Daryl Morey

Sixers Notes: Front Office, Morey, Hughes, Burke

October 28th, 2020 at 7:19pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Now that Daryl Morey is finalizing a five-year deal to lead the Sixers‘ front office as their new president of basketball operations, The Athletic is unpacking what that hire could mean for Philadelphia with several pieces.

John Hollinger of The Athletic praises the Morey hire as being the right move. Though Morey and current GM Elton Brand have been touted as both being in charge of front office decision-making, Hollinger speculates that Morey would not have accepted the gig had he not been guaranteed the last word.

After former Rockets executive VP of basketball operations Sam Hinkie rebuilt Philadelphia from the ground up, Hinkie’s old boss now gets his crack at the team’s talented tandem of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, as Rich Hofmann and Derek Bodner of The Athletic write. Embiid was a Hinkie lottery pick, while Simmons was drafted months after Hinkie’s resignation.

There’s more out of the City of Brotherly Love:

Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer provides further details on the Sixers’ front office shakeup (Twitter link). Brand has three years remaining on his contract and will stick with the team, along with assistant GM Ned Cohen. Current executive VP of basketball operations Alex Rucker will remain with the Sixers as Morey joins the team, after which the Sixers are expected to relieve him of his duties.
In other Sixers personnel news, head coach Doc Rivers will keep player-development assistant coach Eric Hughes on his bench, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
New Sixers assistant Dan Burke, who has worked for the Pacers for 23 seasons, was not intending to depart Indiana this summer, per Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. Agness notes that Burke is known for his defensive coaching acumen.

Sixers In Advanced Talks To Hire Daryl Morey

October 28th, 2020 at 11:54am CST by Arthur Hill

Former Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is close to joining the Sixers to oversee basketball operations, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Morey will sign a five-year deal by this weekend, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Elton Brand will likely remain as GM after Morey joins the organization, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link). Morey and Brand will serve as a “1-2 punch” in the front office, sources tell David Aldridge of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Morey spent 14 years in Houston before parting ways with the franchise two weeks ago. Negotiations with Philadelphia began shortly after he left the Rockets and escalated in the past few days, according to Wojnarowski. Morey will become the team’s new president, and he has a strong relationship and history with new coach Doc Rivers (Twitter link).

In Houston, Morey developed a reputation as a financial innovator and a risk taker who was known for constantly pursuing star players. He helped to revolutionize the Rockets as a small-ball team that relied heavily on shooting three-pointers.

Morey will try to rebuild the roster in Philadelphia around Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, but he will face immediate challenges, points out Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The Sixers have $120MM committed next season to four players: Embiid, Simmons, Tobias Harris and Al Horford. Morey will likely try to make a big move or two and will have picks No. 21, 34, 36, 49 and 58 to offer in this year’s draft.

Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta recently said he expected Morey to eventually wind up with an East Coast team, though he may not have anticipated it happening so quickly.

Philadelphia received permission to talk to Morey two years ago and reportedly made an offer, but he elected to remain in Houston.

Rockets Notes: Morey, Miller, Roster, Fertitta

October 20th, 2020 at 6:36pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Although the 14-year tenure of Rockets GM Daryl Morey did not yield a Finals appearance, his place in basketball history as a daring risk-taker is secure, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle posits. Feigen suggests that the Rockets adjusted to modernity in innovative ways with Morey at the helm.

Morey pioneered significant changes in the team’s shot profile for years. The club went all-in on small ball with an undersized, versatile line-up this season following a deadline trade that sent traditional center Clint Capela to the Hawks.

There’s more out of Houston:

If the Rockets opt to hire Jeff Van Gundy to return to the team’s bench as head coach, he may bring former Knicks interim head coach Mike Miller aboard as well, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Van Gundy, who served as the head coach in Houston from 2003-07, worked with Miller during his time coaching Team USA during World Cup qualifiers.
Kelly Iko of The Athletic tracks some of Morey’s cost-cutting moves in recent years, and suggests that the team may have to finally dip into the luxury tax in building its roster under owner Tilman Fertitta if it hopes to compete for a title.
As we previously relayed, Fertitta indicated today that he’s looking to keep Houston competitive heading into the 2020/21 season, despite the departures of head coach Mike D’Antoni and Morey thus far this offseason. Led by veteran All-Stars James Harden and Russell Westbrook, the Rockets finished as the No. 4 seed in the West, and fell 4-1 to the eventual-champion Lakers in the second round of the 2020 playoffs.

