1999–2000 Houston Rockets season

1999–2000 Houston Rockets season
Steve Francis' rookie season Charles Barkley's final season
Head coach	Rudy Tomjanovich
Arena	The Summit
Results
Record	34–48 (.415)
Place	Division: 6th (Midwest) Conference: 11th (Western)
Playoff finish	DNQ
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	Fox Sports Net Southwest, KIAH

The 1999-2000 NBA season was the Rockets' 33rd season in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 29th season in the city of Houston.^[1] The 1999–00 Rockets season ended with a record of 34–48. Houston's first game was at home against the Milwaukee Bucks on November 2, 1999. The Rockets lost 93–98. This led to a five-game losing streak. Houston's first win was against the Los Angeles Lakers on November 12, 1999. The game's score was 97-81. The Rockets last game was at home against the Vancouver Grizzlies (now known as the Memphis Grizzlies), on April 19, 2000. Houston lost 92–96. Houston didn't make the playoffs after finishing 6th in the NBA Midwest Division.

After he already announced in the off-season that the upcoming season would be his last, Charles Barkley suffered a knee injury in December, which forced an early end to his career. However, he would return on April 19, 2000, against Vancouver, his final NBA game. He came off the bench and scored on a put-back, scoring his final career points, after which he received a standing ovation. After the game, Barkley retired, ending his 16-year NBA career.

This season is memorable when the Rockets acquired future three-time All-Star Steve Francis in a trade from the Vancouver Grizzlies, who drafted him with the 2nd pick in the 1999 NBA Draft. He would later participate in the Rookie Game and the Slam Dunk Contest during the All-Star Weekend. Francis finished second in the Dunk Contest to Vince Carter of the Toronto Raptors. Francis shared Rookie of the Year honors with Elton Brand of the Chicago Bulls.

Off-season

Draft picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	22	Kenny Thomas	PF/SF	United States	New Mexico
2	40	Tyrone Washington	C	United States	Mississippi State
2	50	Venson Hamilton	C	United States	Nebraska

Roster

Houston Rockets roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From G 40 Anderson, Shandon 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 208 lb (94 kg) Georgia F 4 Barkley, Charles 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 252 lb (114 kg) Auburn F 50 Bullard, Matt 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Iowa F/C 13 Cato, Kelvin 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Iowa State G 11 Drew, Bryce 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Valparaiso G 3 Francis, Steve 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Maryland F 9 Gray, Devin 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Clemson F 44 Massenburg, Tony 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Maryland F 2 Miller, Anthony 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Michigan State G/F 5 Mobley, Cuttino 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Rhode Island G 12 Norris, Moochie 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) West Florida C 34 Olajuwon, Hakeem 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Houston F/C 6 Rogers, Carlos 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Tennessee State F 21 Thomas, Kenny 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 261 lb (118 kg) New Mexico F 42 Williams, Walt 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 219 lb (99 kg) Maryland	Head coach Rudy Tomjanovich (Michigan) Assistant coach(es) Jim Boylen (Maine) Larry Smith (Alcorn State) Mike Wells (Mt. Vernon Nazarene) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Roster notes

• Center Hakeem Olajuwon also holds Nigerian citizenship.

Regular season

Season standings

Midwest Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Utah Jazz	55	27	.671	–	31–10	24–17	14–10
x-San Antonio Spurs	53	29	.646	2	31–10	22–19	16–8
x-Minnesota Timberwolves	50	32	.610	5	26–15	24–17	18–6
Dallas Mavericks	40	42	.488	15	22–19	18–23	12–12
Denver Nuggets	35	47	.427	20	25–16	10–31	10–14
Houston Rockets	34	48	.415	21	22–19	12–29	8–16
Vancouver Grizzlies	22	60	.268	33	12–29	10–31	6–18

#	Western Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Los Angeles Lakers	67	15	.817	–
2	y-Utah Jazz	55	27	.671	12
3	x-Portland Trail Blazers	59	23	.720	8
4	x-San Antonio Spurs	53	29	.646	14
5	x-Phoenix Suns	53	29	.646	14
6	x-Minnesota Timberwolves	50	32	.610	17
7	x-Seattle SuperSonics	45	37	.549	22
8	x-Sacramento Kings	44	38	.537	23
9	Dallas Mavericks	40	42	.488	27
10	Denver Nuggets	35	47	.427	32
11	Houston Rockets	34	48	.415	33
12	Vancouver Grizzlies	22	60	.268	45
13	Golden State Warriors	19	63	.232	48
14	Los Angeles Clippers	15	67	.183	52

z - clinched division title

y - clinched division title

x - clinched playoff spot

Player statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Awards and records

• Steve Francis, NBA Rookie of the Year Award
• Steve Francis, NBA All-Rookie Team 1st Team

References

1. 1999-2000 Houston Rockets