HAHA My money is on Morey........ he is famous for calling and bothering other teams in an effort to get a deal done. He supposedly checks with other teams more than anyone else.
I feel like the reason we haven't seen Morey do more in the free agency market is that he doesn't know how much money he has to spend on Luc and other potential free agents right now. With Ariza gone, my guess is he's examining his options via trade to acquire a starting caliber wing. If that doesn't work, he'll need to fill that role with the MLE. I'm guessing he'd like to be able to offer it to Luc, but if he has to use it to bring in a new starting SF, he may only be able to offer Luc a veteran minimum contract. Other than that, I'm guessing the Rockets are playing the waiting game with Capela, who is probably calling every team in the league right now begging for largest contract he can find. Once Clint realizes there is no market for him, he'll have to come back to Morey and sign whatever Daryl offers or begin conversations about taking the qualifying offer.
hated that signing the second it was announced and i still blame morey even if it was les' call. if half this board could instantly foresee that signing would haunt us for years to come, then morey himself should have had the sense to go into crisis intervention mode and hold les back.
Feigen: Prepare for a long, boring summer Capela's negotiations with the Rockets could drag on, with the teams that have cap space either rebuilding or not in need of a center or both. With it widely understood that the Rockets would match an offer sheet he signs, they could be negotiating against themselves. Capela, however, has no reason to rush to a cut-rate deal. As long as that does not become contentious, as it did with Donatas Motiejunas, it should work out eventually, but not quickly. Mbah a Moute might be tough to bring back. The Rockets have no Bird rights to exceed the salary cap to keep him. They can offer no more than their taxpayer mid-level exception, leaving them susceptible if a team exceeds that. If he does not land that kind of offer, he has no more reason to rush this summer than he did last. After that, the Rockets could be trying to pick up another bargain. That again is not likely to happen quickly. The trick might be finding the right addition that exceeds his reputation, which by definition will make the initial reaction underwhelming. The Rockets can live with that. They would have preferred to get LeBron James and not need patience to appreciate their good fortune. Instead, they hung on to Paul and Gerald Green and will eventually work it out with Capela. The other moves will likely require time to come together and measure.
This is likely reality. Capela is really the biggest fish and then they'll step back after that and get into possible trades and Ariza's replacement, THEN they'll move on to the rotation guys like LMAM.
I'll continue to be optimistic here.... I have a feeling DM is targeting Love or Millsap for Ryno + sweeteners under the selling point we can save these teams a lot of money by downgrading. It's no secret Cleveland is looking to blow it up and Denver can't be thrilled with their bang for their buck after year #1 with Millsap. A move like this, despite being expensive, is probably our best opportunity to turn Ryno into something useful. The other option would be a Dudley/Chandler type dump where we pay to break it up into pieces. I prefer the scenario I suggested. I'd imagine we're saving the MLE for Luc since we've been linked to zero high profile or significant FA's that I am aware of. Which means either: 1) DM just really isn't all that enamored with this free agent class (outside of LeBron and PG13) -or- 2) His "big move" for this current offseason doesn't hinge on the tax-payer MLE.
// Morey calls // Morey calls again // Morey calls again and again // Team: Ok, ok, I will trade you player X if you will leave me alone! // Morey
Enjoying their million dollar salaries on the 4th of July weekend while some of us are slaving in a kitchen is what they are doing.... at least give us something to look forward to Houston Rockets... I keep checking back for updates and all I see is typical offseason posts...
