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Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey blames other teams for negativity - ESPN

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by by78, Apr 30, 2016.

  1. by78

    by78 Rookie

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    http://espn.go.com/blog/houston-rockets/post/_/id/2552/rockets-gm-daryl-morey-defends-team-blames-other-teams-for-negativity

    Rockets GM Daryl Morey defends team, blames others for negativity


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    HOUSTON -- The Houston Rockets' season was disappointing on so many levels. Late Friday afternoon, standing on the team’s practice court, general manager Daryl Morey put the season on him but vowed things will improve.

    But when it came to the dysfunction of the season that hampered this group, something several players confirmed following their knockout by the Golden State Warriors in five games with Stephen Curry playing just 38 minutes, Morey pointed at others.

    He blamed other NBA teams for putting out negative stories about the Rockets.

    “It’s smart for other teams to paint us in a very negative light,” Morey said. “It’s a very competitive free-agent situation -- all the articles you see out there are all the other teams trying to, smartly, paint our situation as negative. But I think any free agent that looks at us, they’re going to see a history of winning. We have the third-best winning percentage in the league the last 10 years, almost no losing seasons. We win at a very high level. There are very few teams that can put their track record of winning against ours.”


    Rockets GM Daryl Morey says other teams have embellished the issues between James Harden and Dwight Howard in a effort to sway free agents away from Houston. AP Photo/John Raoux
    The reality is the Rockets underachieved so badly that the owner, Leslie Alexander, fired coach Kevin McHale 11 games into the season, something the GM doesn’t regret. He said interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff did a solid job, but the team, less than 24 hours after its season ended, asked for permission to speak with Golden State assistant coach Luke Walton about the job.

    Morey said no interviews have occurred yet, but that if things are to improve, the chemistry must. James Harden is at the forefront of this. He can no longer ride to road games by himself; he needs to be on the team bus like everybody else, unless, of course, he’s back in his native Los Angeles, visiting family.

    NBA players have homes in cities where they grew up or played in previously and sometimes won’t stay at the team hotel on the road, and that’s fine for Harden and others. Outside of that, everybody needs to ride together on the team bus and team plane, stand together for the national anthem and huddle up together after player introductions.

    Harden typically bolts to stretch his legs at the scorer’s table following player intros instead of huddling one last time with his teammates. It’s a small thing, a nitpicky deal, but when people on your team talk about dysfunction and chemistry, the little things -- like not huddling with your team after being introduced -- say something. It’s something Harden did at times last season, too.

    A togetherness was missing.

    Morey said nobody talked about chemistry last season when the Rockets were winning 56 games and reaching the West finals. He’s right. Everybody was happy; the Rockets had issues -- big and small -- yet won games.

    It didn’t happen this season.

    Many point to the relationship between Harden and Dwight Howard as the cause of the problems. It wasn’t good, but they didn’t hate each other -- it just didn’t work on the court. Harden seemingly lost trust in Howard’s game, and took more of the offensive load while others struggled.

    It has led to reports from commentators saying nobody wants to play with Harden.

    “I think that’s very smart, strategic positioning,” Morey said. “I had to address some of that last year when a certain owner [Mark Cuban] was painting our team in a bad light. This year is no different. I think it’s very smart that other teams are trying to paint our players in a bad light. It’s going to be a very competitive free-agency situation. James Harden, I don’t know who wouldn’t want to play with him -- a top-five player in the league, unbelievable passer, unbelievable scorer, a guy you can build around. Everything we hear is everyone wants to play with him.”

    Houston will have the cap space to sign two major free agents this summer if Howard declines his player option, which he likely will.

    Kevin Durant, Ryan Anderson and Al Horford are the leading candidates for the Rockets in free agency.

    Will they get any of them?

    It’s uncertain, and in reality, we won’t know until the first week of July. Harden is a fantastic player who plays well with others and produced with Howard last season in reaching the West finals.

    Morey is fighting for his franchise because he knows nobody outside of his organization will defend it. He knows the Rockets can’t rebuild around only Harden, that they need to add another star player.

    “It’s smart, it’s a very competitive free-agent situation coming up and being kicked while you’re down is a smart strategy by teams leaking things or trying to put things out there to make us look bad,” Morey said.

    Morey is stating his case, doing his job, understanding the season was bad. That’s why they’re watching the rest of the postseason in the first month of the baseball season.
     
  2. snowconeman22

    snowconeman22 Member

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    While on the one hand I'm sure he was asked very leadin questions .. And his responses aren't anything just off the chain homerish ... And he shouldn't paint his team in a bad light . ....

    At some point he just needs to stfu and not take these interviews . They aren't helping our image nationally . Which is exactly what he was trying to defend
     
  3. TheFreak

    TheFreak Contributing Member

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    I see no mention of JBB as the root of all the problems with the Rockets. Terrible article.

    -Joe Clutchfan
     
    1 person likes this.
  4. JayGoogle

    JayGoogle Member

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    Well you can't blame him and he's probably right.

    We do know that both the Lakers and Mavs tried to sell to Dwight that Harden can't be played with.

    It's Morey's job to convince players that's not true. Good on him.

    Morey ALSO does this, remember when he said that Lebron and Wade were too similar of players to win anything together or something similar?

    Just part of the game. If Durant doesn't resign things are going to get crazy.

    I saw we get Durant and houston and have the meeting at Harden's place. Then of course block the door with a chair...
     
