And yet anyone doesn’t actually do it…. Took Detroit and Charlotte a lot longer to get there than we did…. whoops I don’t think Stone is a top 10 GM, but he put us in a position to where we not only have the cap and assets to get Durant, we can follow it up with another major move to be a “real contender”.
LOL sure sure..... I love how y'all move the goal posts when needed. Tanking was the reason we had a bad reputation Why do you ASSume Stone wanted to build around WOW and not Tilman? What bust? Green? Who literally is not a bust but can be argued was disappointing? Silas era? Morey was GM when he was hired. But we tanked pretty hard. Wemby would have gotten over it if drafted to Houston. What an emotonal argument.... Wemby was the generational draft. It's already been argued that you can't just ASSume BKN would have tanked when they had no reason to. Name 2 GMs that have taken public accountability. Seems like you just don't really have a grasp about the decision making.
With all due respect, you have no clue if you think this lawyer has even done an average job. He’s been an absolutely horrible GM from the signing of Silas, to the trading of Jarrett Allen, to the Oladipo trade and attempted re-signing, to the non-action for 6 straight trade deadlines, to the giving away of the Nets top three pick this year, etc,
Stone was not behind the WB trade… the “insider” has been anti Stone for awhile now. You and the insider have created this odd caricature of Stone.
You didn't even want the 2026 Brooklyn pick when Stone acquired it. Why were you so against having a 2026 pick? If Stone followed what you wanted, the Rockets either would have kept Harden or traded him to Miami who had Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn, Precious Achiuwa. and their 2027 first-round pick as young players and available picks. If the Rocket went the Harden route that would have cost the Rockets Durant, FVV, JSJ (much later pick), Amen (much later pick), Eason, Reed, the 2027 Pho pick, the 2027 Brooklyn pick, the 2029 Phoenix pick, and ability to swap with the 2029 Dallas pick. If the Rocket went the Mia route that would have the 2027 Mia pick and Herro, but it cost the Rockets Durant (No Green, Brooks, 2025 Pho pick either), FVV, JSJ (a little bit later pick), Amen (a little bit later pick), Eason, Reed, the 2027 Pho pick, the 2027 Brooklyn pick, the 2029 Phoenix pick, and ability to swap with the 2029 Dallas pick. Being on the side that gets more draft capital wins deals more often than not. GMs don't have perfect foresight on what happens.
I couldn't find any of my posts around that time saying I was for the Nets deal. I remember being disappointed that there was not a deal that had some good young talent and a good amount of draft capital. Most of my posts I could find were about people nitpicking the minor details of the Harden trade when the big value of the deal was the draft capital.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion but many of your responses are incorrect, and I’m not sure I agree with anything you said. But hey, I hope Stone succeeds, for the sake of the team.
I’m not sure what u are referring to in much of your response, but the 2026 draft has been projected to be incredible for over 2yrs now. Yes GM’s had good insight into the 2026 draft long before Stone traded the Nets back their picks…without extracting maximum return.
The fact that this dumbass gave Cam Whitmore away for FREE means he isn't equipped to be a top tiered GM/Leader. We lacked bench scoring and that is the one thing Cam did well - you don't trade guys that are 20 years old and are that aggressive you COACH THEM UP !!!! DD
Likewise, I feel you are incorrect and will continue to call out these inaccuracies since this is an open message board. You can't name what bust you were talking about so I think you arguments are on the "throw crap at the wall".
For fun, look at my posts after the Nets trade. You’ll see I was furious and couldn’t understand why he was giving away an unprotected high lottery pick.
Forgot about that one….agree that it was too early to give Whitmore away for zippo. Especially with losing Green, the thought was that it opened a path for replacing his offensive firepower with Cam’s. To lose both left us vacant on the offensive side of the equation. Wonder if we lose to the depleted Lakers if that will result in the removal of the lawyer.
The Harden trade is significantly better than any player Stone has traded for (yes a young Harden is a significantly better trade than old man Dickerson). Stone hasn’t showed an ability to identify talent at that level
You were against trading Harden to the Nets for picks including the 2026 Nets pick when it was obvious the Rockets were done and the Rockets had no picks in 2026. I included a response from yours after the trade for Harden that clearly shows you were against acquiring the 2026 Brooklyn pick. As bad as you want to say trading the 2026 Nets pick is, getting it and everything else in the Harden trade was so much better despite you thinking it was a bad move. Even then, there were 10 tanking teams this year. The Nets likely pick is 10th without tanking. This year has a ton of talent, but odds are the 10th pick this year will not be better than what the Rockets get with what they got out of trading the 2026 Nets pick. There is a very good chance that trading for the Suns picks and Dallas pick looks so good in hindsight 5 years from now that it seems as obvious as the Harden trade does now even though you and many others were against a pick heavy package for Harden.
I didn't say Stone was behind the Westbrook deal. I said that Stone supported the Westbrook deal. Morey and MDA talked TF out of trading for Westbrook. Morey had Harden satisfied about not getting Westbrook. Morey and MDA wake up the next morning, and TF tells Morey he wants Westbrook and he wants it done quickly. Stone developed a close relationship with TF during the period that Stone and TF worked on getting the sale approved by the NBA. Morey and others felt like Stone was undermining him by speaking to the owner and had too much influence. It is one of the main reasons Morey and MDA concluded they could not work for TF. Between being undermined and the toxic environment after TF took over -- people wanted out. Wood is someone that the Morey planned to target to play with Harden --- Stone continued the infatuation after Morey left. So, whether that was a good target is debatable - but it was pre-existing as a target. I don't have Stone, I don't think he is terrible - I just don't think he is good enough, I would rather go after someone with higher upside than what Stone brings to the table. I have pointed out the positive and negative attributes IMO.
The question in fairness isn't whether he was against trading Harden to the Nets. The question is whether someone was in favor or dealing the Nets picks for the Suns picks. Also - no, I personally do not believe that the Nets would be "10th" if they were not trying to trade. They were dealing Bridges regardless of whether the Rockets traded them their picks back or not --- they were never going to get a better offer than the Knicks offer of draft capital, there is no way they were turning it down. The Rockets were not going to trade Harden to the Sixers -- that can be because of TF or Stone, or both. I honestly do not know for sure. Maybe I did however many years ago, but don't remember at this point. This draft has been known a very good one for some time and teams also have known for some time that likely lottery changes were coming after this draft. Maybe the Rockets get lucky with the Suns picks --- and it turns out better than the Nets pick, but it isn't likely--- but as Red Auerbach said, he would rather be a lucky person than a smart person.
Stone is risk adverse and lacks real depth when it comes to evaluating basketball. That can be good, better to be overly cautious than be a reck less fool that is incompetent. Stone makes the safe decisions, like a corporate lawyer would. It should keep him from making many colossal mistakes, but it will also keep him from any massive homeruns that are not largely luck or based on positioning. Not many people are visionaries-- but Stone definitely isn't one either. Could be better --- could be worse.... I will just say that with the Rockets and coaching and player/talent evaluation, I never feel like we have the smartest guy in the room. I don't feel like we will get bent over either, but that ultimately we will end up with an "okay" outcome. Maybe Stone uses the Suns picks and drafts an elite player and surprises me and we become a dynasty-- but I am skeptical. It feels like we are the "grit and grind" of this era from the front office down to the coaches and players.
