Or MAYBE the Rockets F'ed up by telegraphing the player they wanted before they completed, hell even STARTED, all their player workouts and interviews. Analysts and draft experts picked up on this a few weeks prior to draft when the consensus 2nd best player was pushed to 3rd. The favoritism for Green at that point was ridiculously obvious that even social media nobodies were confident that Green was the pick.
First things first, let's actually DRAFT those players first. Stone is not directly responsible for coaching these players but for FINDING them. Then catering system and coaching to maximize success of these players. Then finally putting complementary pieces around those players.
I agree that Wood is actually better than Collins. Not significantly better but better nonetheless. Especially as 3ball shooter, a rim protector and switcher.
Stone: I don’t think it’s particularly true what’s been reported last week. i'm guessing the report re 'franchise centerpiece' search? lol, every team in the association looks.
This where Stone and Silas shat the bed and where Altman and JBB clearly understood big picture options and had confidence in their organization and coaching staff to collect the BEST assets possible and THEN figure ways to maximize their performance. Stone and Silas complete inability to see playing fit between Wood and JA, or Wood and Mobley is the REAL DISASTER here. It is obvious Stone-Silas could not even IMAGINE let alone envision a lineup with JA, Wood and Mobley like the Cavs did with JA, Markkanen and Mobley. Rockets had the inside track and could have easily fielded JA-Wood-Mobley 3 big lineup with Olynyk (and even Sengun) off the bench. That 3 big lineup would have been more talented, more productive and more versatile than the Cavs 3 big lineup of JA-Markkanen-Mobley with Love off the bench.
Sure that's another possibility. However, it's not very uncommon for teams to have preferences leading up to the draft. Not really sure how common it is for two top picks to refuse to work out for a team.
Sounds like Trump-style negotiation--call to say you're interested in something, then if they call back, feign disinterest to increase the price, since now they're calling you.
Seriously. Sorry Iko had to sit through this. Even while playing his cards close to the vest, Morey provided bits of interesting insight.
It was on Kelly to ask him. Can't answer what you aren't asked. Plus like most GMs, he is not volunteering any info either.
“Align” this and “Align” that. God I hate business-speak. There’s a Partner at my firm that uses the word “align” all the time. The project he is “managing” is a daily sh*tshow, so he says “we need to align” all the time to make himself feel better. I think he is tricking himself into believing things are ok, and that complex problems and difficult people can be solved with a few words. Drives me crazy. “We need to align” can mean: - “We need to coordinate our work” - “I need to delegate my work to you” - “I don’t know what’s going on, so I need you to explain it to me and/or tell me everything’s ok” - “I think you’re crazy and disagree with everything you are doing” - “Just do what I tell you” - “Let’s go to a conference room so I can yell at you”
It’s been a little over a year now since you officially took the reins as general manager. How would you assess the changes you’ve seen, both personally and as an organization? For me, the time period is basically a year and a half from when I took over. But I will say that I’m actually very happy with where we are organizationally. I think we have a really clear direction, that kind of top to bottom — from ownership to myself and my team, to our coaching staff, to our players — that everyone has bought into. I think a big key for success is organizational alignment, and we’re in a really good spot with respect to that right now. So, because we’re all aligned and we know what we’re doing and where we’re trying to go, I think we’re in a relatively good place. What’s the beginning of a rebuild like from your vantage point? Do you find yourself doing things differently than you might have a year and a half ago — whether it be relationships with folks on the team or how you do business with other teams? I came in pretty fully formed I think, just because of age and I’ve been in the NBA for a long time. Within the Rockets organization, I’ve been very senior for a long time. Moving over a chair is obviously different, but I don’t think I’ve changed much. I’ve gotten to know Stephen (Silas) — when I hired him, I didn’t know him well — so I think that’s been good. I think our communication is better now than it was earlier. Same thing with Tilman (Fertitta), where our ability to be on the same page was always pretty good because we knew each other pretty well. I think it’s really good now. That’s one of the advantages of time; you get to know people better, and you work together better. So, in that respect, I think things are better than when I first took over. But generally, I think things are more similar than not. Just how important is this synergy you talk about? Especially now with where you guys are. I think alignment is really important. To a certain extent, maybe the single most important one is myself and Tilman. But then it goes Tilman, me, Stephen, assistant coaches, players — and not just your starters, but all your players. I think