Cuttino Mobley reveals why the Rockets with 3 HOF in Pippen, Barkley, and Hakeem didn't win a title: 'The only one that was zoned in terms basketball was Scottie'

Although critics often credit LeBron James with the creation of super teams, such things were happening even before "The King" was on the radar of NBA teams.

One of those star-studded lineups was the Houston Rockets of the 1998-99 season. To replace the aging Clyde Drexler, the Rockets brought in six-time champion Scottie Pippen and paired him with Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon, two former MVPs.

Although to be fair, all of them were already in the later stages of their basketball careers, big things were expected from this trio. However, considering that Barkley is still the subject of jokes about being ringless, it's clear the team didn't achieve what it was built for.

One of those who can best describe the background story and why the team with three future Hall of Famers fell short is Cuttino Mobley, who was a rookie in H-Town during that season.

"I get to Houston and it's everything I thought it was. I get Scottie Pippen, it's Hakeem Olajuwon, it's Charles Barkley… Only one that was still zoned in as far as basketball was Scottie. And I only had him for one year," the 41st pick of the 1998 NBA draft said in his recent appearance on the "STRAIGHT GAME PODCAST."

A solid start, but a catastrophic finish

In the lockout-shortened season, the Rockets raced off to a 6-2 start but cooled off quite a bit, losing five of the next seven contests. Even though they managed to clinch the number 5 seed in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers booted them out in the first round in four games.

The players and talent were undeniable, but the off-court effort and team chemistry definitely were not. Pippen and Olajuwon were players with championship pedigrees and knew what it took to be the best in the league, but at that point, they simply no longer possessed it.

Other matters outside of basketball became more important, and this slowly but surely reflected on the team's overall performance. At the time, Cuttino, as a second-round pick, couldn't do much except soak in the different personalities and habits of these legends.

"'Dream' was in a transition, he's getting older, his faith was the number one most important thing. He was praying on the plane, learning Arabic… Scottie always kept his body right, he's waking up early, he's getting shots up, he is doing all that. "Dream" he just coming in when he come in. Charles was like he was on vacation. It didn't matter for Charles, he was just so good," the retired guard added.

Barkley vs. Pippen beef

After underwhelming results, a mutual blame game began between Scottie and Chuck, where both were dissatisfied with the effort the other put in during the season and the playoffs. Pippen later stated that he should have listened to Michael Jordan's advice and never should have come to play with someone like Barkley, who lacked dedication and the willingness to put the work in when it mattered the most.

"I probably should've listened to Michael [Jordan] a year ago when he said that Charles will never win a championship because he doesn't show any dedication. He's a very selfish guy. He doesn't show the desire to win," the retired forward said of "Sir Charles."

However, regardless of who bears the greatest blame, the fact remains that this Hall of Fame trio failed to crown their careers with another championship run—or, in Chuck's case, finally join the exclusive list of MVPs and champions.