Clutch interview on The Bottom Line

Amazing how much pushback there is to people echoing the same sentiments from this

 

this was good!

some great questions, no going around, straight forward

 

Transcript for the deaf or hard of hearing?

 

LOL love that guy sean's comment about durant coming to Houston, "Skip Durant, he aint coming here for nothing" LOL LOL LOL LOL.

 

Ever seen a 24-48 period where there are so many tentacles involving the Rockets?

There have been times where the Rockets have been involved in trade rumors & FA signings but I agree, right now there are a lot of things going on with the Rockets.

Coaching search, 2 superstars in separate controversies, it's unbelievable.

It's a busy time. It's an important offseason for this team so they gotta get, moving forward, things right.

Where do you want to start?

I'll let you roll. Coaching search is fine with me.

Woj tweets out Stephen Silas is in some sort of running, or at least a 2nd interview. Wherever you stand on D'Antoni, what would you feel about Silas being a part of things?

Trying to remain optimistic. I do think that's where they're headed. ... D'Antoni is a strong offensive coach. He ran some innovative & entertaining teams in Phoenix. The problem is, while he was trendsetting, so many teams have already adopted that style of play, including the Rockets. It's defense that needed to be fixed. Daryl said as much a few weeks ago. This is surprising. Most fans are disappointed, if that's the direction they go.

Is this Morey's choice or the owner?

This has Les' finger prints all over it. It's his team. He can make the choice he wants. If I was the owner, I'd want to too but I do know a lot about fan perception. Over the years, there have been moves everyone knows have been Les moves (Lin, bringing back Francis, refusing to rebuild). Those are owner/business decisions. He came out of that unscathed. His hand may be more visible here. Fans are starting to turn a little bit. It's early. I worry that fans could turn on ownership for the first time in his tenure.

Everything that has happened, I posted something earlier and basically it shows some decisions Les has had his hand in. While it's good has never been afraid to swing for the fences & go for the stars, sometimes that gets in the way of sound basketball decisions. He signs the checks but I get the sense Daryl will have to make chicken salad of this.

I remember days as a kid wanting them to trade for stars. Les has been a great owner in that respect. He's aimed high and gone for the big fish. As you mentioned, Daryl having to work with limitations, things Les has imposed has been a hindrance to the team.

Where are these pieces going to come from for what a MD'A offense does on the floor? If they were so concerned becoming a better defensive team, why is MDA on the the tip of their tongues?

You were hoping from a boost just from the coach they were going to add. MDA, he had the great run in Phoenix & flopped in NY & LA. He had a MVP PG in Phoenix, with great athletes & shooters. They were 40% 3pt every year. GS is a great defensive team. MDA has never had a top 10 defense. It appears they'll be embracing offense. I'm assuming you'll see Ryan Anderson get a look. Speculation about Jeremy Lin. Who they add here will impact FA.

Frustrating to see the process or lack thereof. What we're looking forward to now is a lackluster response to whoever you hire and a lackluster offeseason in who you can add to your roster. This would be 2 years in a row to a roster you've done nothing to.

I don't fault them for bringing that roster back. They went to the WCF. I can't put much blame on Daryl. He would have taken more heat if he changed it. He brought back a team that had success the previous year. It blew up in his face. I can't blame him for that. As far as the roster, they'll have to change quite a bit. They'll look for a home for Brewer. They'll be relying heavily on cap space. Jones will probably be let go but have a decision on Motiejunas. They're relying on adding 2-3 guys with FA money.

Mike Conley?

Love Mike Conley. It's the price tag. To get him, you're looking at $20M+ a year. We'll see. You got a guy who runs the show. Lawson didn't work out. We saw Harden & Lin. We saw Lawson also wasn't good in Indiana. Was this where we know Harden is the future PG or Lawson's game disappeared? It's tough to make that decision. If you're bringing in MDA, you're saying Harden is my Nash. You're looking for shooters & defenders & guys who an get out & run. I love Conley. Is he worth your max salary slot?

Al Horford or other names you might suggest?

Kent Bazemore interests me. His price tag may get a little crazy. Ryan Anderson. Not in love with him on this team but a four who can shoot and if you're gonna disregard defense, he'd fit in a run & gun style. A four that can shoot is something this team has lacked. Conley, Horford. Durant will be first. Nic Batum another guy that interests me.

This is playing out in front of everyone to see. Yeah, they'll have cap space but so will everyone else. With dysfunction playing out in public, how do you entice FAs to come here? Skip Durant. He ain't coming here for nothing. How do you entice guys to come here?

Great question. First time we see the cap jump up and teams have cap space. Morey is very good at finding value in guys who aren't max and now the game changes because the market is so wide open. Can they afford to not overpay? Can they sit & wait? Their only lifeboat is cap space. They don't have the draft assets to improve and relying heavily on cap space.

Dwight Howard.

It's sad and pains me to agree. I love Howard. Always considered his attitude great. Felt like the public perception was inaccurate. He's been in the league 12 years. This was a team that should have contended for a championship. To be submarined because he pouted for a stretch,...I had heard since a loss to a Jazz, he wasn't the same guy. We saw that. He's been in the league 12 seasons. He can't do that. You're a max player, we need max effort. I'm in the boat hoping he opts out. They can't afford to risk another season where these two don't click.

