[Feigen] Andre Iguodala, JaVale McGee up next on Rockets' wish list

Guys, we are going to need a new *Rockets Wish List* from Feigen since Iggy still in Memphis and McGee is in LA.

 

Why on earth didn't Daryl take the Philly gig, then? Honest question. I'll say it on the record: If Tilman is unwilling to pay the tax at all, even in James Harden's prime, then he's one of the worst owners in the league and a guy as accomplished as Daryl should be looking for any other gig. Because the majority of NBA owners would definitely be open to the tax if they had the current Houston roster/window.

 

I’m going to give you the most obvious guess and it may not be true but ... Morey loves Houston. Morey’s son is still in high school at Kinkaid. When his son graduates, I believe he will look at his career differently. I see him gone very soon either by Tilman or by choice. If he and Tilman form a long term relationship I would be pleasantly shocked.

Edit: Morey is already grooming his replacement in Patrick Fertita. It’s clear that’s where Patrick sees himself in 5 years and no one is going to stop that from happening.

 

Players and executives in the NBA business move all the time. It's amazing how much easier having millions of dollars makes it.

Morey didn't even agree to a contract extension (a 5-year extension!) until March 2019. He passed up the Philly gig as a virtual lameduck! Either Daryl and his family love Houston at an incredible level, or Tilman isn't quite the monster that a lot of folks here make him out to be.

(Note: This isn't a full endorsement of Tilman either. I absolutely agree that fear of the tax is in part driving some of these decisions. And he 100% fibbed in some of his quotes to Macmahon, Feigen, etc. after the deadline. Want to make clear that my pushing back on "he'll never pay the tax" isn't saying "he's the best owner in the world," either.)

 

The Siakam talk is probably my fault as I mentioned it a couple weeks ago - "that's a guy I'd inquire about since Toronto is in a full rebuild."
He's probably not available but I think you damn sure have to make to make the inquiry.

They have always had a hard time keeping or attracting talent , its highly likely that they'll have to rebuild thru the draft because of that - Hell that's a big part of why the Grizzlies moved from Vancouver to Memphis. They just won it all and their best player leaves in FA when he could have gotten more money to stay.
Because of that , they should be doing what OKC is in hording draft picks and which equates to players under team control for their first two contracts which creates a window of opportunity to win - and that's when they should seek stars via trade / FA.

Siakam's a good player but I don't think he's the superstar type that can carry a team and his timeline probably doesn't fit with the rebuild which is several years out. Masai would have to consider moving him ….

Two things change that 1) You believe he's a bona fide superstar and 2) that you can keep him thru the rebuild and beyond and considering its Toronto we're talking about - That's questionable.

 

Don't remind us …. I'm dreading it already. That's gonna be the worst day in franchise history.

 

Aaron Gordon, Paskal Siakam are guys that are needed.

Anthony Bennett could break out as a Stretch PF or C, his 3pt shot is so pure now.

 

If there was a Durant / Butler / Alphabet / AD in free agency , they wouldn't be considering Toronto to begin with.

 

Morey can turn virtually any franchise around......at least that is what I could envision.

Philly is not looking to mess with their management.

I think Philly wasn't focused on Morey the person but on the overall idea that he had and they started with Hinkie.

 

Pretty much agree with everything you said here. I personally think Masai would definitely be open to trading Siakam and it could be a great move. My only point was it would be highly unlikely and unreasonable to think Masai would trade him specifically to the Rockets for a couple picks.

The Rockets have been a good team for nearly two decades, their picks are just not as valuable as what other teams can offer. The Rockets also have no players that would fit the Raptors rebuild. If Siakam(25) is too old for their future plans, Capela is the same age, more expensive and at a less desirable position.

Furthermore, Siakam will be a restricted FA next year. It seems a no brainer to see how much further he improves with more touches, oppurtunities now that Kawhi is gone, rather than to trade him now for a couple late 20's pick from the Rockets.

