Rather than in engage in speculation, I'm just going write my own headcanon that Morey was given an offer he couldn't refuse for Philly to take garbage contract after garbage contract off his hands at the beginning of the Harden era, and it was finally time to pay up.
Westbrook was my least favorite player in the NBA before, and when we traded for him I thought it was an awful move, but figured we would wait and see. It has absolutely imploded this franchise, it will go down as the worst move in Houston sports history because of the dominoes that have fallen. It was also well known what we were getting, it isn't like it made sense and something drastically changed. How can he even show his face at Toyota center. I have been the biggest defender of Harden, but him not only asking for Westbrook to be traded here and then demanding he stay after seeing he is not a fit, there is no more defending that. Harden is a phenomenal player, one that may be appreciated more once he retires, but this is on him as it is on Tilman.
I love Westbrook the problem is he has to have team built specifically around him and at his age that won't be team good enough to win it all. Prime Russel with good composed roster could take It all the way but now with his athleticism slightly decreased, shot decreased, and basketball iq still not at the highest peaks is just not good enough and it's Knicks-like superstar now
The sooner you drown the rats, the sooner you can right the ship. This organization needs to drown the rats into selling. It might be good to keep this team in the red for a few years if it forces him to sell.
How exactly is the Rockets current situation Mike D’Antoni’s fault? D’Antoni, like Morey, wanted to keep Chris Paul and Harden together. It was Fertitta and James Harden that pushed for the Westbrook trade before last season. Trading for Westbrook necessitated trading Clint Capela for a player like Robert Covington that could space the floor. Again, that comes back to Tilman’s desire to get out of Chris Paul’s contract and wanting Russell Westbrook. As for D’Antoni’s contract dispute, that is again on Tilman for lowballing a coach that was one win away from the NBA Finals in 2017 and negatively negotiating through the press.
HOW WAS IT HIS FAULT THAT CARMELO WOULDN'T SHOOT THE THREE AND HATED LIN? HOW WAS IT HIS FAULT THAT SHAQ COULDN'T PLAY ANYMORE? HOW WAS IT HIS FAULT THAT PAU GASOL HATED HIM AND DWIGHT HOWARD HATED HIM? Listen, I don't blame Mike D'Antoni for the problems of the team but he never leaves a team in good condition. In fact he leaves them all while they are burning. He's a great guy and a very good coach but when he doesn't get his way whether it's with ownership or the front office, he throws a fit. He was ready to quit before last season started. I believe he encouraged Morey to leave and even pitched his name to Philly when he interviewed. He likely told the brass that Morey was unhappy in Houston and if they hired him, he could convince him to come. They just skipped the hiring MDA portion of the conversation.
He was ready to quit before last season because he was a lame duck coach that didn’t even get to choose his own assistants. Why put up with Fertitta’s bullshit at his age unless he got what he wanted (a contract extension)? Also, what does his time with Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard in Los Angeles have to do with his tenure in Houston? Absolutely nothing. That said, every coach has his or her weaknesses, and D’Antoni certainly wasn’t perfect. The fact is, if Tilman Fertitta had not made the executive decision to override Morey and D’Antoni’s wish to keep Chris Paul, the Rockets aren’t in this mess. None of the moves that have the Rockets in their current predicament are D’Antoni’s doing. The only person you should be pissed at is Tilman Fertitta. He is responsible for the poor roster construction and upsetting Morey through micromanaging to the point he wanted to leave.
Fertitta being a micro-managing boss who is all talk and no action and Mike D'Antoni leaving every team in shambles are not mutually exclusive. Both can be true. Just because it wasn't his fault per se doesn't mean he didn't leave the team and the team is in fact in shambles.
