Why Rockets GM Daryl Morey claims he has let James Harden down

In hindsight, the really good front office won ships.

 

People blaming it on Harden is frustrating when he's asked to perform miracles like Jordan Magic Bird Hakeem did...

Those guys all played with another GOAT on the roster to win chips, except Hakeem.

Aside from that, the surrounding roster has to be good enough. And we acquire decent players and turn them into better versions of themselves. But guess what, you cant turn gold into diamonds. Ryan Anderson gets a pass now? Corey Brewer? Omri Casspi?

I don't hold it against him, but T Jones as a starter was also ridiculous. So much so that Josh Smith came in and we never looked back.

People are lying to themselves if they think they're being objective with Harden. You can't look at stats during the playoffs and criticize him and then criticize him about usage and stats during regular season to say he's stat padding. You know what those stats tell me about Harden? He's been consistently running into really really good teams out in the West and we just don't have the roster to handle that.

Yes, Lebron beat that GSW team, but he had Kevin Love and a prime Kyrie. That roster was loaded. AND the Rockets never get any luck vs refs.

 

Welp... I guess if yer gonna buy into hair brain stunts like micro ball - and ship out your tall guys.... you are letting not only Harden down - but the fans as well...
and If yer gonna ramp up the 3 point shooting to the highest levels ever executed - but do so with mediocre shooters and without acquiring elite 3 point shooters... then perhaps your disappointment in yourself is warranted...


and I like Morey... but I'm seeing some obvious missteps...

 

Since Morey acquired Harden....

Rockets are
2nd in regular season winning %
3rd in playoff winning %

Those results clearly show someone who had a stupid idea and compounded it with stupid missteps along the way because every single year Houston was the Vegas betting favorite but our hair brained stunts employed by our clueless front office and loser coaching staff prevented our squad of several all stars to win multiple chips, which absolutely would have happened if we did things “traditionally”.

And all the while Morey only had to read clutchfans and he would have had all the answers.

 

You are banging your head against the wall, CFers who think they know better than Morey, MDA or Harden are blind to logic.

 

Again with the stupid straw man arguments... anytime somebody has something negative to say or a misstep pointed out you gotta run in and take aim as if somebody is saying that Morey is a complete idiot and everything he's done has been a disaster... when thats not being said...

It is possible for somebody to be very good at their job and still make the occasional error in judgement - particularly if he's got a coach in his ear year after year... Overall, I think Morey is one of the best GMs in the game - but aint nobody perfect so there's always room for improvement...

You, D-Rock and valeurio (or whatever his name is) should all get together and go bowling or something... and y'all could invite MDA... then you can all sit around and talk about 'seasons to cherish - even without a championship' ...lol

and if "every single year Houston was the Vegas betting favorite" - but cant seal the deal with a championship... maybe there are a few missteps along the way... and thats coming from somebody who lives in Vegas...

 

One man's "missteps" is another's evolution of the game.

LOL

 

And my post implies nothing about being perfect and immune from criticism. Just the stupidity of acting like our strategy has in some way held us back from our true potential.

Reality is ownerships unwillingness to spend, the formation of one of the greatest teams ever by a fluke cap spike and an unlucky injury are several magnitudes higher level in importance over our inability to win it all. Not the strategy we employed, that you just so happen to disagree with, to produce like I said the 2nd best regular season winning percentage and 3rd best playoff percentage over that span.

 

LOL what have you won in your life???

can you build a team which can beat 2018 GSW with 2nd best player injured?

if Morey just listened to you we should have a championship to chreish right?

"maybe... yer essentially giving up the first to change Knights 2 yr deal into Lins expiring deal... if yer in cost cutting mode... and Lin could help us through the CP3 injury - his per is at 17"

 

The 2014 series against the Trail Blazers, we were nearly 3:1 favorites. But that was a long time ago.

I think your fundamental point is great, which is that the Rockets' "collapses", notably San Antonio and 2018 Golden State, were against teams we were huge underdogs against anyways.

 

Which goes back to the concept of building a perennial favorite..... and therefore there is no other way than going thru the draft for numerous years until you come up with a group of cornerstones you can build around IMO.

Let's face it, only the LA teams and probably Miami, GSW and limited teams can attract top FA talents right now.

Why not avoid being 'underdogs' altogether?

 

Or the referees screwing them in Game 7.
Man what a series. Up 3-2, only to lose those Worriers. Will forever hate that team and the NBA for that screw job.

