Morey is right on. This is not to annoint him as a god or genius like many have made him out to be, but since joined the team he has strategically put the Rockets in such a great position to make positive moves to acquire major pieces for a championship run. The Rockets are poised to clear a lot of salary room, have good picks, solid players on which to build, and a good number of tradeable assets. All these mean that they are have the manuever room to get what they want. They just need to be patient and be extremely prudent in the moves that they are making from here on in. It looks to me like, and I hope, that from here onwards, they will only make major moves in order to move closer to the championship and not just to make "upgrades" here or there. Yes, it is just frustrating and sometimes downright disgusting to watch this current team. After reading what Morey's intentions are, however, I have become more upbeat and positive about the near future of this team. I strongly belieive that Rockets are on the right path. There is a saying the "Darkest hour is just before dawn". I am very excited about the approaching dawn and I think it will be a very bright and long one. Go Rockets.
Totally disagree. Morey has been slightly decent, and disappointing. Definitely not the icon clutchfans has anointed him. He's collected young talent and assets, but that talent has been overvalued by our organization. Nobody is turning flips over C-Bud or Jordan Hill. The only moves he's made is lateral moves that have gotten us nowhere. Trading Ariza was a mistake and so was trading Laundry. The Rockets have too many average players too expect a superstar in return. If the trade deadline passes with no trade Morey should be on the hotseat
Patience, young Padawan. Trading Ariza was absolutely the best thing to do. Trading Landry to get Martin, a 2nd-tier PF/C, and a 1st rounder was the right thing to do. Holding out hope that Yao would come back better than ever was understandable. Morey did try to acquire Tyson Chandler. (I still wonder if Mark Cuban has Morey's phones tapped.) The team is a collection of overlapping talents, all of them not knowing where they're going to be working after February 25, with no real center to anchor the middle. Reserve judgment on Morey until next week.
The Ariza trade was good because it made the team worse. The Landry trade was a good one too, it also made the team worse. Making a team worse each every year takes genius GM work.
He has amassed players around a couple of expensive players playing Marco Polo with the team. We can assume the original opinion of those players were correct when you consider the original opinion also assumed a healthy Yao Ming. Yao, or the lack of, changes everything. And until his 17m is off the books, he should be a factor in all our analysis. I'm not saying "the" factor, but a factor. So even if we can't pull off a big trade, I just don't have the heart to knock him considering what he had to work with these past years. Morey's doing a fine job.
Ariza looked like a terrific player, then he got his chance to start and the response was 39% shooting! This year he is starting for another team and guess what? 39% shooting! It's totally different to come off the bench or to start! Same thing could be said about Carl (as much as I like him)! He looked really good on the Rox, then he got his chance to start on a team where he was supposed to be one of the best player and guess what? Close to 40 minutes a game to grab 6.5 rebounds! And this year he has moved once again on the bench... And you consider disappointing the guy that got us one of the Top 10 scorer in the league! But we know... The grass is always greener on the other side! Let Morey work!
No offense to the OP because he probably didn't realize it, but IMO threads on ESPN Insider Rumor Mill blurbs should be closed. Its just a rehash of what's in the local paper.
This team is better with K-martin than with Landry. I like Carl, but the Scola/ Landry quandry had to be addressed. One of them had to go. Getting Martin was certainly more than i expected to get for Landry. The Ariza trade will end up being good for this team because: 1) Ariza is not playing up to his contract and Lee is much cheaper 2) Lee has much more trade value and can net us a better player 3) Lee makes guys like Martin tradeable, thus improving our chances to get an impact player. But even aside from those points, CLee is a better player long-term, and on a better contract than Ariza. Had we not made the trade, Houston would be no better off this year, and much worse off over the long-term.
How was trading Ariza the best thing? The Rockets have been hurt all season by the teams with long athletic scoring players. So we trade our long athletic starting SF for a undersized back up SG? It was a bad trade basketball wise. As far as the Laundry trade, its pretty much cut & dry. The Rockets were a better team with Carl laundry than without him. Martin's a solid player, but we haven't been the same team since he came. Nowhere near the same intensity. Its clear the Rockets don't have an identity now. Since the GM's are responsible for player personnel, how can Morey be doing a good job if his current team doesn't have identity Clearly somebody has dropped the ball
How is the team better with Martin if we're consistently losing? Don't give me that "Lee's cheaper" crap either. Lee plays less than than 20 minutes a game while Ariza plays more on a winning team. It also left with us witta a huge glut of guards. Terrible trade
but you act like we would have a winning record if we kept Ariza. I agree that we have a glut of 2-guards, but isn't that better than having an overpayed SF who shoots 28% from 3pt land on a long-term contract? Do you really think that trade was the difference between the playoffs and lotto for Houston? I'm sorry, i just don't agree. We are no worse off right now, and we are much better off long-term. and i would add that the Hornets' success is largely due to Chris Paul and David West; not Tevor Ariza. In fact, I'd be surprised if the Hornets were excited about having Ariza at $7.5 mil for another 3 years.
Its pretty much a forgone conclusion the Ariza trade was bad unless they get something for Courtney Lee to make up for it. Oh well. Omer Asik here we... Nevermind trade balked at for Moreys silly valueless players. Obviously since he cant trade for anyone we have no value right?
