I will be the first to admit I was a little hard on Morey early on. But let me be clear now... I think the man is brilliant. So I am certain he went in to this 90 minute meeting with all guns loaded. It was no coincidence that Drexler and Hakeem where there. Morey went in with a plan. That plan was to show why and how the Rockets would win championships with him. And he covered it from several angles. One we have a tradition of developing big men. We've had some of the greats ever here; from Malone to Sampson to Hakeem and even Yao chimed in. Howard just follows that tradition perfectly but that's just bells and whistles. The real meet of the pitch is how the Rockets would use DHo optimally. And there is no one better to do that than Morey. I am certain Morey went in there with an Ipad full of stats saying how he best is utilized and those stats say surround you with the best shooters. That is a priority one. We will go into you early and if teams want to double and triple team you, fine, we will kill them with the three. We will break records with the three. And in the process you will become open. We will post and repost you until the other team slips up and you destroy them. We will build a team of shooters around you and a team of willing passers who know the offense starts with you. Of course fastbreaks first if not their than post Howard and repost Howard. Morey speaks of how this team will never be like the Kobe dominant offenses of the Lakers. There will never be a game were you have only 5 touches. Morey explains how we built a championship with Olajuwon doing that and we can do it with you. Olajuwon will chime in, "You can do it". McHale shows him plays that he has worked up and how the offense will move through him first. And Drexler says how Houston is committed and you can trust Les and how harden and him can do what Drexler and Olajuwon did. We have the formula. That's the ticket to a winning pitch. It appeals to what Howard already knows, the lakers did not use him properly. Morey makes it clear the Lakers totally misused him. But we won't make that mistake. We have the right formula to get the best out of him. Attack quickly and early down low. Surround the perimeters with the hottest gunslingers in the west and east too and post and repost until he can score easier and the threes are so wide open even DMo can knock them down. Morey brought two Ipads not one but two. One with all the finer things in Houston and the other filled with every play they've got devised for him. And an exact strategy on how they will make him better and he will make the Rockets title contenders. And that is where we will always out do the Lakers. Because after last night it really is down to us and the Lakers. What is the best they are going to do say okay if you want we will fire D'Antoni. The reality is that is not the real problem. The Lakers would have to go in saying this is your team. We are building it around you. We will be bring in Stan Van Gundy for you. We understand you need shooters around you and we are amnestying Kobe, releasing Metta and signing Delfino and Garcia. We have the Rockets best shooters here for you and next year with Gasol gone we will be able to get another Max Player of your choosing. That's what the Lakers would have to do. But they don't know that and will never do that. Which is why Morey's got this locked already and why the rest of the meetings are just a formality. Maybe the Lakers will suggest something and Howard will like it and call Morey and say can you do this. But not any real chance for the Lakers because Kobe is the Alpha dog and they will never dump Kobe and it's really too late even if they said they would. So rockets you can start printing number 12 Howard Jersey's. Morey has sealed the deal and only out of respect Howard will entertain other pitches but it's a done deal.
whether kobe is alpha male or not means nothing. shaq and kobe played together under zen. they managed to hide there difference. do you believe harden has less ego then kobe? i doubt. otherwise, why won't he want to stay with ok and had much much much better chance to win? no, he doesn't. he want to be alpha male too. the question is if mchale is the person who can mesh dh and jh's ego. dh's already said he wants to be the man on the team.
no big deal, OMR. Most people recognized it as an opinion piece by the first line. Some just need to be told. btw, repped.
I think the 2nd iPad wasn't really an iPad. It was just a shell with big fat under the table check in it, washed and laundered so it wouldn't be traced back to Les. That is how the game is played. How the hell else do you explain Kwame freaking Brown for Pau Gasol. I'm pretty sure the Fakers play dirty business wise. Its about time we played dirty too.
OMR this is a very well laid out and insightful post. besides it keeps me from going crazy waiting for the other shoe to drop..............................
Thanks OMR. I knew why Dream was there, but didn't fully understand why Clyde was there. Yah he's a short stint Rocket great, but you made me realize that Clyde(2) is to Dream(5) as Harden(2) will be to Howard(5). I'm so ashamed!
