This could well be the beginning of the end for DM. I hate to say that. His ability to find talent (cheap talent at that) might be unparalleled. But I don't know if any GM would survive the trainwreck that we are in right now, whether it's his fault or not. He might get one more season, one last shot to hire a coach that can turn it around. Thibs is sounding really good right now -- Harden seemingly likes him, and many would argue that some of his Bulls team were primed for a championship or two before D-Rose injuries. It just looks so bleak right now, it's sad. I don't doubt that they can still make the playoffs this year (I mean we're only 3.5 games back of the 4th seed), but GSW and SA are clearly running away with it anyway so we're probably better off going into this offseason and shaking things up in a big way. Keep Harden, D-Mo, Howard (if he wants to be here), Capela -- otherwise everything is on the table.
Look DD lets be real, the only reason McHale got the job was because of Morey's number one difficency, CHARM. At the time this team needed a recruiter, a star that could walk in a room and get players to sign here. Morey isn't Pat Riley and at the time no one was going to sign here to play with Luis Scola and Kevin Martin. Then we landed Howard and Harden. The dynamics changed and if it weren't for Harden and Howard liking and wanting to keep McHale after the Portland series he would have been fired. Morey has done everything to get us the talent we need. No one else in the league has had as much success as he has. I saw we keep him
Typical clutchfans throwing anyone in the rockets organization in the fire without any remorse. Morey brings us a superstar, pairs him up with a legit big finally, trades for what was a top 10 pg to fill our biggest void, and gives us all championship aspirations. Its unfortunate things aren't working out right now but its not like any of us saw this coming.
Look, in a season like this there is plenty of blame to go around - even for Daryl. Ultimately it was his decisions that lead to this group coming together and it is no secret the results have been monumentally disappointing. That said, Morey has been wrong before and always moves quickly to shore up his mistakes. I expect the same from him moving forward and I really can't think of many I'd rather have as GM of the Rockets.
I agree - but I don't think you or I matter Les is the guy that is going to be the decider. And, while I love Morey's ability to horse trade, I don't believe his system works - or rather can't work with the players he has put into the roster. I think if you become one dimensional you become easier to guard - which is where we are right now. Make no mistake, this is Morey's fault, he built this team, he hired the coach, this is his philosophy - and guys get fired when their stuff doesn't work out - fairly or otherwise. You know what nobody is asking though, maybe the players have quit on Morey..... DD
despite of all the problems, i think people will appreciate what morey has done for the team - if they think back who his predecessor was. regardless of morey's future with the org., he's been a very good gm. way above avg to say the least. sometimes we as fans have too much sense of entitlement, since we invest a lot of emotions into it. we demand the team in the title-contention every so often, we demand we have the best players, elite coaching staff or a perfect gm, etc.
When the ship is sinking the blame is with the captain even if it was the sailors who drilled the hole. That is the way of things. But it's okay because nooen is Perfect they make mistakes and Morrey knows it himself. But he is to blame and I am optimistic that he will be given the opportunity to change things. He has earned the right to be given a chance.
It is his fault in the sense that it was his actions that assembled this failing team -- but the actual primary mistake he made was trusting in Harden, and that is a mistake I can't blame him for since almost anyone else would have done the same (I know I would have). At this point he needs to correct this mistake and try to salvage the other assembled talent on this team for assets in order to have as quick of a rebuild as possible.
