Drew. The 33-year-old Pippen joined Barkley (34) and Olajuwon (35) to form a solid, but aging frontline in Houston. The Rockets acquired six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen from the Chicago Bulls in a sign-and-trade deal, providing the team with yet another future Hall of Famer. However, the Rockets were once again eliminated by the Jazz, this time in the first round.Ärexler retired following the season, but that didn't mean that the Rockets' super-team experiment had come to an end. Despite the injuries, Olajuwon, Barkley and Drexler led the team to a 41-41 record and a trip back to the postseason. The 1997-98 season proved to be a season full of injuries for the Rockets. And in the playoffs, after getting past Minnesota in the first round and Seattle in the semifinals, the Rockets fell to the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Finals as John Stockton drilled a game-winning three-pointer in Game 6. Houston would finish the season with a 57-25 record, tied for fourth-best in the league. The "Big Three" were surrounded by a supporting cast that included Mario Elie, who was a member of the Rockets' back-to-back championship teams, undrafted rookie Matt Maloney, Kevin Willis and Eddie Johnson. Olajuwon averaged 23.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, Barkley contributed 19.2 ppg and 13.5 rpg and Drexler chipped in with 18 ppg, 6 rpg and a team-best 5.7 assists per game. In their first season together, 1996-97, each star put up All-Star numbers as usual. Drexler was 34 and both Barkley and Olajuwon were 33 at the time, however, the talented trio still had a bit left in their tanks.
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