5 heartbreaking "what if" moments in Houston Rockets history

What if?

Those are two of the most painful words that can be combined in the English language. They make for a tantalizing tandem.

We can't change the past. What if we'd acted differently? To paraphrase The Rock, it doesn't matter - you acted as you acted. What happened, inevitably, happened.

The Houston Rockets have a storied history. Many NBA franchises cannot claim back-to-back NBA championships. At the same time, they also have some scars. There's no shortage of "what if" moments in the Rockets' history.

Here are five of the most heartbreaking ones.

What if the Houston Rockets drafted Kawhi Leonard?

If you've got a sensitive stomach, don't look at the 2011 NBA Draft.

You looked. We knew you would. The Rockets had the 14th pick. They selected Marcus Morris. That was a fine selection - Morris has roughly lived up to the expectations of a 14th overall selection.

Who was picked 15th? Oh, just Kawhi Leonard. The Rockets passed on a superstar for a role player in 2011. That happens - general managers are not clairvoyant.

Still, this what-if moment stings.

What if Yao Ming had stayed healthy?

Yao Ming was always bigger than basketball. His influence on the game's international sphere cannot be understated.

Still, Rockets fans fell in love with his game as well. A towering 7'6", Ming was an elite post scorer with a feathery touch. He developed a reliable mid-range game, and he was an intimidating rim protector on the other end of the floor.

Unfortunately, Ming struggled to stay healthy. This wasn't your modern Wembanyama 7'6" - Ming weighed around 290 pounds during his playing days. In the end, that was too much size for his lower body to handle.

In the end, Ming managed just 7 seasons in the NBA. He was relatively durable during his first three years, but by the time he was aging into his on-court prime, his body was beginning to fail. Between 2005-06 and 2007-08, he didn't get on the floor for 70 games in a single season.

He did manage 77 games in 2008-09, but then he was forced to miss the entire 2009-10 season. Ming suited up for 5 contests in 2010-11 before he was forced to retire.

What if Chris Paul hadn't torn his hamstring?

We don't want to talk about the 2018 Western Conference Finals. We don't like to think about the 2018 Western Conference Finals. Yet, here we are.

Specifically, we don't like to think about Game 5. Sure, the Rockets won that game, but it came at a cost. Chris Paul tore his hamstring in the dying moments, and he wouldn't return for the remainder of the series.

The rest is history. The Rockets would lose the next two games. They'd miss a particularly painful 27 threes in a row in Game 7. Could Paul have helped?

We think so. Paul was the Rockets' safety valve. When James Harden and Mike D'Antoni's Moneyball approach was failing, they'd turn to Paul. He'd generate some quality midranges in the pick-and-roll and reset the offense.

Without Paul there, the Rockets kept going to a dry well. They ended up dying of thirst. Nobody can guarantee they would have beaten the Warriors or LeBron James' Cavaliers with Paul healthy, but it's certainly an agonizing "what if".

What if the Houston Rockets had landed LeBron James?

Speaking of James...

The following summer, James was looking for a new home. He joined the Los Angeles Lakers. Allegedly, he gave the Rockets a look as well.

That makes sense. The Rockets were one of the best teams in the NBA. Paul is one of James' best friends. Why wouldn't he take his talents to Space City?

Alright, fine. James has since claimed that he never gave the Rockets a serious look. Given that he eventually chose the Lakers, it feels like branding was a priority for the all-time great.

We're still counting it as a "what if" moment. Sue us. The Rockets would have almost certainly won a title fueled by a trio of LeBron James, James Harden and Chris Paul.

What if the Houston Rockets landed Michael Jordan?

We know. What if there was world peace? What if time travel was invented? What if the Houston Rockets had two of the best players of all time?

Still, this "what if" has a little more substance. Firstly, the Rockets had the first overall pick in 1984. They could have taken Jordan. Still, you won't hear many complaints about their decision to select Hakeem Olajuwon.

Here's the painful part - they could have had both. It's well-documented that the Blazers offered them the second overall pick and Clyde Drexler in exchange for Ralph Sampson. At that time, Sampson was a superstar.

The Rockets could have had Olajuwon, Jordan, and Drexler. Let's do some math here. The Bulls won 6 titles in the 1990s, and the Rockets won 2.

What if they'd had the best player for all 8 of those titles?