It is an interesting situation if you can divorce yourself from being a fan. You have a situation where the GM is basically told that he cannot tank and that he will not be able to count on high draft picks, AND the team is expected to be competitive at the same time while building towards a Championship. As a result building the team relied on 5 things: 1. Mediocre draft picks 2. Trades 3. Free agency 4. Overseas player evaluation 5. System/coaching/player development Draft The Rockets had to rely on mediocre draft picks to rebuild because they were expected to remain competitive. It allowed the Rockets to get players such as Chandler Parsons, Marcus Morris, DMO, Jones and White. The Rockets overall were solid in the draft getting key contributors, but not any stars. The Rockets only swung for the fences on hit/miss prospects when they had multiple picks (White). It isn't a surprise that they didn't get any stars as they are hard to get in the middle to bottom of the first round and second round. As a result the Rockets ended up with players that had a specific skill set that was strong, but no two way players. The one player the Rockets passed on (as did almost everyone else) is Kawai Leonard, who has become a complete two way player. Right after the draft Morey made a comment that the Rockets liked Leonard but did not have the luxury of letting him developed as they were expected to contend shortly. The Rockets did attempt to trade up into the high lottery a number of times, being linked to players such as Ricky Rubio, Andre Drummond, Paul George and others. Ultimately the cost was prohibitive. The Rockets attempted to get elite talent by taking fliers on former lottery picks such as Thabeet, Flynn and a few others. Overall without much success. Trades This is where Morey has been at his best. His manipulation of the cap, collecting assets and moving them for key players. Daryl Morey made one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history when he acquired and locked up James Harden in trade. Harden is at worst the third best offensive player in the NBA and is improving. However, James is at best average defensively and too often slips into matador mode. Trevor Ariza was also another shrewd trade the Rockets made. However, very few elite players are dealt and even fewer players that excel at offense and defense. In the modern NBA elite players are coveted and it is very hard to get them in trade. Free Agency The Rockets have been active in free agency, getting Dwight Howard and Okur. The Rockets are not a market like LA or NY that can get players to come simply because of location, but they also are not a bottom market like Milwaukee that will not get any of the elite players. However, AGAIN teams are very reluctant to give up elite two way players, and when they do become available, they tend to go to glamorous markets like LA, Miami, etc. The Rockets were very, very close to getting Chris Bosh, who is a two way player. However, even Bosh has major warts offensively. The reality is that there are very few free agents that are available that play both ways, and those players tend to go to teams in major markets or teams already on the cusp of winning a title. Overseas player evaluation This has become less of an issue with teams now having more scouts and information to rely on, so there are fewer Tony Parker type players. The Rockets found DMO this way (although he was heavily scouted), and I would include Patrick Beverley as well, as they found him in Moscow. Capella as well. All are nice players, but none are elite and tend to be one way players. The reality is in recent history there have not been many two way players "found" overseas that were not lottery picks. System/coaching/player development This is where I would be most critical of Daryl Morey. The Rockets had Van Gundy and Adelman. Both were difficult to work with. Adelman, especially wanted control beyond coaching duties and it caused tension. Daryl Morey had expressed interest in Rick Carlisle at various points. When the Rockets hired McHale, they attempted to interview Coach Bud and at the time he was not interested in leaving SA. Ultimately the Rockets hired McHale. Morey stressed McHale's patience,and strong leadership qualities. However, oddly, the Rockets did not surround him with quality assistants. A number of assistants were available and passed on. The closest to an elite assistant coach the Rockets added was Kelvin Sampson, and they collapsed in the playoffs after he left to take the UH job. coaches such as Ron Adams, Alvin Gentry and Brendan Malone. Reality The reality of the situation is that the Rockets ARE a very flawed team and it shouldn't be a surprise based on the restraints placed on the rebuilding process. It is very difficult to get players without warts in trade or later in the draft. Also, if you do get a young player with that type of potential, you need a system/coaching staff in place that can teach the good habits. The Rockets need a very good relationship between the coaching staff and the front office, but you also need a coaching staff strong enough to challenge the GM at the right points in time. The Rockets did not have that and still don't. Current the Rockets are asking Bickerstaff and Finch to change the philosophy of the locker room without any real experience doing so at the NBA level, it isn't going to work.
Sad side of business, if that team's talent does not equal success, well, you got to shake things up. That is how it is usually done.
Now you have to ask yourself this million dollar question, Is Les too cheap to hire a good coach or is Morey really about himself?
It is Morey's fault for hiring Mchale and this coaching staff. This coaching staff has no idea how to use Dwight Howard on the inside. All they do is rely on James Harden. Kevin Mchale was no different.
To add to this, can you imagine what these fans would be saying if Morey did NOT bring back a team that went to the Western Conference Finals last year?
I was the only one irate about letting Josh Smith go. We never made him a priority. We gave him the Dragic treatment. Put him on the backburner. Very well at fault.
