Daryl Morey - this is your mess - get to work fixing it!

Let us just take a break and watch how the rest of the season unfolds.

 

The current team really needs a Rick Adelmnan type of coach, he would have found a way to utilize Lawson IMO. The talent is there and Morey is a very good GM, but he's got to take some of the blame. When watching the team last season in the playoffs they looked poorly coached with many bone head plays, turnovers and constant missed defensive rotations. It was hard to watch. Not making sure to resign Josh Smith with a very thin frontline with DMO out and Howard not being able to play back to backs really hurt this team IMO.

 

Agree 100% DD.

 

If Morey is responsible for hiring and sticking with a terrible coach, then how do you conclude he's a SUPER SMART GM? Also, the two events he is most heralded for - trading for Harden and signing Howard were absolute no brainers at the time. 80% of this forum were on board with those. Do 80% of Clutchfans qualify as SUPER SMART to you?

 

You're obviously a passionate, die-hard fan, but c'mon, even you know that this was written out from a place of emotion. Right?

DM has his flaws, but your post reads as though his reach is stronger and more influential than the true reality of basketball and competition.

No one is thrilled with the start, including DM, but what you're asking him to control/fix is not necessarily within the scope of his job. There are too many variables involved to place too much guilt on him, especially when his role is behind the scenes.

He's just the easy target because his name is next to the title "General Manager." The "mess" you're describing now, largely, comes down to the players and execution. James and Dwight need to continue to step up. J.B. continues to implement new strategies and rotations, along with pushing the value of intensity through 4 quarters. No longer do we have a coach who starts coaching only when there is a deficit in the score or fails to GO AFTER or anticipate mismatches. J.B. is doing his part, but our guys need to perform. Period. (Admittedly, I have been a fan of JB ever since McHale has been here, so while my opinion on him is somewhat biased, I don't think my views on him are too far-fetched to be logical.)

While it is clear that this roster isn't solidified, and with the recognition of Morey's past GM methodology,it is evident that our boys need to do their part and fight until the final 15/16 roster is set in stone (...which is always unfair to the guy/guys shipped out). Though I'd agree that our chemistry isn't where we want or even close to what it was last year (though, JSmoov fixed a lot of that), our roster isn't decrepit or anything to laugh at. But, again, there are too many variables involved to simply say, "Fix it, Daryl." Again, the game is arguably ruled by the players and their ability to lead their respective teams to new heights, and not a GM who operates on totally different wavelength of analysis and strategy.

True, DM put this team together, with the anticipation that the guys would gel at some point. However, despite putting together a GREAT team ON PAPER, DM could not possibly control the chemistry that we all envisioned. And, as you somewhat alluded to, the notion of chemistry is normally facilitated and grown through a competent, inspirational head coach and supporting cast.

DM made an EXCELLENT decision when he finally fired Kevin. McHale, although a nice person, was one of the main reasons for the team's lack of chemistry. HE was the reason that the strong personalities of James and Dwight overshadowed team goals because he was unable to inspire them to buy in to his faulty game plan. He was also unable to attain any sort of control from the bench, which in turn, caused significant "glue guys" like Trev, Jet, LowKeyMT and other vets to resent the entire situation. Ty has very little room to speak, but you could visibly notice that he started to check out, even when his homie ignored his subtle attempts to run an offense (or, let's be honest, that terrible pick-and-roll we like to call offense.)

McHale lost the team, completely. When I sat court side in Denver, when Kevin began walking out with his jacket off BEFORE the end of regulation, his facial expressions, along with the mixed emotions of the team (from laughing/smiling to disappointment/anger), anyone could see that the players and the head coach had hit rock bottom. So, once again, Morey made the most effective choice by beginning to rid the team of weakness. McHale was a glaring weakness for countless reasons, and with JB as our new coaching voice, the team is better off statistically and in terms of morale and relationships. Addition by subtraction, as it is commonly referred to as. And yeah, the subtraction isn't over with,just yet. Patience.

Throughout his stint here, I've been a fan of J.B. I was also a supporter of Kelvin. Both of these coaches had stronger control of our guys. J.B., although from the same coaching lineage of McHale, has already distinguished himself from Kevin, and in my opinion, much more noticeably than many are giving him credit for. Even in losses, J.B. is passionate from the coach's box and is not apprehensive when it comes to changing the lineup, switching rotations, subbing for defense and rocking with the hot hand. Kevin was too, too predictable, and as a result, players expected their minutes, touches and absolutely no sense of the aftermath of turnovers, miscommunication or what another damn loss meant to the team, both in terms of standings and the destruction of team morale or perseverance.

The predicament is not completely solved, and despite the losses, the team is improving in different aspects. The shooting selection, defensive accountability and communication has improved since JB has taken over. Some of this does not show up in the box score though because you can't measure energy or discussions which lead to buckets or actions that force opponents to take tougher shots than the looks we were giving them at the start of the season.

With that "said," I completely disagree that the players "don't respect JB," or that the accountability is worse, or even close to being as bad as it was under Kevin. Moreover, the accusation of Jet being obnoxious or losing his sense of leadership is downright ridiculous. The players would tell you that Jet IS a great leader in the locker room, for both experience on the court and for his character off of the court. Even when our guys are interviewed, even the ever-growing ego of James Harden, they mention Jet's name whenever the premise of leadership or persevering through a long season is brought up. IF anything, Jet's voice of wisdom complements the dominant, statistical leadership that James and Dwight bring to the table.

