The biggest obstacle I see for Morey going forward is the honeymoon is over. Those days of going in and stealing other teams assets isn't happening anymore. NBA General Managers are part of a small inner circle of basketball afficionados. They talk to each other and make no mistake about it they know Morey has got his stat army ready to annihilate them and they don't want any part of that. Rest assured they know how the media crucified Walsh and New York and praised Morey after they felt Morey raped the Knicks and didn't even use a condom. Every GM knows Morey has a statistical edge when it comes to analyzing players. No GM is stupid enough to want any part of a trade with Morey when they feel he has the upper hand and could make them look stupid. They may not be as smart as Morey but they are smart enough to know if Morey wants one of their players they need to take a second look at that player. And Morey wants their player the asking price for said player just went up. Why do you think Morey has been trying harder than anyone to get something big done since the New York deal and hasn't even come close. Why do you think the only team that wants to deal with him is his old Buddy at Memphis. He has a relationship their. The rest of the league despises his geekish smart boy attitude and his sloan conferences and his New York rape charges. Say what you will about CD but he was well liked around the league. Which is why he was able to make deal for thorpe and Barkley and Drexler. The honeymoon is over and no one wants to play with Morey. They don't trust him. They don't trust his Stats they are afraid if he makes one deal that makes them look bad they will be out of a job. Perhaps, Morey should have been a little more inconspicuous in his dealings instead of accepting all the accolades he was receiving. Jealousy is a deadly sin and you can be sure it runs rampant among your peers. ANd since more GM's are old school without the army of stats men that Morey possesses or they no how to implement such n army they are less likely to trust a guy like Morey. That's why Sac and Memphis were are biggest partners. But Sac's connection was more about Adelman and they dropped off that bandwagon. Which leaves us with our bi-annual trade with Memphis. Which boils down to trading Rudy Gay for Thabeet. So whatever advantage Morey gives us in geekhood he loses it in personal networking. There is a human side to all of this and you can hear it from the players. They don't want to be treated like assets alone. And coaches feel that too. Many will deny this but Rudy was paid hush money to shut up and accept his retirement. ANd Adelman was made an offer he had to refuse. They even soured on Van Gundy in the end, Morey say it's not personal, it's business. But we don't go to Rocket's games to watch a business. We go to watch a team we love and that's personal. It's not just about winning championships it's about winning championships with a team you really cheer for. IMO Les would be a slave owner if that were still legal. He is a lousy owner who treats his players and coaches like stocks on the market. He would be a slave owner if that were still legal. He doesn't see the human side to the people that work for him and instead gives to save the animal causes. What about giving to save the Rockets Coaches Foundation. Three of the best coaches in the league and all of them left on bad terms (Don't for one second believe Rudy wasn't fired). I had hoped Morey was not part of that mindset but I think it is telling how well he gets along with Les and how he is not on the block. If that's what Moreyball and Sock-Les Alexander bring you. Than we are in for a lousy future. We have the nucleus to win now. We are much better at the end of this season than we started. Morey has definitely contributed to that but you cna bet it is going to get harder here on in. And in the end if it's only about the bottom line I for one will lose interest.
Interesting perception and definitely one that has been bounced around a few times before. According to the vote of confidence poll though, over half our BBS thinks that DM and his stats are useless though. Hopefully we can find GM's that share their views.
are you trying to say rest of GMs in NBA only do trades with dumber GMs so they can show their smartness?
And this, I think is the main reason why people are turning on him. Because after a good end to the season after the trade deadline, people are bizarrely thinking that this team can win now, when,um, it really can't. I don't recall anyone thinking that this team was going to win now when they went on a hot start to the 2009-10 season, which makes it all the more bizarre.
I've came across the bolded statement too many times on here this past couple of weeks and I'm thinking "win what?" While the team is better than all of the non-playoff teams this year, it is nowhere near championship caliber to the point where ANYONE can say this team is in "win now" mode. The popular rebuttal is that we're one player away (whether it be a superstar or a legitimate 7 foot center) from contending and, while I agree, neither a superstar nor a legitimate 7 foot center are easy to find. So, in actuality, the Rockets aren't close to being "win now" as some on here would like to believe.
Yeah other GM's are so afraid of Morey because of how he stole all the other teams asset and has built us into a powerhouse....
Agreed, I was thinking the exact same problem when I read the "vote of confidence" thread and people were asking "what is a concrete criticism of Morey"? The problem is he hasn't done anything concretely wrong, it's just that how can he succeed moving forward? He deserve a little longer leash than firing him now, but not much longer.
