As likeable as Hayes is homers here would want him on the team even if he does not play Hayes has explicitly said he wants to play, he does not want to coach just yet. So he in return said NO to the Rox org and their decision to keep him as an assistant coach So I guess it is fair, the Rox said ultimately No to him and he said No to coaching.
And Hayes has been a fossil of the Yao and Mac era, of another era I have let go of this idea quite some time ago
I think this has more to do with Jason Terry signing. Rockets probably thought he was gone and picked up Chick for the veteran leadership. With Terry signing, vet presence is back and Chuck is no longer needed, especially when it comes to signing Harrell. So great to be discussing the 13th-15th spots on the roster.
Makes it seem as if Morey was just honest with them and told Chuck that he would be a longshot and would be better off pursuing other options before camp. All I know is that Harrell is the wildcard here and clearly the only variable in this situation, so who knows what is going on.
Yeah I think JT will be a very important vet leader in the locker room with rings that this back court can lean on throughout the long season.
SOmehwat surprising, and I'm no BimaThug, but it appears that Morey is using his ol' package the assets for the final piece. Good thing TJ played well in his summer league.
Reading Feigen's article, I've revised my guess slightly. I think they've decided to offer the MLE to Harrell (that would be the thing that changed since they came to a verbal agreement with Hayes), so they've told Hayes that come January, when his deal would become fully guaranteed, they might have to cut him unless they do a deal to back away from the apron (guessing from the comment about how Hayes' camp appreciates that they didn't drag him through training camp before saying something). Maybe because they want Hayes around still, or maybe to soften the blow of effectively pulling the rug out from under him, they offer an assistant coach position as a possible alternative. But, Hayes figures he can probably latch onto a different team, so he declines the coaching position and the roster spot that would likely expire in January.
If you will check the earlier news, even in this forum had been mentioned. The Rockets offered a partially guaranteed contract to Chuck Hayes. So from the get go, both Morey and Hayes and his agent know the deal is not 100% guaranteed. Morey will not need to tell Hayes' agent what his decision will be by Jan because frankly, he will not know either as of now. And that's what a partially guaranteed contract is, partially guaranteed. It's just a simple case a player and his agent would like to look for a better option and that's it.
No, there's a difference between a partially guaranteed contract that will become fully guaranteed in January when you prove your meddle and the team decides they want to keep you around, and a partially guaranteed contract that you know will be terminated before it becomes fully guaranteed no matter how good a job you're doing. Obviously, Morey informed Hayes' agent of something that catalyzed this decision. The agent refers to Morey bringing him information. Something changed on Morey's end. It wasn't that Hayes struck a deal, sat on his hands for awhile, and then said 'ya know, I think I can do better than this.' Something changed on the Rockets that meant that Hayes' chances of sticking with the team for the whole year were jeopardized, and the indications are there from the agent that it is cap-related (with no indication that roster spots were the trouble).
Well, if you really like conspiracy, be my guest. But think for a moment, why would a GM need to "further explain" or "clarify" the change of details for a partially guaranteed contract to a player whose will be the 15th man in his bench? After all for Chris sake, that's a partially guaranteed contract. If this player is so important, well then the GM can offer him a fully guaranteed contract right? after all, we are talking about a MIN CONTRACT, not a max for 5 years 70 mils deal. Its one thing people will like the player Chuck Hayes for what he did many seasons ago, I get it. But its silly to believe the player Chuck Hayes at his current stage will get much attention from a team or the GM to alter the "under the table" promises for a partially guaranteed contract.
Chuck deserves way more respect than that around here. He gave his all every second he was with the Rockets. This is really disappointing. I know it probably won't hurt our team at all, but I, like many others here, really love Chuck Hayes and the heart he brings and would have loved to seen him finish his career as a Rocket. He's one of my all time favorite Rockets role players. They don't come smarter, tougher, or more hard working than Chuck Hayes.
Let's face it, Chuck Hayes is on the decline.. there's just more trade value in locking up Montreal for 4 years instead of 2 years.. good decision Morley
Please educate me on exactly how seeing as though the Rockets are obviously strapped to add salary against their cap situation how trading Jones at 2 mil for either the same or less in salary is going to upgrade our situation? Bag of assets... all the assets in the world won't get you anything of value in the NBA without expendable salary which the Rockets have little to none. You'd have to package very valuable players like D-Mo, Dekker, etc. to create a salary package to bring in which player exactly???... what player in the league that is being targeted is worth giving up all of that... which IMO is basically a all-star trade package. So yes, the Rockets have assets, a ton of them, but why in the world would you want to trade those assets for what is currently available? I see the Jones case being used which makes sense in a vacuum... he's someone who would be at the top of the list to be traded, but I just don't understand right now how this can be seen as a situation that upgrades the teams bigs. The Rockets couldn't sign Hayes because they were up against it in terms of guaranteed salary without using the MLE. Which means a Jones trade would really need to take on exactly the same amount of salary or less salary. Who is available for that who actually upgrades our situation? Please let me know if I'm wrong about this situation. The way I see it, the Rockets look stuck with the roster until next year they have IF they sign Harrell to a 3 year deal which looks like its going to happen. If they weren't going to give Harrell an appropriate rookie deal then there is no reason why Hayes wouldn't have been signed. Seeing as though that's the situation they are in, I see no way they can make any kind of significant trade for a significant player at least until they can combine KJ to the deal. I'd also like to note that I'm totally ok with signing Harrell and sticking out the year with the current roster. This is the deepest roster the Rockets have had in years, and I'd like to see continuity this year to build chemistry for the playoffs rather than seeing a mid-season overhaul that risks chemistry.
I feel like I must not be expressing myself well. I'm not talking about a conspiracy or an under-the-table anything. It's a partially guaranteed contract that becomes fully guaranteed in January like all NBA contracts. If he's waived before the January deadline, he doesn't get the unguaranteed portion of his money, and more importantly he doesn't get to play for the team anymore. So Hayes has to think about what the likelihood is that he'd be waived in January. If Harrell takes a minimum deal then the Rockets keep their cap flexibility and Hayes' chance of sticking with the team is good. If the Rockets give Harrell the MLE instead, the team gets hardcapped and the Rockets might not have the wherewithal to guarantee the remainder of Hayes' contract in January under league rules as a hardcapped team, and they'd have to waive him before the January deadline. If I'm right about Harrell being offered the MLE deal (I guess we'll see), it means that a choice the Rockets are making now will impact Hayes come January if he signed. So, why would Morey tell him since he's allegedly a 15th man and not worthy of Morey's time or consideration? Well, we know he did because the agent said he did. And, it makes sense he would out of respect for Hayes and for the sake of honest dealing. Given the changing circumstances (if I understand them right), the agent will appreciate that Morey was honest and transparent and prompt so that Hayes can make the best decision for himself, which will mitigate the reputation damage the incident creates for the Rockets. This isn't like DeAndre Jordan going back on his word. This is Morey saying 'I know you wanted to compete for a roster spot, but the financial landscape has changed in a way that you won't realistically be able to; you might want to try something else.' The situation is unfortunate for Hayes, but the heads-up is honest and transparent, and most importantly, Morey puts Hayes' interest above the Rockets' in bringing this information, which shows agents and FAs that Morey is an honest dealer.