If I were a Raptors fan I'd probably want them to play the season with Siakam, OG, Lowry, Gasol, FVF etc. Even though they wont be contenders w/o Kawhi, they'll still be a fun team to root for especially since this group just won the chip last season. Remember, they had a good record last year when Kawhi was resting.

That said everyone would be available...for the right (high) price.

 

Come on Ben - you're better than that. A deadline isn't a "result" for a team - it's just the finish line for meaningful roster construction. There is nothing wrong with evaluating what they are doing along the way and benchmarking it to how we know least season went.

My point isn’t that it is settled - my point is that I predicted, in writing, that "we will see multiple “we tried and we couldn’t get it done” moments culminating in ducking the tax."

Well, we saw the first of those multiple moments yesterday.

Your prediction was they would expand this trade as it was - in your correct words on your pods and here - “their best opportunity”. That didn’t happen. Everything else in your post now is hypothesizing and theorizing, just like your previous posts theorized that they would use this unique opportunity.

At some point, ball don’t lie and we have to see the world as it is, not as we want it to be. They are who their actions say they are. Hopefully at the very worst March 1 we can agree - but I suspect you’ll raise the bar again (probably saying something about how smart it is to dodge the repeater tax in 2024)

(As for Morey, maybe he had the same blind faith you do. Last summer was the honeymoon period. Tilman’s true stripes came out in February).

 

Omg, that's some depressing ****!

 

Just as you're hypothesizing and theorizing that this is the "first of multiple moments." If you're going to b**** at me for doing it, it's a little ridiculous for you to do the same thing.

And I don't know why you're taking personal shots at me. The only reason I somewhat endorsed avoiding the repeater tax in 2018-19 was because they did it in the last 18 hours, and the only things that stood between them and the tax were Brandon Knight and James Ennis.

I'll put it bluntly: If they don't pay the tax this year, they are absolute frauds and liars and deserve every bit of criticism. There is no other way to spin it. There will be no endorsement whatsoever from me to pass on depth and more importantly trade assets/filler right in James Harden's prime for the sake of what the roster situation might be in 2024.

 

No, they specifically wanted Daryl. He chose to stay.


The Philadelphia 76ers have been rebuffed in an attempt to hire Houston’s Daryl Morey as their new general manager, according to two people familiar with the Sixers’ pursuit.

The Sixers had strong interest in hiring Morey to replace the ousted Bryan Colangelo, but Morey could not be lured away from the franchise with which he has spent the past 12 seasons, according to the people, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the situation.

Sixers officials sought and received permission to interview Morey recently, according to the people, but the Houston general manager elected to stay with the team he has built.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/16/sports/daryl-morey-sixers-rockets.html

 

Hi Ben - I really wasn't trying to take personal shots. I love the work you do on the podcasts and twitter - I haven't missed a podcast in years. I'm just frustrated by your and many people's optimism in the face of evidence. It's a debate on the Rockets' posture, not personal. Apologies if I was too sharp.

And I was clear that the 'first of multiple moments' is a forecast. But the 'first moment' (not expanding the trade) is now a fact, and ducking last year is a fact, and not extending MDA is a fact, and not having used the full MLE or S&T Shumpert is a fact (so far - obviously that could change).

We're on the same page regarding what it means in March. Neither of us will know until then, and I'm not trying to pick a fight - just observing that there is no actual, observable outcome that gives me hope. But, I'm a diehard Houston sports fan, so I'm perhaps wired to have little hope. If I'm wrong, I'll be THRILLED to be wrong and will happily admit it!

 

Sometimes these discussions get super passionate, we should all remember that we are fam to the end. Come to a Rockets watch party and hug it out.

Fistbumps all around

 

Fair enough. And for the record, I'm in agreement that this trade not being expanded makes it crystal clear that there is definitely a limit. There's no reason to think that they couldn't have at least gotten Patterson. But beyond that, I'm not willing to go as far as you are at this time. We'll see.