[Space City Scoop] Interview with general manager Daryl Morey

Glad he likes Melton, he looks like the best prospect we've had in 10 years, at least.

 

Makes a ton of sense. 1) Not much bargain piece left. If so, vet min is sufficient. 2) It's already a compelling group. A lot of question marks. Melo fit? Ennis fit? MCW bounce back? Boost Ryno's trade value? How much can Melton develop? Health issue overall?

Let this group roll. By at least the end of the year. We are able to answer these questions with some clarity. Trade market is opened up. By the coming February. We get to know this group more. Buyout market is opened up. With dry powder, we outbid others. We gear up for a deep run.

Season is long. Patience is king.

 

It's only possible if RA and Nanu play respectably well, otherwise we might end up with the next Joe Johnson and Brandon Wright.

 

Translation: "Melo's signing for vet min and we're holding onto the MLE. That way we'll have more $ to offer a bought-out vet later in the year. Let's just hope he has more impact than Joe Johnson this time."

 

In that case we need to find one more wing at the vet min.

 

Bring on Bebe for the min!

 

Having a big chunk of MLE all season doesn't really excite me. You don't control your own destiny in that situation.

It's a gamble. You're hoping a player shakes shakes loose, and that when he does, that player is motivated by money. Ultimately, that'll be money that could have gone towards securing Luc or some other full-time contributor.

Holding onto the MLE is not only a bad move in my eyes, it's a weird one.

 

Definitely possible. But if so you move on and try to sign someone else. Historically, how many buyout candidates are even motivated by money, and will any be better than the pool available at the start of free agency this year?

A contender choosing not to use its MLE. That's WEIRD, man. Something is up behind the scenes.

 

How many contenders have the MLE left? Houston could get the #1 buyout option. Money talks and it’s a nice position to be in

 

So, we're rolling with...
Paul, Melton, MCW?
Harden, Gordon, Green
Tucker, Ennis, House?/Edwards?
Melo, Anderson, Hartenstein
Capela, Nene, Zhou/Onuaku?

Need to cut 2. Personally, I would ditch MCW and Onuaku. Put Edwards and Hartenstein on 2-way contracts. I really wish we could have seen Gary Clark in summer league. I have a gut feeling this kid is worth keeping.

 

This is 100% correct. If it comes down to GSW at the minimum or the Rockets with an MLE offer then most players will choose the Rockets unless they are only chasing the ring which may be possible. Most would prefer the challenge and the larger contract in that situation especially if we have more playing time to offer them as well.

If a player like Demarre Carroll gets bought out after a midseason trade, I would expect him to go to the contender that is the highest bidder that is also able to offer him the most minutes if possible. WIN-WIN. Also, every year there are players that no one expects to get bought out/waived that do. Josh Smith is the most infamous but he won't be the last.

 

Historically.... Let's say we had the full MLE during the buyout period for the past 10 seasons. What are the best case scenarios? List the players that were bought out & took the highest offer since 2008. How many moved the needle?

I'm hoping someone has a few case studies, but nothing is coming to mind for me. Josh Smith?

To me, you don't use the MLE, you gamble, that shows you don't really have a plan. Which is bad. Maybe they think they know something we don't. We'll see.

 

That wouldn't surprise me at all, Ziggy. In fact, the one thing you can count on, whether it's before the season starts or around the deadline, is that if Morey does anything, it'll be a surprise. in my opinion, at any rate. I'll be shocked if we don't end up using what's left of the MLE (after at least giving Melton part of it) while it's available.