  5. Mr. Clutch

    Mr. Clutch Contributing Member

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    No one had to spread stories to see that this team was a dumpster fire.

    I like More but I doubt this matters even if it's happening
     
  6. BlastOff

    BlastOff Member

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    Morey with Fox News-like spin. You got to keep your job now stop talking and get to work already.
     
  7. CometsWin

    CometsWin Breaker Breaker One Nine

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    Morey looks like a bigger dope the more he rationalizes how much this season wasn't a complete disaster. So tone deaf. Keep on spreading the fertilizer.
     
  8. DaDakota

    DaDakota If you want to know, just ask!

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    Honestly - he should have fallen on his sword and moved on, making excuses like he did is going to make him even more of a target.

    It is not other teams that are questioning his leadership and methods, it is his own team and everyone else.

    Just learn from it.....get better, do a better job, FIX IT !

    Don't look to duck responsibility by blaming others...that is weak leadership, in fact it is NO leadership - he has to be better than that.

    DD
     
  9. ibm

    ibm Member

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    do we now have a culture that whenever we fail we blame others? saw this in harden, and now morey.

    whether or not there's truth in one's words is one thing. how one presents them is another.
     
  10. Richie_Rich

    Richie_Rich Member
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    This.

    Morey comes off clumsy here.

    How do you even prove such an accusation?

    After this dumpster fire of a season -- and subsequent postsesason flop -- all talks of media 'narratives' and accusations of rival hit pieces comes off as desparate and weak. Take ownership of your utter failure, learn from your mistakes, put your head down, go to work and get it right.

    Even if you know teams are doing this, at some level, you have to realize that you, as the GM, contributed to this perception, that you are to blame. You can't squirm and spin your way out of everything, Daryl. You just can't.

    This organization, top to bottom, suffers from a severe lack of accountability and leadership. At least certain veteran players (Jason Terry) called a spade, a spade, admitting what we all could see.

    Morey is playing right in to the league-wide perception specifically because he doesn't truly understand this fundamental leadership principle. In fact, he and Tad Brown fuel it by their spats on social media and 'deflection' articles such as found in the OP.

    What happened to this once proud, once respected franchise? Surely, this didn't happen overnight.

    What Morey's exhibited recently is a product of arrogance, immaturity, and desperation -- all because he cannot admit his errors without also pointing fingers at others. It's a known character flaw of enablers.

    And, it's inherently a cultural problem that's gone unchecked by none other than Leslie Alexander.

    As the idiom goes: a fish rots from the head down.
     
  11. sabesque

    sabesque Member

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    I got a kick out of the part where Calvin Watkins was coaching harden on chemistry.
     
  12. sabesque

    sabesque Member

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    Did you miss the part in the first paragraph where it said "morey put the season on him?"

    Besides, He's not saying that the poor performance is because of potential leaks, that's a separate issues.
     
  13. DaDakota

    DaDakota If you want to know, just ask!

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    This came from his interview - I watched it, liked when he said it was on him - he should have stopped there, blaming others is weak.

    Just take the hit, say you did a poor job or things you tried did not work out as you hoped, but that he will not accept mediocrity and will hit the ground hard and come back swinging in the fall.

    Enough said.

    DD
     
  14. rocketsmetalspd

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    Let him say his peace and vent out his frustrations. It is not like anyone here can do a better job then Morey. I am sure things will get better and the team will be something that we can all be proud of once again. The nightmare of a season is over and I hope I never have to witness that type of season ever again.
     
  15. sabesque

    sabesque Member

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    The team's performance (which he did take responsibility for) and the media fueled perception of the team as a place to play (which he blamed on leaks) are separate things that should be addressed in different ways

    They gotta do something to affect perception going into free agency when all of basketball media is running with the "Houston is a toxic place to play" angle.
     
  16. by78

    by78 Rookie

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    Why can't Morey learn to STFU? Get off Twatter, zip it, and get to work. There is enough for him to do - provided he's not fired soon - that there is little time for him to be mouthing off.
     
  17. by78

    by78 Rookie

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    Whether what Morey said was true or not, a part of me thinks he brought this on himself and the Rockets organization.

    Morey just loves showing off to the world how clever and special he is, at every opportunity he can get, whether be on Twatter or to the media; he simply doesn't know when to STFU.

    The rest of the league must be feeling a sense of schadenfreude, and it I were in the same position, I'd gang up on Morey too.
     
  18. by78

    by78 Rookie

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    Morey is like the Charlie Weis of basketball. Whereas Weis has his 'decided schematic advantage', Morey has his 'Moreyball'. Weis couldn't STFU even if his life depended on it, and Morey too suffers from persistent verbal diarrhea.

    Both Weis and Morey just can't resist showing off how clever they are vis-a-vis their colleagues. Both are morons.
     
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  19. LosPollosHermanos

    LosPollosHermanos Houston only fan
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    lmao Daryl...what about Calvin.
     
  20. Easy

    Easy Boban Only Fan
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    I don't blame Morey for making positive spins. What I think he shouldn't have done is firing shots at other teams.

    Either he already knew that he had made many enemies in the league so there's no use hiding the animosity, or he was dumb enough to start making enemies now.

    Why do you want to act like we are against the world? Why would the rest of the league target the Rockets? We aren't even that good. The Warriors or the Spurs should be the target of sabotage if there was really a conspiracy out there.
     

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