2000–01 Houston Rockets season

The 2000–01 Houston Rockets season was the 34th season for the Houston Rockets in the National Basketball Association, and their 30th season in Houston, Texas.^[1] The Rockets received the ninth overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft, and selected center Joel Przybilla from the University of Minnesota, but soon traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for rookie center, and first-round draft pick Jason Collier out of Georgia Tech University.^[2][3][4] In an effort to shore up their front line, the Rockets signed free agent Maurice Taylor during the off-season.^[5][6][7]

With the addition of Taylor, and after the retirement of All-Star forward Charles Barkley, the Rockets got off to a 13–9 start to the regular season, but then went on a six-game losing streak afterwards. The team held a 25–25 record at the All-Star break,^[8] and then played above .500 basketball for the remainder of the season. However, the Rockets failed to qualify for the NBA playoffs despite finishing in fifth place in the Midwest Division with a winning record of 45–37, which was two games behind the 8th–seeded Minnesota Timberwolves.^[9]

Second-year star Steve Francis averaged 19.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game, and led the Rockets with 133 three-point field goals, while Cuttino Mobley averaged 19.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, and Taylor provided the team with 13.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. In addition, Hakeem Olajuwon contributed 11.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, but only played 58 games due to a blood condition in his left leg,^[10][11][12] while Shandon Anderson provided with 8.7 points per game, Walt Williams contributed 8.3 points per game, and second-year forward Kenny Thomas averaged 7.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.^[13]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., Francis was selected for the NBA Rookie Challenge Game, as a member of the Sophomores team,^[14][15] while Mobley participated in the NBA 2Ball Competition, along with Sheryl Swoopes of the WNBA's Houston Comets.^[16][17] The Rockets finished last in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 518,555 at the Compaq Center during the regular season, which was 29th in the league.^[13][18]

This season also marked an end of an era as Olajuwon was traded to the Toronto Raptors following the season, after seventeen seasons with the Rockets.^[19][20][21] Meanwhile, Anderson was traded to the New York Knicks,^[22][23][24] while Carlos Rogers signed as a free agent with the Indiana Pacers,^[25][26] and three-point specialist Matt Bullard signed with the Charlotte Hornets.^[27][28]