My informed speculation on the end of Harden's tenure

The Rockets were playing in the playoffs in August & September. Durant was home in Brooklyn.

 

What do you mean Covid put him on borderline depression? There is video evidence of him at a strip club. The man needs nothing else to get by.

 

Rockets Believe Daryl Morey's Exit Was 'Preemptive Decision' Ahead Of James Harden Wanting Out

There is a contingent of people within the Houston Rockets organization who "firmly believe [Daryl] Morey made a preemptive decision, departing in large part because he anticipated [James] Harden would want out," several sources tell Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

Morey had expressed concern in Orlando about Houston's lack of picks to upgrade the roster as making it difficult to "keep James happy."

Morey stepped down as general manager of the Rockets in October and Harden's trade request materialized in November. Morey quickly was hired to run the Philadelphia 76ers.

While the 76ers and Rockets discussed a Harden trade, Houston eventually dealt him to the Brooklyn Nets.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30992343/the-final-months-james-harden-houston-rockets-public-breakup

 

Morey was smart to want out after witnessing the prestigious management style of Fertittaccini

writings on the wall for everyone there. No money - Forcing dumb moves like the Westbrick trade - embarrassing a coach like Dantoni through the media... I felt it was a wrap too when watching the bubble

 

Look bro @Nook more "reporting" from our good friend Macmahom about why Morey wanted out. I can always trust Tim.

 

Westbrook trade aside, trading away players for luxury tax savings while attaching 1st round draft picks to them is a good way to not have the draft capital needed to upgrade your team. Refusing to expand trades, use your trade exceptions, and not spending your available mid-level exception money to bring in quality players is also a sure-fire way to NOT upgrade a team that you sell to us fans as a contender. Who is responsible for those decisions? These are not on the floor basketball-related decisions, they are solely money-driven and negatively impact the product that we pay to watch. We never truly went all in. We never got to see the absolute best product that money could buy because our organization was so conscious of the salary cap and terrified to go into the luxury tax that all the other true contenders were already in.

 

It's almost comical how bad of am owner Fertita is.

Paul
Harden
Covington
Wood
Capela

That could be our team right now.

 

What is always interesting to note about Tim's articles is what is "not" included in them. When the holistic view isn't included. That way it can be framed a certain way.

 

Of course employees of Tilman Fertitta believe that Morey left because of Harden..... and they just happen to magically tell Tim McMahon of all people this information..... and the information is just magically coming out before the Brooklyn game..... and this information just happens to by circumstance make Tilman Fertitta not look like the bad guy..... and I am sure it is all coincidence that every major player that has left the Rockets since Tilman has taken over has been trashed in the media..... most of the time by Tim McMahon..... I am sure this is all coincidence, and the fact that it all serves the interests of the owner of the Rockets, who is a bad person.... that ALL just happens to be further coincidence.

 

Also the fact that this dude was saying Morey quit on the Rockets long before he "reported" this. I dont trust his reporting. The dude sucks up hart to Tillman and he ran a smear campaign on James.

 

McMahon is simple, he will play ball with an owner as long as he is given access and stories..... you don't do that and he will trash the team like he did in Dallas.

The fact that I know for a fact that McMahon has a friendly relationship going back to when he was a reporter in Denton Texas... I am sure means NOTHING.

All of this.... what is said, the timing of it and who is saying it and the fact it continually benefits the same one person is ALL coincidence.

 

You guys think when Harden says he loves Houston, a large city even by world standards, he means he loves the no income taxes? Not to get trifling but it is more about him going elsewhere to win yet somewhat less burdened financially.

 

Weird I didn't have to read the article to know who wrote it

 

Considering we traded Capela for Covington, I fail to see how we could have had both.

 

"Hmm I wonder who wrote a bitter hate article right before James Harden comes to town"

 

Think about this. The more I think about it, the more it pisses me off. We NEVER...not once...NEVER EVER truly got to see the best product we could have put on the court because of our avoidance of the luxury tax. So many basketball decisions were made or not made because Morey had a directive to SAVE MONEY. We were told that we didn't want to pay the luxury tax because we feared the repeater tax that would be triggered years down the road. So let me get this straight, we aren't going to pay the luxury tax this year when we have a legit chance to contend and win a title so that we can extend our window of being able to pay the tax in the future? You know...the future that never came because you didn't give yourself the best chance to win in the present. Yeah, that future.

When your window is open you have to take advantage of it. Guys leave, guys get hurt, the chemistry changes from year to year, and other teams get better. Yeah, all the other contenders that are pushing their chips into the middle of the table and paying luxury tax are trying to get better. They blew it. The worst part of it all for me is they blew it by being cheap.

 

Nah. He left because he knew it would be easier to win a title elsewhere than in a Tilman-run organization.

 

Having Tucker in the lineup while still having picks to upgrade the roster still puts us in a good position.

 

And this is still his pinned Tweet from his Twitter account. An article he did about James nearly 3 months ago. Weirdo...