Jerome Solomon completely owned Morey about calling players assets.

I thought we traded Tracy??

 

The one thing you can criticize Morey for is that his advanced approach to scouting doesn't take into account mentality, which is why you end up with people like Brooks, Martin, and Williams.

Not only soft on the court but inside the head as well.

 

Do you have a link to Shane complaining? I have it in my head that he was complaining about being on the edge because the trade deadline was around the corner, in which every single player in the NBA feels the same way -- asset or not. That's different than having this black cloud over your head all season as Martin seemed to feel.

I'm not ignoring it, I'm just not going to make it a big deal when it's not. Several GMs say the same things. Why didn't Ray Allen get upset? Because he's a professional. The NBA is a business -- how did Martin get to the Rockets? Did we not trade assets for him?

The only real solution would be for Morey to do less interviews, which frankly I'd be OK with. He shouldn't be on twitter anyways -- it's unprofessional how he has some twitter fights with journalist. But should we be mad at him for being active in wanting to improve our team? Hell no. Martin should've been thrilled that Daryl was out there looking for a first option so Kevin didn't have to be it.

 

The Rockets supposedly spend more/have more old school scouts on their payroll than any other NBA team. During the GFC when other teams were cutting their scouting staff to save money the Rockets increased theirs.

 

I guess the issue is because it's Martin, who hasn't been here long, to bring it up, but the last three years Morey has been saying in one word or another that everyone except Yao is tradable. Then when he trades fan and team favorites during that span, it shakes up a team with "great chemistry" (Landry...Ariza was a solid move but a dick move when you think about how he got here).

Simple case of influencing morale.

It's not really about the word "asset" to me. I know GMs are supposed to value players as cogs for the best percentages, so I guess the issue is that Morey is opening his mouth too much to the media and doing actions that doesn't seem like the best "loyalty moves" with more of a business/numbers game.

If your boss was all about numbers to determine regularly scheduled layoffs or personnel reshuffling, I'm sure your morale would be affected before and after those rounds too. It becomes a case where when he opens his mouth about it (and sometimes praised for it as well) that it begins to feel like a dagger into your concepts of team confidence and loyalty.

 

You're trying to redefine the way the term last place is used in sports. A last place team is referring to the team with the worst record in a division, not necessarily the worst record in the league or the conference. There's a difference between division placement and seeding, words have meaning.

If someone said Phoenix was a second place team it's understood they're talking about the division. If someone said Phoenix was the second seed then it's understood they're talking about the conference seeding for the playoffs. It's pretty simple stuff that you folks are trying turn into a mystery.

 

Battier never complains. But he did admit that it's an issue among players, including himself. I don't think it is accurate to say that "every single player" feels the same way around the trade deadline. Most players don't think they are likely to be traded and is not an issue for them.

I used to not think much about the assets thing. But with all the rumors involving the Rockets close to the deadline, with the players admitting the effect on them, and with the drastic improvement of their performance once the deadline was past, I just couldn't just dismiss it as something insignificant.

These are not just Morey haters spinning hate. There are some objective facts connecting to it. And the fact that Morey actually became defensive about it suggests that he felt that it was a significant charge.

 

So, bottom line you don't think Solomon had any agenda only using the division ranking to identify the Rockets NBA standing? You think he just wanted to choose the much less informative/important measure of a team's success because why exactly? He just wanted to be less informative?

Also, I don't think you're quite getting it. The issue would be if someone called the Phoenix a "second place team" AND attempted to used that as a compliment. We're not just arguing semantics here like you seem to think.

 

I don't mind him trying his best to make the team better, getting prepared for every possible trade scenario. Sometimes he talks like he's having too much fun playing with these chips in his hands. He needs to just do his job more quietly and let the players play.

 

I'm not redefining anything. I think you're actually in the minority in your rationale, though I could be wrong. When I hear last place, I don't think of division. Why would I? It's meaningless -- you could be a last place team and still make the playoffs, just like you could be a second place team and still miss the playoffs. That's such a poor measurement for ranking, why would anyone think to use it?

If you did not follow the NBA this year, and I told you that Phoenix was in second place, don't tell me you would think "oh they're second place in their division." Of course not -- you'd think they were 2nd place in the conference, like any reasonable person would.

The way I see it is there are three choices in ranking the Rockets: By all 30 teams, by your conference, and lastly by your division. Solomon chose to use the division ranking because it helped make his point about Morey failing at his job. Why didn't he use conference ranking? Right.. because "9th place team" doesn't fit in with the rest of the article. He cherry-picked the least important standing to make his point, which is annoying. Blame Morey for the Rockets being mediocre with no hope in sight, not for a "last place" finish.

Do you have a link to Battier's quotes? Again, in my head I'm hearing him being uneasy about his situation because he's an expiring contract and the trade deadline is coming up. You're right -- it's not accurate to say "every single player" because Wade, James and Bosh were not worried whatsoeever. Let's put it this way -- when the trade deadline comes, there are several players on several teams who worry that they might get traded. This problem isn't just a Rockets problem.

Morey becoming defensive was reactionary to Martin leaking to the press what he told to the GM (unprofessional, IMO). Morey's obviously trying to shake that perception about him, but I still don't blame him for saying the truth. Again, as another poster has shown, several GMs have referred to their players as assets. Our players may have been more worried than normal because the Rockets were linked to several rumors, but that's a by product of being active, not having a GM that goes on the radio everyday talking about how he'll trade anyone.

In the end, Martin needs to shutup and play. We didn't get off to a poor start because guys were up late searching for condos in different cities. It had to do with Yao, Brooks, injuries, personnel, etc.

 

Exactly, and he thinks the rockets had a FINE starting lineup this season. When I question him about 6'6" center, though damned good as he was this season being a good SL overall?
He dodges it and calls people names and Does his little "NEXT" routine like he's some kind of omnicient judge.

 

Article on Jerome Solomon

http://www.thedreamshake.com/2011/4...ton-rockets-daryl-morey-on-his-mind?ref=yahoo

Basically breaks down Solomon and rapes him in the article

 

Solomon is an idiot but how deep is Tom Martin's tongue implanted into DM's rectum?

 

Jerome & Dicky troll for page hits and will say anything to get them.

 

"Certainly, as the GM of a team who hasn't made the playoffs in two seasons despite striving for that very goal, I think Morey is deserving of skepticism."

Doesn't appear like too much to me at all.

 

And yet players never hesitate to say the NBA is a business, never.

 

Morey is a self promoting egomaniac. Anyone that can't see that has no ability to sum up people and their personalities. It's actually quite funny that this is even a debate here.

 

I truly think some of you are on the Rockets PR team, because the defense of a GM who's built a mediocore team has got ridiculous. Solomon spoke TRUTH in his blog and I was waiting for somebody to call Morey for his use of the word asset. For a GM to outright LIE gives him zero credibility, especially after firing the coach against players wishes

 

This all stems from Morey publicly acknowledging that the team needed more talent in order to be a legit contending team. And you either need to be terrible and draft high, or you need "assets" in order to acquire talent. Its debatable which track is preferable.

When he said that he never used the word assets, he either lied or he misspoke. As I'm not a mind reader, I can't say one way or the other what he was thinking when he said that.

To me, the more important issue worth debating is (1) whether the Rockets should be actively looking to make trades, and (2) if yes whether they should be honest to their fans and players about this. What is your take on that?