#1 Morey is not 100% a stats guy.. I do not know why people seem to believe this. He uses statistics as one of a number of elements. He relies VERY heavily on his scouting department, which is one of the 3-4 best in the NBA. #2 The trade with NY was a year ago, that is not that long ago. Morey attempted and failed to get Anthony (he was determined to go to NY) and Williams (Utah had no desire to keep him in the same division). Realistically the way the trade market played out, there was no one for Morey to get in relation to the circumstances and offers made by other teams. So to say that other teams simply will not deal with Morey is a REAL reach. #3 the logic is flawed... teams dealt with Jerry West, even though he raped them for years... Danny Ainge is hated around the league by other GM's, but he still makes trades. Morey some how managed to make trades with Memphis, Phoenix, Toronto, LA, NY, Sacramento, Atlanta and NJ in the last two years.
By saying close to win now means that we are one good center away. Thats if they keep this team together and add a defensive big man.
Could anybody possibly consider the fact that nearly all the star/superstar players that were traded over the last year and a half moved East? The fact that most WC teams did NOT want to trade their big time players within that same conference more than likely hinderd the process for Morey that much more. No ones gonna not deal with Morey cause they're "dumber" than him and don't want to be dooped. He's been trying to trade after the NY deal because EVERYONE knew players were gonna be moved soon AND we had all the assets in the world at the time to be able to make the type of move. Unfortunately it didn't happen for us.
One good center away from what exactly? I'm not trying to be an ass but what, exactly, are the Rockets one good center away from? The playoffs? Sure, I'll definitely agree with that. Top 5 in the West? Maybe but that missing center better be damn good. Top 3 in the West? Nope. I'm not going to disagree that the Rockets have good players because they do. I'm just thinking how this current team, as it stands, can be considered as a "win now nucleus" when: 1. The player the team needs (a superstar and/or legitimate center) is virtually impossible to acquire not in part to lack of trying but lack of availability 2. Acquiring said player would definitely require moving important pieces of that "win now nucleus"
Don't agree. Morey didn't steal or rob other GMs for most of the trades. In fact, he always provides reasonable assets to make the trade happen. Even for the trade with Knicks, he did provide what the NY front office wanted desperately. Most trades happen for a reason, and for a great GM as Morey, he just need to find the perfect teams at the perfect situation to get the trade done. No one is scared about Morey's trading ability. If the assets are attractive enough, they still work together with him for any trades.
Yeah, we're one shot-blocking big man away from making the playoffs, where we'll be able to magically defeat all of the seasoned playoff teams in the West without a single all-star, thanks to our new big man. Get it done, Morey! There's no coach to stop you!
it becomes clearer and clearer that ra and dm have different view on the current roster just like on this board where we have one side who believes rox is one piece away from being a contender and the other side believe this rox is no near to be a contender.
I do think that if a guy and his staff are highly specialized in something, and you're not, you may question if they know something you don't. So I think you might make sure any negotiation is always on your terms only with less likeliness to compromise since you aren't as specialized. Better that than take a higher risk of coming out of the losing side of a deal and the consequences that might come with it, or just trade with someone else (yes,GMs or anyone else would like to trade with a dumber GM to take advantage when millions of dollars and your job are on the line. Wouldn't you?) Deals aside, Morey's greatest success has been the ability to find talent with draft picks (he has succeed more than he's failed imo), even in the second round, or late first round. There are no obstacles like opposing GM preferences, it's just his staff's analysis and a decision at the pick position. If we don't land a star after next season, I think trading players for picks (and really blowing it up) Morey could have his best work I think. So while it sucks, (if we can't get it together next season, or get a star) we may have to sell our better players to acquire a high pick for the opportunity for our GM to use his abilities to the fullest.
Well, two of those good centers will be UFA's this offseason( Dalembert and Chandler ) and one will be restricted (D. Jordan). Also, Orlando Magic are not going to make it all the way this playoff season, so Dwight will be ready to jump ship. So Morey will likely be in that race as well. IMO, any one of those guys would put us in contention. The reason i say this is because we beat a lot of the current playoff teams this season including Boston twice, Memphis thrice, San Antonio and Lakers. You can count on two hands the games that we were blown in an 82 game season. All of this was done without a true center on board and so-so defense. As far as having to give up part of the nucleus, i would say Scola, Hill, Bud and Williams to start, if necessary.
