STONE is still the HEDGE HONCHO. Why a FEW MAJOR HITS greatly TRUMPS MANY MISTAKES.

Love your passion but you are grading through a rockets red colored looking glass.

None of these picks, to this point, are something that should guarantee a GM’s future.

Tari now has a serious injury to recover from
I’m a huge Bari fan but to date he’s too small to bang and inconsistent with his confidence and his shot
Şengün is a legit stud - but he’s got some serious questions to overcome

You could also say he’s generally drafted the consensus bpa and hasn’t deviated from the norm

Ime, is a Tilman hire. Convince me I’m wrong.

FVV or Brooks don’t come without Ime


I’m ok with what he’s done as a GM but I’m keeping an eye out for an upgrade

 

For me, what happens this coming summer will go far to define Stone's legacy.
As for his past, its mixed IMO.

 

Nice post.

I think you are vastly underrating the potential of Amen Thompson. I would take him over anyone not named Wemby in a re-draft. His ceiling is incredibly difficult to define, and I think his work ethic and attitude will get him there.

If I was to keep only two players on the Rockets, it would be Amen and Alperen.

(I still have a fool's hope for Jalen Green. I think it is starting to click for him)

 

I have mixed feelings. Overall, it seems like he's in over his head as a GM, but I will concede that he's made some good moves as well. I'm not in a hurry to see him fired, but if he were gone tomorrow it wouldn't disappoint me either.

I am still having a hard time with the whole Atlanta Hawks Brook Lopez fiasco. A competent GM doesn't let that happen. He looked like a bumbling fool.

 

Always respect and enjoy @Medicine N Music posts.

I think the draft evaluations are spot on except for Amen, who I think could be special and has to be put in the “draft wins” category.

i think MnM makes a good case for Stone but leaves out the culture crash, Silas, the disastrous KPJ experiment, the John Wall, Christian Wood and Olidipo mistakes, and overall poor asset mgmt.

I think it’s a mixed track record, but believe Stone is a below average GM. I’m rooting for him to make good decisions though.

 

I think that any GM can engineer a situation where a team is ok given they are major market and they get to tank for 3 years

oh and have an mvp to trade .

 

TL;DR

Stone is garbage. He should be fired.

 

I don't see how you guys can call Amen Thompson anything one way or the other. I would put his floor somewhere around a Matisse Thybulle, and sky is the limit as to what he could be if he starts shooting well or improves his handle.... but I wouldn't run around popping champagne with that shooting "if" hanging around.

He's not a bust that is out of the league in two years, that is all I'm sure of.

 

I prefer Sonic.

 

Some folks see it and some folks don't, just like Alperen Sengun...

 

Any evaluation of Stone should start with the fact that since trading Harden, this fanbase was subjected to three of the most unwatchable basketball seasons in recent memory. Our draft positions, pick equity is built on this foundation.

We have a promising future now, but did he make the best possible trades? Did he manage our assets in a way that sets us up to compete with OKC, SAS, ORL for the next 10 years?

The comparison with Morey is not a fair one, but the one thing I will say is that every trade he made felt calculated. It always felt like we were getting significant value back for every trade. I don't feel remotely the same for Stone.

 

Morey was a unique innovator and a revolutionary with flaws.

 

Is that the same as grading Presti for all the OKC tanking years (he even shut down SGA and tanked!)

Not making a comment either way on Stone, but IMHO part of the Harden grade is Jalen Green. Ie, you trade away competitiveness to tank and reap a #2 pick.
(Also IMHO Green is a dud, so it didn't work out, but c'est la vie)

 

How do you know someone is an upgrade if you think nothing they do guarantees them anything?

 

SAS, ORL have been tanking for a lot longer than the Rox.

You act like 3 yrs is so bad but then give Orlando a pass? You realize they were so bad they drafted Vucevic, watch him be an all star, get washed, and traded him away and they were still badIf you give Stone 11 yrs to be a bad team and collect lotto picks like Orlando has done pretty sure he can make a team as good as Orlando. If you think Jalen Green is a bust what about Joshua Primo? If you think Jabari is bad what about Jeremy Sohan? Lol.


OKc.... I mean if you can get Presti I'll pack Stone's bag for him. But just cuz Stone sucks compared to Presti doesn't mean Stone has done a bad job, far from it. If you fire Stone doesn't mean you will get Presti here either.

 

I appreciate the effort you put into the post, but just look at San Antonio - it's better to be lucky than "good" at rebuilding.

Stones mishandling of the KPJ situation is enough to warrant moving on - unlike ping pong balls or guessing which 19 year old will be the best - that disaster is all on him.

You didn't mention it but that is the biggest failure of his tenure and set the whole franchise back years based on his bad judgement despite numerous warnings

 

You can't control the luck factor so not sure why you think that should be an element in decision making.

How did KPJ set the franchise back years? Maybe you can enlighten me?

Seems as delusional as you saying Wemby is better than Embiid before Wemby even played a single minute in the NBA.

 

Stone is your generic 55 year old GM that has average drive and tentative behaviors......

He is probably good enough to keep you as a Play In contender for years but you would be disappointed if you want more.

Udoker will probably have overachieving seasons but Stone alone is not a factor in this.

Udoka with a better GM = better Playoff results