Jumping the gun a bit early here. His drafting prowess has been unexpected and very welcomed. I also like that he is both stoic and keeps things close to the vest. That said, he is still very much a blank slate as far as trades and signings go IMO. Just like with our own players, let's give him a few years before worshiping his divinity.
Im with you OP. Stone has completely won me over and I feel at ease with him in charge. Our fanbase is so jaded and abused that they dont know good thing when they have it and would rather remain cynical until the end. It feels good to let go. STONE YOU MAGNIFICENT B*STARD!!
I like how he is looking to build some chemistry instead of flipping the roster so much. Morey did a great job but he made a ton of mistakes too - including screwing up the DMo deal to where the NBA and the Rockets had to pay him and he went to China....when we matched the contract with New Jersey we could have matched the bonus structure too - making it a win win for everyone, but Morey and the Rox got Petty and created a problem that shouldn't have existed. Allowing this: To walk out the door for nothing.....and then made up bullshit about his back. Morey's rep is of a calculating ASSET only - non caring GM. Stone so far has navigated all the noise and has been completely up front with players like Wall - whom he handled masterfully..... Let's see how Stone handles a stacked roster of like skilled players and some who won't play ......that is his next challenge. DD
LMAO... WTF are you talking about? D-Mo required surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back and then had to miss subsequent games afterwards due to back pains. If D-Mo was still NBA season capable, he would be in the NBA.
You also started this thread which says we should start flipping. You are indeed a confusing poster DD lol 2022-23 A Year of decisions for most of our roster
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...ding-out-on-the-rockets-because-of-6-million/ What is Montiejunas doing? You can't put most of the blame on Morey and the Rockets when DMo is the one that was represented by a guy that clearly didn't understand the CBA
He's a moron and has a weird fetish for D-Mo. Just better to laugh at him than try to have a rational conversation
Putting on a clinic in executive management and interpersonal skills. Players will want to play for Rafael Stone.
Let me try to explain it a little better to give you context. It is about how the GM does his job, and how it is perceived by the players, the league and in a non-consequential way, us fans. Stone has so far navigated things in a much more Player friendly manner, he is repairing some of the damage Morey's calculating asset strategy caused. So, with Wall for example, he could have played HARD ball and forced him to take much more money off his contract, instead he let him off the hook for 6.5m off his contract which he can make up in the MLE from any team he signs. That is VERY PLAYER friendly. Whereas with DMO - Morey matched the New Jersey contract, but only to the least amount possible he chose NOT to honor the bonus structure or accelerators, now technically that was legal under the CBA - but it was a DICK move from the players perspective....thus me bringing it up here. And DMO sued the league and the Rockets and there was a settlement in his favor...... So, Stone will still have to flip some players as assets, but HOW HE NAVIGATES that will define the org's reputation amongst players. Stone so far seems to be rebuilding trust with players. I bring up DMo only as an example of how Morey was so cut throat, and so far Stone has not been. Hopefully people are smart enough to understand the context...... DD
Im still in "wait and see" mode for Stone but I am cautiously optimistic. Every single young team thinks that they're killing it in the draft, because every top lottery pick is a future hall of famer until they're not. It's very easy to think that you've found your guy before he actually has to be "the guy". Orlando, OKC, Detroit, and Houston all think they have teams that are gonna be serious playoff teams in the next few years and the reality is that's probably not true. The most likely scenario is that none of the teams I listed end up being legitimate contenders. I won't crown Stone as a "god send", or better than Morey, or even better than replacement level before he builds a team that wins 50 games. Until then it's just hopes and dreams.
Yeah he's still learning on the job. I suspect the lack of trades for guys like Gordon and even Wood last year are about Stone's first impressions as a GM. I suspect Stone wants to start his career and reputation around the league as a GM that has set prices for assets and refuses to take less "just because". He refused to to trade Wood until he got the best deal possible. He's refusing to trade Gordon for the same reason. He took such a L in the Oladipo deal that I'm sure he wants to reestablish himself as a serious GM.
I like that the Rockets seem to now have a focus on players that are motivated, hard working, competitive, high energy, and leaders. It is impressive to be able to find so many of these type guys in the same draft along with having skill and high potential. I think the Rockets are focused on building a championship cutlure and that is fun to root for.
It's the fact alot of posters here are still Daryl Morey nuthuggers. They will never come to the fact Morey's predecessor has outclassed him in less than 2 years. Stone has also successfully changed the negative stigma Morey created during the previous era
Don't equate "settlement in his favor" with "in the right". As a team/league, it's just bad business to be in a prolonged legal battle with a player/agent in the same way that it's bad business for a restaurant to argue with a customer even if the business did nothing wrong - you just gotta move it along to avoid that collateral damage.
