What EVIDENCE do we have that Morey is doing a great/good job?

Despite the physical collapse of our two stars, he's been able to keep this team competitive and rebuild on the fly without wrecking the salary structure.

He's kept enough cap space and talent to put together attractive trade offers and remains active in doing so.

He has drafted well and invested wisely in low cost high return 2nd rounders.

 

Considering that he has been able to keep the team afloat while being capped out without their 2 best players tells me he has done a pretty good job. Not to mention that the Rockets went a dozen years without a playoff appearance or a advancing past the 1st round, yet Morey constructed a team that was able to do that a couple of years after he took over the job. I'm not calling him great by any means. I think Morey has made some good moves, and I think he has made some bad ones, so I think a grade of B- is fair. Now, this team has Morey's stamp all over it. Every player on the team including the coach is a Morey acquisition, and he could position himself to have cap space next year if he chooses. I think from this season forward, provided the league doesn't screw us in another trade, is how we can truly gauge Morey as a General Manager.

 

I like this thread. If nothing else, it serves as a good conversation piece.

I, myself, am not 100% sold on Morey and his services. I think Morey has done an exceptional job at drafting while his free agent signings have been mild at best. With that said, I understand that Morey can not make a player sign here. The player must want to play in this city, play for the coach, and play with the team.
With some of the controversial things Adelman did with McGrady, it may have caused some reservation to established players in that regard.
For a while I think Morey was "missing the boat" with his Moneyball theories. Moreys firm statistical background may have made him pass on some "marquee" players due to some deficiency in a statistical nature. As of late, it seems he is starting to gather the fact that you must have someone that other players want to play with, to lure some of these big name players to your city. Hopefully some of these assets he has stockpiled will turn into an attraction for the likes of an up and coming star. If not, it could be very bad for the future of the organization.

 

um... hello? He had a movie made about him, in which Brad Pitt plays him.

 

I can say the Brand of basketball we have watched has been entertaining over the past few years. Also he has managed to shed every bad contract we have ever had.

 

Oh I though he was Jonah Hill

 

We had two superstars with no good role players around them, he came in and made the team a great team around them with a bunch of good moves, its not his fault yao and tracy went down, he had nothing to do with them, its not easy to acquire superstars, hes built a great team, now he just has to find us a superstar, its not easy and last year he was still dealing with yao/no yao, this is the first real year where hes able to go after a star adn he almost got us pau and nene, with them in the middle this team would have been competetive...

stars arent easy to get, give him time to get one or two and then rebuild the team around them and then we can accurately judge his performance, till then quit acting like any other gm would have been any better.

 

You cant exclude Yao and Tracy. Everyone wanted to see what he could do without those guys and have a clean slate. The early results are in and it appears to be minimal. Which team would you rather have, the 04-05 team or this one?

 

My thought exactly!

 

Just a theory, but once Morey became a media darling, his ability to negotiate with other general managers became more difficult. I've harped on this before. The dude seriously needs to tone down his media profile.

As to our current situation. Again, we have no idea how much Les is meddling. Is it Morey who refuses to rebuild or is it Les. Or is Morey simply telling Les what he thinks he wants to hear. Isn't it weird how Morey always refers to Les as Mr. Alexander. You normally don't see that level of formality between a general manager and an owner. And hasn't the media hinted that Les can be "difficult" to work for.

PS, It would not surprise me if Morey desperately wants to acquire a cornerstone player, so he can immediately retire (quit) on a high note. Just a total hunch on my part, but Morey hasn't looked like a happy camper in a long long time.

 

I am ok with his moves . . .but . . . .He is on the clock IMO

2 more years or bust

Rocket River

 

My favorite Morey move is how he turned busted pick Dante Green into Ron Artest

- Drafted Dante Green
- Green goes for 40+ in summer league
- Month or so later the Rockets have acquired the services of Ron Artest for Dante Greeen and some change
- Post season we are enjoying watching Rockets take soon to be champion Lakers to 7 games giving us most exciting season of the decade

 

Is he really a media darling? Who does he really talk to outside of Simmons and local guys?

I tend to disagree with these types of arguments. Whether he keeps his job shouldn't be based on results, it should be based on whether someone else could be expected to get better results. I won't hold someone accountable for circumstances outside their control.

 

Dallas is not an example of money ball, their owner spent like a drunken sailor.

 

Morey obviously suck at his job because for some reason he keeps trying. For example, normal GMs won't bother to try to obtain Melo or Bosh when it's obvious HOuston's not their top priority. But Morey for some absurd reason tries. Morey has obviously never heard the mantra: You can't fail if you don't try.

Morey needs to stop trying. This way he'll never fail as a GM.

 

Thats my point also. I don't know how long you have been a rockets fan, but I've been one since about 78, not that any of that matters. My point is, les has owned the team since 92 or so and I've never heard of him meddling with the gm. I mean he gave Dawson free reign while he was here. Even before morey became the gm, morey came in and sold les on the idea of trading for battier vs using the eighth pick in the draft. Now all of sudden les is playing puppetmaster? They can miss me on that one.

 

Agreed. Moneyball teams never spend money.

Sincerely,
Boston Red Sox

 

Your memory needs some jogging - At Leslie's very first press conference he announced the Mario Elie acquisition (a "major move"), he got into a personal b****fight with JVG, he forced Rudy out, I don't know what went on with Adelman but he was likely involved....he probably forced us to stick with Yao for 2 years too long..etc ad nausuem.

He's been involved since Day zero, and will continue to be.

 

^ Exactly what I was going to say. Over the next 2 -3 years is how we should judge Morey and the job he is doing. Now that we are over the TMac and Yao era we can see what direction he is taking the team and how things work out.