it’s really important. It’s never gonna be perfect. People are not always on the same page every minute of every day. But I do think that to the extent that everybody understands the goal, buys into the end goal and buys into where you’re at in the process, it allows for success. It’s really hard to create success if people are trying to achieve different things. One of the nice things about being aligned is that everyone’s trying to achieve the same thing. End goals is another way of saying “The Process.” Has it gone according to plan? We’re almost 50 games into the season. The real answer is, I have no idea. The plan is to win a championship. The day that we hold a trophy, you can say, “Oh yeah, the plan works.” But I’m really comfortable and happy with where we’re at. It isn’t a linear process. It’s not something where if you’d asked me at the beginning of the year, I could have predicted we would get to today the way we got to it. But the growth we’ve seen in our group and the way they’re playing and the way they’ve improved — as you go player by player — all of our players have really improved, and the group has improved as a whole. And that’s … that’s really the goal. I’m happy with where we’re at. But I certainly couldn’t tell you that the plan has been achieved. Drafting four rookies isn’t a normal thing in today’s NBA. But Jalen Green, Josh Christopher and Alperen Sengun are developing in real time. Do you see that approach potentially being replicated by teams down the line? I mean, we’re a copycat league, but I think based on our level of success to date, I don’t think anybody is itching to be the Rockets. The feedback I’m getting from around the league is positive. They feel like it’s really credible, and they get the vision. It’s always better than people like, “What the hell are you doing?” But we’re a copycat league, and what you copy is the ultimate success. So, if we end up building a team that’s really good a few years from now, I think people will look back maybe at what we did as a blueprint. It hasn’t gone perfectly — and it won’t — but I like the progress. I like the improvement. You got to work at it every day. You’re in a season currently, but have a goal down the line. Is it hard planning for the future while having to deal with the process in the present? Having micro conversations about a macro view? Basketball is a team sport. It’s not a situation where you’re trying to improve an individual player, and it has no ramifications for his teammates or for the team. They’re so logically intertwined that it’s pretty easy for everybody — both in the micro and the macro — to get it to work within the construct and everything else. Because we’re all aligned, there’s not a lot of “Why are we doing this?” I think sometimes, everyone’s learning curve is different, but our group was pretty bought into what we’re doing, and they believe in one another. I think they enjoy one another, and they want to get better together. So, I think we’re a good place now. From being present at practices, being on the road, you’re pretty hands-on with this team. Are you just that much of a basketball junkie or is it something else I think it’s just me! I don’t know that it’s super strategic. My biggest strategy for how I try to operate is to be true to myself, because I know I can do that successfully. I can be me 100 percent of the time and not have to worry that I will not succeed in being me. If I try to be somebody else or someone’s expectation of who I’m going to be, I might be able to fake it for a little while, but eventually, I’m just gonna revert to being me. It’s too hard to be consistently someone else, so I’m comfortable with our players. My background, I’m obviously much older, but my background in a lot of ways is the same as theirs. They’re living the exact same lives my children live. So why act like I’m not comfortable, you know what I mean? I don’t think it’s a strategy. It’s certainly not a lack of trust in our coaches or a need to do X, Y or Z. I think having good relationships with people is important. It’s important for our players that we know each other and we get along. The more you can communicate, the better people generally do. It’s sometimes helpful for people to know what a coach said I believe, or what I believe a coach believes or to have just good relationships overall. I think it’s just a good thing. Being a young team, there’s obviously more of an emphasis on scouting, and you guys revamped that department recently, correct? Yeah, we rounded it out. But all the people we had are still around; we didn’t let anyone go. Is there more of a need to scout certain types of players now? We’re basically just doing exactly what we did last year. Again, I think we’re learning how one another communicates. And hopefully, we’re doing it a little bit more efficiently and effectively, but we’re doing the same thing. The biggest thing for me is just the work and making sure that we don’t get outworked. That’s kind of my point of emphasis for our group, and I feel good that’s what we’re doing. This interview got 100x funnier
How do you feel coming out of the trade deadline? RS: Tilman is great, just finished a delicious Landry’s lunch. Next question.
If we traded Gordon for a 2nd round pick or Wood for inferior players, you'd call this deadline botched too. Apparently, it wasn't a buyer's market this year.
