As I said when it first happened, Morey played the perfect long-con on the league in retaliation for the hit job against the Warriors in Game 7.
Good. Screw China and their dirty money. All this means is NBA was living above it's means this whole time and this was inevitable.
Guarantees that the Rockets will pay LT next year. They might even go past the apron. Which changes all of those exceptions the Rockets might use to pay new guys next year. Plus, aren't trade exceptions unusable if a team is above the apron? Anyway, I have to think the China news is going to chill Fertitta's willingness to pay it this year. Yay. Currently, Spotrac estimates they're 320,000 above the line. The nearly half million dollar bill isn't important, except it count as a year of paying the tax for Repeater Taxpayer penalties. Clint still have that hefty free throw percentage incentive? Adds up to, the Rockets may be dumping a guy or two at the deadline, not adding one. I'm still surprised Morey's here. That said, China has a few other things on their mind right now besides a tweet from an American basketball team executive.
But won't be caeer ending. I think worse case he will have to sit a year (informal suspension - fired and not hired for a year) but He will be in this league for a minute Rocket River
Hey Daryl - we're really upset with you, now we have no choice but to cheap out on players, like i said, really upset! - management (really upset!)
what changed in chinese society other than the nba losing money? did american businesses retaliate and not do business in china anymore?
Honestly, I think he's done with the NBA after the Rockets gig plays out. 1) He doesn't have an analytical advantage over most of his competitors like he did when he started as a GM. Everyone knows the value of analytics now, and many teams are starting to have the same kind of 3s and dunks shot chart as the Rockets. Further, he's never been a fantastic drafter, though he has found some diamonds. 2) He doesn't have a special advantage in trades or contract structuring anymore. Other GMs have learned by now that they usually take the worst of it when Morey makes a non-salary dump transaction. (Or have been told not to trade with him) The NBA keeps stiff-arming him every time he gets creative with a deal or contract, with Nene's being only the latest example. 3) China has a long memory, and probably isn't done $hitting on him, or any team that would hire him. I have no idea where he'll go after this, and maybe he will stick around at least until he gets a ring, but I don't see him continuing in the NBA. Just a feeling.