No chance they're re-uniting as player & GM.

It's Dwight Howard, he's at the control. If he has an idea he won't get the money he's looking for, he has $25M for one more year. I think he will opt out and sign with someone for a long term deal. Daryl, if that was the case, we won't be dumping you the ball, that's the right decision. He's not a post up player. For him to get his shots, he has to be aggressive, active and get offensive rebounds & make things happen. The Rockets dropping defensively has to largely go on his shoulders.

Evan Turner & Ryan Anderson?

I like Anderson a lot. A big who can rebound & shoot 3s, that's something we haven't had in awhile. He'd fit into the style of play.

Financially fit too?

That's the question. Will someone offer him something nuts? I think Houston is on Anderson's radar, from everything I've heard. Rockets have had past interest but gauge everything they do based on value. His market may be more than what they feel he's worth.

Evan Turner.

He's had some past issues with Harden on the court but I'm sure that's something they'd overlook. I like his game. Not in love with his style for Houston. He's versatile. Daryl excels at finding guys, kinda like he did at Lowry. A guy like Biyombo.

Not for us though. I do believe he has to be careful this year. Yes, he needs to have the pulse. Not as a fortune teller but it can't be systemic that every single player sucked this year. You had to see some of it coming. ... You have to reach into the hearts & minds of your players. Adding Sam Dekker does nothing for us really. I don't give him a complete pass but this is a big year for him, reaching in, finding those nuggets, and keeping those nuggets. You get credit for Kyle Lowry but you'd get more credit if he were still playing for you.

I see your point. Dekker, 100% agree there. Rockets do come up short in the draft. Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, there are teams that make great draft selections. If you were to knock Daryl, it'd be the draft. Dekker was a flop last year & I'm not writing him off.

Outside of the lottery, that player I pick has to have an elite skill set. We'll develop the rest. If nothing else, he does this really, really well at a pro level and I can stick him in at anytime. Looking at last year, going forward, I hope they recognize and don't replicate that.

I agree. They gotta make changes now that bolster this team. They needed this year to realize this team won't win a championship. He'll have to hit some doubles & triples. That's tough in the draft at 37 & 43.

I'd ask you about the TMZ Harden report but I'll give you a break. He has the franchise by the balls for the next 2 years minimum.

He controls so much. They're a star-led organization. That's unfortunate and why McHale was yanked so early. For all intents & purposes, they have a GM as a player at times. Harden certainly has a lot of control.

 

Thanks, J.R.
Thanks, Clutch

 

Thanks, always good to hear from #1

 

I guess Kobe was right about Howard

 

"For all intents & purposes, they have a GM as a player at times. Harden certainly has a lot of control."
That's either going to work out terrible or... not so terrible?

 

Dwight out. Move out salary and assets for Noel. Create more cap space with Noel trade. Look for imbalanced tresses of players we can take into cap space as expiring deals that fit MDAs uptempo style.....like Darren Collison and trade them into our cap space while giving the other team cap space.

Guys like Collison, Casspi, Jerebko, etc.

 

What a terrible offseason. It's worst than the regular season/playoffs were, and that's saying something.

 

Isn't this nuts?? We have literally made no moves this offseason, but the news of us probably hiring D'Antoni, the Dwight insanity and Harden possibly assaulting a photographer have made this certainly the worst offseason I can remember. And it hasn't even really started yet!

 

I remember when having Harden and Howard and Parsons made Houston a FA destination.

Now we just have Harden and he seems a headache as a teammate and an Owner who is channeling Drayton McLane.

Is it next offseason yet?

 

Harden is more than a headache as teammate and controller. Wonder if he comes into camp in shape next year, or dragging another Hollywood scandal.

Morey may leave ala Gerry Hunsicker. Wonder if Morey will throw Les under the bus before he leaves to a better GM situation where he can be a complete GM.

Team wants better defense but is looking only at run and gun offense minded coach. Looks like Harden picked his coach, and figure MDA is ok with ISO dribble, dribble til clock runs out.

Dwight just spilled the beans and now that we can't get decent coach, what FA would consider Houston as first choice??

Would have looked forward to a new coaching staff and team changes, but the changes that are coming are looking pretty bad.

We will be known as the team of Last Resort. So sad Clutch City is a distant past.

 

Thanks, JR, you da man!

 

Nice interview

Good to know people are warming up to what I have been saying for a ling time - Mauri is a very mediocre drafter and Dekker is a certified bust

 

**waits for people to call Clutch clueless for characterizing MDA as a Les decision**

 

It's sad that Harden not currently facing charges for shoving a paparazzi qualifies as the most positive development so far this offseason.

 

We certainly need another shooting big, but Beasley is a tweener who showed his midrange game and his ability to put the ball on the floor. He's on a cheap contract for one more season and an offseason may have him shooting consistently well beyond the 3 pt line.

Beasley, Harrell, and Capela is a relatively inexpensive versatile front court that could be very tantalizing with an uptempo offense. We definitely need another piece in the front court as Beasley should split minutes between SF/PF.