The 2000–01 NBA season was the Rockets' 34th season in the National Basketball Association, and 30th season in the city of Houston. The Rockets had the ninth pick in the 2000 NBA draft, and selected Joel Przybilla from the University of Minnesota, but soon traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks for rookie center Jason Collier. In an effort to shore up their front line, the Rockets signed free agent Maurice Taylor during the offseason. After the retirement of Charles Barkley, second-year star Steve Francis continued to emerge as the new star of the Rockets averaging 19.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Cuttino Mobley finished second on the team in scoring with 19.5 points per game. The Rockets got off to a 13–9 start to the season, but then went on a six-game losing streak afterwards. They would recover and play above .500 for the remainder of the season. However, the Rockets missed the playoffs despite finishing fifth in the Midwest Division with a winning record of 45–37, which was two games behind the 8th-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves.