Based on what has publicly been reported Les will not let the team tank to improve. Assuming that report is true, then changing GM's is not likely to change that philosophy. So the only way we would tank by changing GM's is if we got a GM so bad that losing was unpreventable. Of course then you are relying on that bad GM to not pick a bust with that lottery pick, and if he gets lucky and gets a superstar, not have so many bad contracts on the team that your newly drafted superstar decides to leave ala Lebron as soon as he is able to. I don't have a set amount of time for Morey. One terrible move could put him on immediate call for dismissal if it was bad enough. But if he can't get a superstar by next year, then I will evaluate what superstars other teams were able to get, what they gave up, and if the superstar in question was likely to have been willing to come here regardless of how good a deal the Rockets offered the other team. Is the GM making mistakes, or is Les going to have to open up the option of tanking or leave the team in a situation where no GM can make us a contender without getting extremely lucky in the Lottery? It may be that the only way the Rockets can get a superstar is to free up enough cap to get 2 at once. Or hope that Lowry can continue to play at an all star level and become enough of one that a star is willing to come play with him. But to answer the question, I want a different GM at the point that I am convinced someone else would more likely than not be doing a better job. As for trading Martin and Scola for draft picks, I am completely fine with that. However you have to question what kind of draft pick you are going to get for these guys? Contenders would love to have them, but they are going to give you picks even lower than what you have been getting. Bottom of the barrel Lottery teams aren't going to rebuild around them. You also have to take back salary of some sort, you can't just trade them for picks. The trade of these guys to contenders might help you tank/rebuild by getting a higher draft pick, but as discussed earlier Les won't sign off on that.
No, the funny thing is how embarrassing you are. It'd be nice if you don't put people in the extreme simply because they don't have the same subjective opinion as you. Morey has had his fault, but he's more or less done extremely well with what he's given. When your owner doesn't want to tank, and has explicitly said so, Morey's hands are tied. Plain and simple.
I agree with the OP about selling high on Scola and Battier, and I’m saying this as a huge Scola fan. Morey had said way back when that the player he got the most calls about was Scola. I wonder what we could have gotten for him. I’m sure it would have put us in a better position right now than having Scola’s long-term contract on the books. And Indiana offered Minnesota the #10 pick (Paul George) for Flynn after an ok-ish rookie campaign because they desperately needed a point guard. I bet you anything they would have given it to us for Aaron Brooks coming fresh off his 20/5 MIP season. Morey didn't know Brooks would get injured, but he did know Brooks wanted a contract extension that Morey wasn't willing to give him. Holding onto all those players for the hopes that Yao would be healthy for his final contract year was definitely a flawed strategy that’s hampered our future.
I think its you that knows little about the subject (as usual). It was only 4 years between Finals appearances for the Lakers. They had a prime Kobe Bryant after Shaq left. Besides those guys played for NBA Titles. Apples & oranges.
I don't love or "hate" Morey, I would just like to see a different direction for the team. I thought you were putting me in an "extreme". If it wasn't clear then 1,000 apologies to you my friend.
This is exactly what I've been arguing with pro-tankers that think we should have tanked starting in 09/10. It isn't fair to judge the GM based on whether we're contenders or not in 3 years by "rebuilding and competing" if it takes 5 years on average to become contenders through tanking. Be fair about it. If you wanted to tank in 09/10, then give the GM until 13/14 to make this team a contender again. If you think he should have started tanking after 09/10 (such as this year, like myself), then give him longer. The journey of a mediocre team sucks in the NBA, but it's the way the Rockets front office have decided is best to get us into contention. We may not agree with the way they're doing it, but it's just a different approach to the same end result.
I agree with virtually everything you're saying here. This is exactly the direction that many board members (including me) are in favor of. But as others have mentioned, the obstacle to this path is not Daryl Morey, because he agrees with it, too. It's Mr. Leslie Alexander.
