Let’s take a look back at a Rockets unsung hero Carl Herrera.
In the second part of our Houston Rockets Rewind, we look at another sometimes forgotten but still essential part of the Rockets’ back-to-back championships, Carl Herrera. Even though he was never a starter, Herrera was the player every contending team needs: a rugged defender who hustles every play and is a great teammate. Let’s take a look back at Herrera’s career.
Path to the NBA
Carl Victor Herrera Alleyene was born in Trinidad and Tobago on December 14, 1966. Herrera’s path to the NBA didn’t start at the University of Houston. He played first at Jacksonville Junior College in Texas before transferring to UH. Herrera played one year at Houston and did not waste the opportunity, as he averaged 16.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game. The Miami Heat drafted Herrera with the 30th pick, making him the first-ever Venezuelan player drafted, but he did not immediately go to the NBA.
NBA Career
Herrera started his professional career in Spain, playing alongside another future NBA player, Stanley Robinson. Herrera would never take the court for the Heat as he began his NBA career with the Houston Rockets in 1991. He played a minor role in his first year with the team, averaging only 4.4 points in a little over 13 minutes a game. The following season, he would play in 81 games, starting 12. He increased his points per game to 7.5 and played over 22 minutes a game. Even though his numbers would dip in his third year, his importance to the team increased.
As mentioned, Herrera’s points per game went down from his second season, but it was a good reason. The season was 1993-1994, which changed the Rockets franchise forever as they won the first of their back-to-back championships. His physicality and toughness were on full display throughout the ‘94 playoffs and front and center in the all-important Game 6 of the ‘94 finals vs the New York Knicks.
Game of a lifetime
The Rockets trailed the Knicks 3-2, heading back home for game six and hopefully Game 7. The Knicks’ physicality sometimes caused issues for players like Robert Horry, and the Rockets needed a spark off the bench. Enters Herrera, who had already had a strong series until that point. Herrera matched the Knicks physical style of play on the boards and excelled on offense. Herrera finished as the second-leading scorer for the Rockets in only 20 minutes.
Herrera finished 6-for-6 from the field and had 5 rebounds. We all know this game is known for the game-winning and possibly franchise-saving block by Hakeem Olajuwon on John Starks to secure the victory. Still, without Herera’s spark off the bench, the Rockets would have never been able to win in the last seconds.
Of course, we all know what happened after that. The Rockets went on to win game seven and their first-ever championship. In game seven, Herrera had another great game off the bench, scoring 6 points and five rebounds while playing 25 minutes off the bench, helping the city of Houston celebrate its first-ever sports championship.
Rockets win a second ring, but injuries end Herrera Rockets career
The following season, Herrera would start the most games of his career, as he started in 26 of his 61 games. Unfortunately, his season would end as the Rockets were gearing up for another playoff run. Herrera dealt with shoulder issues for two straight seasons and missed time earlier in the 1995 season with a hamstring injury that kept him out from February to March. He came back and played briefly but would be placed on the injury list for the rest of the 1994-95 season with a separated shoulder.
A couple of quick notes on the Herrera injury. When Herrera was out in February, the Rockets signed Chucky Brown to a 10-day contract. Brown turned that 10-day performance into a great playoff run, including his pivotal defense on Charles Barkley in the second round. Secondly, the Rockets were comfortable making the famous Drexler-for-Thorpe trade because of their confidence in Herrera to take Throrpe’s place in the starting lineup.
With Herrera’s injury, the Rockets moved Robert Horry to the power forward spot as a stretch four, which was uncommon in the ‘90s. Unfortunately, that injury signaled the end of Herrera’s career, as he spent the entire playoffs on the sidelines.
Career winds down – and victim of an attempted robbery
Herrera would go on to play for three more teams, including the Spurs, Grizzlies, and Nuggets. After completing his NBA career, he would finish his professional career in his home country of Venezuela. Herrera stayed in basketball after his playing career coaching with Estudiantes de Guárico and Gigantes de Guayana. In 2014, Herrera was involved in a life-threating situation where he was wounded during a shooting at Margarita Island. The bullet had passed through Herrera and lodged in his side. It seems it was an apparent robbery attempt. Herrera was in intensive care for some time, but thankfully was able to have a full recovery.
Matt Bullard reflects on playing on the 1994 championship team with Carl Herrera and his importance to the Rockets
First off, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.
I wanted to ask you about how it was being a teammate of Carl. I know he came a year after you started with the Rockets.
Every team is a sum of all its parts. To win a championship, you have to have a superstar or three, but you also have to have role players who fit well with your superstars.
Carl fit perfectly with our team, both on and off the court. We called him ‘Amigo’ because he was a friend to everyone on the team. Everyone loved him, his personality was without ego and all he wanted to do was win. He played hard when he got his chance, and he was a great teammate on the bench when he wasn’t playing.
Carl isn’t the first name you think of when talking about the Rockets championship years, but can you talk about his importance to the team, especially in the 1994 finals where he had played a huge role in the game 6 wins?
Carl’s play on the court in the 94 Finals was critical to our victory. The NY Knicks had a huge and nasty front line. Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason. We had to have Carl coming off the bench to battle those guys or we wouldn’t have won the title. Carl was tough, did not back down from the physicality, and was very effective on both ends of the court. Offensively he was able to score in a variety of ways. On defense, he was able to guard multiple positions and rebound effectively. Plus, he was playing with a severe shoulder injury. He would not have been playing if it were the ‘24 Finals, but ‘94 was a different era and he was able to gut it out.
What do you want the younger fans who weren’t even born yet when Carl was playing in the 90s to know about that 1994 team and Carl Herrera?
What most fans don’t know is that Carl is the ‘Michael Jordan of Venezuelan basketball’. He still coaches in the Venezuelan league. I was impressed by how he could go from being a superstar in his own country to a role player in the NBA and have no hurt feelings about it. He was a great example of a selfless teammate who put his team’s success first.
Carl played 3, 4 and 5. He was tough, he was skilled and he was effective. If he were playing in today’s game, he would be even more valuable than he was in the 90s.
Conclusion
Like Otis Thorpe, Carl Herrera may not be a household name, but Herrera was the type of player who did all the dirty work around the basket. In the 1990s, the game was focused on the paint; scores were low, and you couldn’t if you didn’t have tough players like Herrera. Herrera should never be forgotten, as the Rockets would not have back-to-back championships without the man they called Amigo.