Mike D’Antoni wasn’t offered a contract after the Rockets lost to the Lakers, nor did Fertitta even have the decency to call him to break the news. He is no longer with the team because Fertitta no longer wanted him as the team’s head coach. Blaming D’Antoni for no longer being with the team is not factually accurate. As for leaving the team in shambles, again, the facts show it isn’t D’Antoni’s fault. It’s Fertitta’s fault for forcing Russell Westbrook down Morey and D’Antoni’s throat against their wishes, which forced other roster moves to address deficiencies that trade created.
A) The team is in shambles. B) MDA left. C) Morey followed suit. I'm not explaining it again. I'm not saying Morey and Mike are at fault. None of us are privy to exactly how anything went down but everything points to Tilman being a shitty boss and likely the reason everything looks so grim right now. Everyone agrees that the team is disjointed. It is a fact that Mike D'Antoni left. He left every other team. Every other team he left was in shambles. There is a pattern. It doesn't mean it was his fault everywhere. Literally the thing you quoted said the same thing so I won't be responding again.
I dont think some people quite understand the gravity of the situation. Rewind three years ago. By looking at Tilmans business history, Morey, Hardens and CP3's contracts, there was a big concern going into year 5 AT (After Tilman). Conerns like picks given away, Harden on a new contract and we all knew Morey wasn't a lifer. Its only 3AT and the team is officially in flames. Its going to get much much worse before it will ever get better.
Apparently Tilman supporters have convenient memories: https://theathletic.com/2065637/202...e-the-breakup-of-mike-dantoni-and-the-rockets He managed to alienate one of the most affable people in NBA history. He made unnecessary public comments about the negotiations. He made the guys wife lawyer up. Morey and Harden were BFFs and were coming off of a championship team in 2018 before Tilman ever graced Toyota Center with his soggy fries empire. So I'm supposed to believe Tilman had no impact on where we are. Sorry but that don't jive.
What? Bro this is what you said. Yea, Carmelo never had problems anywhere else, just New York. Did he trade for Shaq? That was a GM move made by Steve Kerr. He did the very best he could with Shaq. Paul Gasol was washed and Dwight Howard has always had problems everywhere he went. Are New York, LA, and Phoenix supposed to be like the paragon of good ownership and management. The rest of it is just wild speculation about Morey and Philly. Im not even sure what you are saying either? Like yea....Mike typically leaves teams that have becomes dumpster fires. Like a lot of coaches do. Its not like ownership wanted him back anyways.
Someone who sticks with an organisation for over a decade is no coward and doesn't 'bail'. Things changed once the ownership changed. Everyone here sensed this so let's not put this on Morey, please.
Capela was always going to be traded whether CP3 or Russ was on team. The 1st trade that fell thru and likely started chain reaction of losing CP3 then MDA then Morey was when Jimmy Buckets changed his mind and chose Miami Heat. Acquiring Butler would have required losing Capela. Capela was always going to used to attain either a 3rd star or a more efficient player like RoCo.
RoCo could be attained by draft picks. That’s what they prioritized. Those 4 draft picks used to get westbrick would be vital in the deal. If cp3 were still here there’s really no reason to believe capela would be gone. I for sure don’t cp3 Harden RoCo PJ Capela that’s by far a true contender with the ability to still play small. The only reason the rockets were forced to go small is bc they picked up westbrick. A guard who bricks all day next to harden. You don’t have that problem with cp3 so there’s 0 reason to get rid of your center
I agree that were a myriad of ways to attain RoCo but the point remains that Capela was a hindrance vs. elite teams in postseason and if there was an opportunity to convert him into a 3rd star or a more efficient role player, Morey would have done so. Capela was a net negative against teams like GSW, Lakers, Clips, Bucks, Celtics, 76ers, etc. He did play better vs. 2nd tier teams like Nuggets, Blazers, Jazz, T Wolves, etc. But Rockets could have utilized a cheaper version of Capela, like Nerlens Noel or Richaun Holmes, to similar efficacy. CP3 Harden Butler (Capela & picks) RoCo (EGo & pick) Noel (MLE) PJ, McLemore, House, Rivers, Green off the bench. That would have been a heckuva roster.