The fact that your post,well, and my own, too, discusses everything from Jet to J.B. and James/Dwight to chemistry, suggests that our losing record is much more complex than the perception that DM put this team together, so he should be able to clean the ish up. We could only hope for that simplicity.

Luckily, it's pouncing season. The teams that are in "murky-water mode," those being the teams that are deciding whether to tank/throw this season away or compete, are about to gift wrap some packages to plan for next season.

We're going to be alright.

 

Exactly. From reading this message board you would think Morey has built a dynasty or something. Harden and Howard were no-brainers and the only reason he got Lawson, which is looking like a failure, is because he couldn't stop getting DWIs and the Nuggets basically gave him away. Morey has not set this franchise up as a power house or anything. Morey is no where near the caliber of top GMs in the league like Bufford (Spurs) Myers (Warriors) Ainge (Celtics), Riley (Heat), and others who have had more success. Morey is not bad but he is no where near what a lot of people on here think he is as a gm. I will give Morey credit for doing a good job of marketing and promoting himself and the analytics moment. That's where a lot of his hype comes from.

 

My think is. . . . your post is basically the equivalent of
GM HARDER *clap*clap*clap*

Rocket River

 

In what ways was trading for Harden and giving him a 5 year max a "no-brainer"? How many other GM's could have matched our package for Harden and given him the same deal? I'm sure that number is quite large, yet we still got Harden for scraps.

 

Ding ding ding! We have a winner.

 

I recall two teams who were closer to signing Harden then the Rox but they turned down OKC's request. OKC wanted Beal from the Wizards and they wanted Thompson from the Warriors. Harden could have very easily ended up on those two teams instead. The Rox were fortunate other teams turned OKC's trade request down and they had to settle on the offer the Rox made them. A lot of the Harden deal was really luck.

 

In retrospect, I'm thinking both those teams are happy to not make the trade

Imagine Harden relegating Wall to a spot up shooter while playing no D

And GSW have a dynasty going based on solid all around teamball and team defense

Rockets needed someone like that and it was a good deal for us. But now we need to reign Harden in and buy into team concept and play some D

 

At the time how were Beal, Thompson, and Lamb seen in relation to each other? I would assume it was fairly similarly with Beal being at the front of the pack. Why do you see something as a "no-brainer" when two other teams had the chance to pretty much make the same trade we did, but turned it down? Sure, we benefited from those teams turning down OKC's offer, but how is it "luck" that Morey actually pulled the trigger?

 

It's good fortunes/luck because it took the other teams turning OKC down for Morey to be able to land Harden. OKC preferred the possible trade packages/players from the Warriors and Wizards IIRC. I don't know the full specifics or details but I do recall Beal and Thompson being at the top of OKC Presti's wish list in a Harden trade.

 

Right. I'm really hoping it can work somehow and that Harden can become all this team needs him to be. Harden is the main key to this mess working itself out.

 

I didn't take a poll of GM's, but at least 80% of Clutchfans did. Did you see Harden's numbers his last year at OKC? I had no doubt. I guess I'm super smart

 

I agree with DD.

This team is a quarter of the way through the season and, to put it mildly, they are a compete train wreck. At some point you have to look seriously at the personnel on the court. He already fired the coach. The only other thing left would be to fire all of the coaches and just start over, which might be a good idea, but isn't something you can do at this point in the season. For that reason, unless you are willing to accept the status quo, which I do not believe for even a moment that Les Alexander is OK with, it's going to be up to Morey to fix the roster mess that he's created. Square pegs and round holes. These players simply do not fit the system that he is trying to run.

Heads need to roll if they do not go on a winning streak pretty soon. Time is simply going to run out on them otherwise. I've seen nothing out of the current roster to lead me to believe that this group can contend for anything more than a lottery pick or a quick out in the first round. Les has paid way too much money to be content with that, so unless Morey can learn how to make chicken salad out of chicken ****, he better do something pretty quickly.

 

You know what the problem is? I'll tell you. Let's face it - the majority of posters here (myself included) are relatively unathletic, like numbers, and have an unhealthy fascination with basketball. Who does that sound like? We are living our fantasies through Morey. We want to believe a guy like us can be a rock star in the sport. Maybe he can be, but I don't see him getting anywhere chewing out the ppl who can actually make the baskets. The best Morey can hope for is to be the Karl Rove/David Axelrod - the power behind the throne. As I have said before, he has no CREDIBILITY with players or coaches.

Why would Harden listen to Morey?
- His nephew can beat Morey one-on-one.
- If Morey is so smart, why did he sign NO 3 & NO D Brewer to a 3 year deal?
- If Morey is so smart, why did he pick that D League player over one of our best players in the playoffs?
- Morey owes his career to Harden's success. If Harden hadn't put up 30 ppg since Morey traded for him, Morey wouldn't be the legend he is now. Morey owes Harden. Harden doesn't owe Morey squat.

You guys continue to undervalue credibility IMO.

 

Stop pretending finding a good coach is everything and easy.

Finding a good coach is not enough, they have to find the right coach.

Les is not even the "right" owner, he is contradicting himself far too often

FWIW just let it play out. Les will have to stick it out with Daryl or he will have to sabotage his own team.

2007 was the year Morey was hired and firing him would mean those years were wasted.