Summary: - Spurs are still the team to beat in Texas - Do we expect to be in the Finals? - D: We're a good team, will surprise. Lakers beat the Clippers so expectations don't matter. We just need to beat the Bobcats. - What numbers shift from an analytics perspective? - D: We won't be the highest paced team anymore. Offense should be about the same efficiency wise. We should be in the top ten on defense this year. (we better be) - How does Dwight look compared to last year? How does his back look? - D: Dwight's play got much better over last year, especially towards the end of the season and in the playoffs. Morey and Harden watched him in the playoffs and really wanted to get him. - Asik and Dwight playing together. They don't believe that's real? Who would you trade him for? - D: I don't believe you premise. We like Asik and Dwight together. It's working in practice and it's worked in games. Woe be to anyone who tries to get by them in the paint. If it doesn't work we'll go away from it but it work. He's buying it. - Can we make a bet as to whether Asik will be there in a few months? - SVG: We had Gortat, and we could have done it, but it doesn't work. Let's not point to the preseason. - D: SVG plays all his starters all 48 minutes in the preseason, so obviously he believes in preseason results. (joking) If it works we're going to do it, if not we'll go away from it. [going on a break, but coming back]
Q: Expect to be in finals? DM: Just worried about beating the Bobcats tonight. Laughs off finals, clearly dodging question. Q: What numbers are gonna shift this year for Rockets? DM: Good question. We were highest paced team last year, we'll drop back a little. Were very good in halfcourt last year so not worried about that. Offense was good, trying to keep that stable. Trying to improve upon average defense from last year. Got to get it in top 10. Dwight and Asik and solid cast we better be in the top 10. Q: Have you seen difference in Dwight vs last year? DM: I have. We studied that heavily for 80-90 mil player. His play improved thorughout the year last year. If you watch him play in playoffs, it was actually very good. Got masked by media focus on getting ejected. I think it's continued to improve. Q: Now you love Asik. Not buying that he'll play all year together with Dwight. You're a liar Morey! (jokingly). If you had to move him, who you love, what do you want? DM: I'm gonna attack the premise. I went in not seeing them playing together (thought it wouldn't work at first). We have more info than anybody and have seen them in practice and it's working. If it's not, we'll move away from it. We'll beat anyone in the paint and on the boards. Dwight is a good passer and is enthusiastic on guarding mobile 4's. Right now it works, we're beating teams up. I'm buying it, not thikning about 2nd part (trade). (Banters with SVG - SVG comments on his Magic teams good starts and devaluing preseason. Morey replies "might be because you had Dwight). DM: We think it'll work like Dwight and Gortat. 2 of top 5 def bigs in the league. Q: Put us in that room when Dwight called this summer. DM: I was in a very smeller room at the Beverly Loshere (hotel?) that hadn't been cleaned because I hadn't left the room in a few days. Dwight called me and said he was coming. It was a short convo. I screamed a little. Q: Who did you call first? DM: (Les). I think my wife loves me but she understood that. Q: How much did you decide on Lin/Beverly? DM: For sure Mchale's decision. We've got 2 guys playing unbelieveable. Just a fit thing...we like Bev's on ball defense, spot shooting. Jeremy excels with ball in hand, dynamic scoring off the bench. He was getting to the rim at 80% of all PNRs in preseason. I know I'm quoting preseason stats but he's getting to the rim at will! (jokingly). Could see 20 minutes together. Q: It makes sense (Morey replies thanks Stan!). More opp to run PNR with second unit. DM: Yeah, it's pretty obvious. Jeremy and Pat were 2 best players in preseason. Q: What about long term and short term at PF? DM: "Daryl your PFs suck, what are you gonna do" is what he means. Fair enough, our guys are young but could be good. My understanding is Dwight and Casspi will get most of the 4 minutes, CP a decent amount too. Tonight D-mo will get leftover minutes. DH, Casspi, and Chandler could go all 48 minutes. Asik one of the only guys that can push Dwight to 4. Q: Thoery: your going to force someone to take Lin when you trade Asik? DM: Can't we just enjoy this game? (laughs) Q: Youre a new age GM, dogfight with Bobcats?! DM: 3rd bets preseason defense. Kemba can go off on anyone. Don't sleep on them. Banter: (makes fun of Morey for quoting preseason. Stan agrees Charlotte will be better defensively. "Nobody is sleeping on them, they fall asleep while watching them") Q: It was fun beating you up Daryl. Really hard to do what you did there (building Rockets). Nobody can get DH and JH! DM: Obv a team effort hear. Best description I heard is that "in a year you're going to get DH and people will debate who the best player on your team is" would have been unfathomable a year ago. Hope to have a chance to win the title and I think we really do.
You put Morey together with SVG and it is almost always radio gold. I can't decide whether I like listening to SVG or JVG more.
SVG was definitely giving it to Morey, saying very skeptically that we all know that starting Asik is just a ruse to pump up his value and that no team trying to win the most games would really do that. Morey kept coming back and saying that they really believe in the success of playing both guys. It was a little bit heated, but mostly light hearted joking with a "journalist" type trying to cut through the blah blah generic answers you usually get.
Can we have Stan Van Gundy on every radio show whenever Morey makes an appearance? The local guys would have spent whole time either talking about random non-bball questions, making jokes about James Harden's teeth, or obsessed over the Lin-Beverley situation. Stan Van Gundy actually asks him interesting basketball questions.
I recommend everyone to go back and listen to svg and lebatard talk about what Sabin has to do to get fired. It was hilarious.
great stuff, and really good comments on the Bev/Lin thing. glad to hear Morey's thoughts on all of it.
- Can you put us in the room when you got the news that Dwight was coming? - D: I was in a very smelly room at the Wilshire, cause I hadn't left the room for days working on deals. Dwight called me and told me, and I gave a little scream. - Who did you call first? - D: The owner! - How much of Patrick Beverley starting is you, and how much is McHale? - D: It's really just a fit thing for coach. Jeremy excels with the ball in his hands, so he's going to come off the bench. He gets the rim at will. He's getting to the rim 80% of the time. He and Beverley are going to play together 15-20 minutes a game probably. - Harden will have the ball blah blah blah - D: The fit is pretty obvious from our perspective. Jeremy and Patrick played out of their mind in the preseason? - How about power forward? You don't have a true starting power forward. - D: It's up to coach, but Dwight/Casspi are going to get the majority of the minutes. Parsons will get some. Traditional 4 will likely be DMo at times. When we play Dwight/Asik together, Asik is one of the only guys in the league who can push Dwight to the 4. - You're going to force someone to take Lin when you trade Asik (joke) - (good natured ribbing back and forth) - D: People are sleeping on the Bobcats. They're going to be a better team (this is a running trend where Daryl doesn't want to talk about trading anyone, so he keeps bringing up tonight's game) They're wrapping up now, saying how much of a good job Morey has done with the team.
Our local radio guys need to take notes. THIS is how you conduct an interview with the GM. Fun, engaging, and basketball-focused.