 

Yes letting a player make final coaching decisions and be the main GM is pretty preposterous.... Let's be real real about the situation.

 

Avoid being underdogs vs. the greatest team ever assembled? Even a Lebron led team of all stars were underdogs to that same team.

Do you even think before you spout this stuff?

 

The gist isn't pointing out the greatest team ever which CFers are still obsessed about in some way.

This year they were still underdogs to the Lakers, Clippers.
They were underdogs to the Kobe and Gasol led Lakers, to the WB and KD Thunder version in the past.

A never ending story.

The point was to get young stars on rookie contracts.
For the longer haul, not just when you have a CP3 or WB for 1 or 2 years. With minimum assets and picks at disposal.

Why do even try to track these posts when all you do is antagonize? I have made them invisible to certain people.
Too tired of this shenanigan.

Just go back to your Jonah Bolden appreciation threads.

 

Your points are completely unrealistic.

You cannot have Rockets being 2nd best team during GSW dynasty AND rebuilding a young team via draft that is NOT an underdog.

 

I think we had the same record in that series

Rocket River

 

Your gripes are not just petty but unrealistic. Rockets are ranked top 3 in West and top 4 in entire NBA. How are they underdogs?

You would rather tank for years to MAYBE get to same situation years from now???

And Jonah Bolden jab was funny. Funny because you still do not understand - Bolden is not a pet cat because I love his game, it's because his skill set fits the offensive and defensive systems that the Rockets play.

Just this season - I correctly called the RoCo fit. Same with Bruno, Christian Wood, Jeff Green.

As much as I loved Capela, I warned everyone that Clint would be traded - as well as Clemons, Tyson and Harty being poor fits.

I proposed adding Tyler Johnson (who Rockets purportedly had interest in), Dragan Bender, Jonah Bolden, Justin Anderson, Omari Spellman, Theo Pinson, etc. because of their ability to attack rim (ball handling), play above rim, length/freak hops/strength, 3ball shooting, pass, run, block shots (rim/perimeter), switch on D and force turnovers.

Your frustration is evident by your passive aggressive comments on Morey, MDA and Harden likely due to you not trusting 5 Out (Skill Ball) and/or Switch Everything D because you either do not accept the data or just do not comprehend how historically efficient this offense has performed moreso how much more potentially productive it could be.

As much as I like Harty, he does not hold a candle to Clint. And Clint, when he was healthy, was a net negative on the court with Russ. Clint was far and away the best 5 on team - Nene, Tyson and Harty were not even close. Traditional 5's in this positionless scheme are liabilities.

The Rockets were not going to win anything with Clint and team makeup from beginning of season. Not even debatable.

The Rockets as currently configured, utilizing this revolutionary system, is their BEST chance to win it all.

 

Nwaba shot better than 40% from 3 before his injury this season.

The missteps you detailed below are wrong.

https://spacecityscoop.com/2020/06/24/houston-rockets-david-nwaba-daryl-morey/

While fans were excited to see how the Rockets would fill out their playoff roster, David Nwaba offers plenty of versatility off the bench and the structure of his contract is a masterclass in salary-cap management from Daryl Morey.

David Nwaba suffered a torn Achilles in December while playing for the Brooklyn Nets, which led to him being waived in early January. Before the injury, Nwaba was playing the most efficient basketball of his career by shooting a scorching 42.9-percent from 3-point range.

Nwaba saw significant time at shooting-guard, small-forward and power-forward. His time in Brooklyn was short but promising, and there are indications that he could fit seamlessly into the Rockets rotation.

The Rockets ‘brand of micro ball puts pressure on guards to rebound and defend the post. Nwaba stands 6-5, has a 7-foot wingspan and is an explosive athlete. His combination of physicality and length allows him to hound players on the perimeter and defend the paint in a way that is unique for a guard.

Nwaba’s offensive game is centered around catch-and-shoot threes and slashing to the rim. He is not a gifted creator, but that aspect of his game is not a concern to the Rockets when he’s running next to James Harden and Russell Westbrook. Factor in a shot chart that eschews mid-range jumpers in favor of 3-pointers and shots at the rim and Nwaba should have no problem finding a significant role in Houston.

David Nwaba’s contract is a lesson in understanding the salary cap. His contract is for two years: year-one carries a price tag of $900,000 for the 2019-20 season, which he won’t play a minute of for Houston, and year two, for the 2020-21 season, is a team option.