Does Moses Malone get overlooked on the Rockets' Mount Rushmore?

In the sports world, there's constantly a considerable amount of dialogue about the Mount Rushmore and which players should be at the top of the mountain, whether it be league-wide or team specific. 

The debates have long ensued.

Sometimes fruitful, sometimes frivolous.

In the Houston Rockets community, Hakeem Olajuwon seemingly lies at the top of the mountain, as he was at the helm of the Rockets' two championships in the '90s, not to mention his other accolades (all-time blocks leader, Defensive Player of the Year, MVP, and Finals MVP all in the same season) speak for themselves. 

Some place James Harden at the top, as he carried the Rockets to eight consecutive postseason appearances throughout the 2010s, and came the closest to defeating a fully healthy Golden State Warriors superteam (while winning an MVP along the way and being a finalist in four other seasons).

It gets tricky after those two. Some rank Hall of Fame center Yao Ming third, some rank Hall of Fame point guard Calvin Murphy third, some even rank Rudy Tomjanovich third.

Moses Malone is oftentimes left out of consideration. 

Perhaps it's because he only played six years with the Rockets, which is a small sample size. It could also be because he played in the late '70s through the early '80s, so not many of today's young fans watched him play.

While those are valid, his dominance can't be ignored. He won two MVPs as a member of the Rockets -- a claim that no other player can make. He also took the Rockets to the NBA Finals as the primary scoring option-- a claim that only Hakeem Olajuwon can make.

Olajuwon did it three times, interestingly enough. 

And that's not even getting into Malone's numbers (which isn't always the best gauge, to be fair).

Malone's 24-point average ranks second in Rockets history, behind only Harden, and his 15 rebounds per contest rank first all-time in franchise history. Furthermore, Malone ranks second in offensive and defensive rebounds, behind only Olajuwon, despite not ranking within the top-ten in games played. 

League-wide, Malone is universally regarded as one of the game's greatest centers, as noted by HoopsHype's Frank Urbina. 

"Perhaps the most underappreciated superstar ever, Moses Malone was as dominant as it gets at the center spot with physical toughness as a rebounder, leading the league in nightly boards an astounding six times, including once at 17.6 rebounds per game. Malone was also a monster scorer in the paint, using his brute strength to batter smaller foes down low. Many consider Malone the greatest offensive rebounder the league has ever seen, as his timing and instincts to chase boards on offense were second to none."

It's hard to argue against Malone being on the Houston Rockets Mount Rushmore as well.