Southwest Notes: Rockets, Morey, Benson, Van Gundy

October 18th, 2020 at 6:55pm CST by JD Shaw

Former Rockets general manager Daryl Morey took out a full-page newspaper advertisement to thank the city of Houston, Rockets fans, James Harden, and more this past weekend.

Morey spent 14 years with the team and announced his plans to step down from the position last week. He was responsible for a number of major transactions during his time with the franchise — most notably in recent years — which includes acquiring All-Star Russell Westbrook and trading away Clint Capela.

“Thank you for an amazing 14 years. Your love, support and energy has meant the world to me,” Morey wrote. “My family and I came to Houston as yankees, nervous about how the city would welcome us and honored that [previous owner] Leslie Alexander had trusted me to help run a legendary franchise. I came into an organization with Hall of Fame players Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady already in place and a championship legacy built by Houston legends like Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.

“Walking into work on the first day was exciting, daunting and inspiring. Soon enough, the nervousness washed away and we came to feel like adopted Texans. What followed was the most amazing 14 years of my life.”

Morey dedicated the final part of his ad to Harden, who he credits for ‘changing his life’ during their time together in Houston.

“An entire page could be dedicated just to James,” Morey wrote. “He not only transformed my life but also revolutionized the game of basketball — and continues to do so — like almost no one has before. The game is played differently because of James, and on every playground in the world, the next generation of talent is studying and imitating his game.”

There’s more out of the Southwest Division tonight:

Morey had a major impact on the NBA during his time with the Rockets, also causing some unintended consequences along the way, David Aldridge of The Athletic writes. Aldridge examines how Morey impacted players, teams and small-ball, particularly in his final years.
A man attempted to steal a car with Pelicans owner Gayle Benson sitting inside of it on October 10, as relayed by Ramon Antonio Vargas and Amie Just of Nola.com. The man aborted his plan after Benson screamed at him to leave the vehicle, fleeing the scene in a white Nissan Titan. “While she was very shaken at the time, she was unharmed and is doing fine,” Pelicans spokesman Greg Bensel said of Benson. “She wanted to send her sincere gratitude to the men and women of the New Orleans Police Department that responded so quickly and professionally.”
William Guillory of The Athletic ponders whether Stan Van Gundy could provide the structure and winning mentality the Pelicans crave. Van Gundy appears to be one of the finalists for New Orleans’ head coaching job, which was made vacant when the team fired Alvin Gentry in August.

Rockets Owner Believed Chris Paul’s Contract Was The Worst He’d Ever Seen

October 17th, 2020 at 4:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

Last summer’s trade that sent Chris Paul to the Thunder for Russell Westbrook was driven by the dismay Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta had over Paul’s contract, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said on the latest edition of The Lowe Post podcast.

Reflecting on Daryl Morey’s tenure in Houston, MacMahon said Fertitta and James Harden were more insistent on the deal than the team’s former general manager. Harden had clashed with Paul during their final season as teammates, and Fertitta believed Paul’s contract “was the worst that he’d ever seen in business or sports,” according to MacMahon.

MacMahon emphasizes that Morey didn’t openly object to making the trade, but was compelled to act because of the wishes of his “two bosses,” Fertitta and Harden. He adds that many people in the Rockets’ organization believe the relationship between Paul and Harden could have been salvaged if Westbrook hadn’t been available.

Paul, 35, still has two seasons left on the four-year, $160MM contract the Rockets gave him in the summer of 2018. He played just one season in Houston after signing the deal, as the team shipped him and a parcel of draft picks to Oklahoma City in exchange for Westbrook.

Paul was outstanding in leading the Thunder to the playoffs in what many considered to be a rebuilding year, but his age and contract make him a candidate to be traded again before the start of next season.

Fertitta Thinks Morey May Eventually Join East Coast Team

October 17th, 2020 at 12:35pm CST by Luke Adams

When word broke on Thursday that Daryl Morey was stepping down from his position as the Rockets’ general manager, an ESPN report suggested that Morey seems unlikely to seek a new NBA job immediately. According to that report, the veteran executive prefers to spend some time with his family and explore what else might interest him professionally.

However, that doesn’t mean that Morey won’t be back in an NBA front office at some point. In his look back at Morey’s tenure in Houston, Zach Lowe of ESPN cited a source who said the 48-year-old does want another NBA job. And Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta provided a clue this week about where Morey might be headed if and when he does pursue a new position, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN writes.

“He had always said, ‘I’m not going to be here forever,’ and, ‘At some point, I might want to go back to the East Coast,'” Fertitta said. “… If he ends up back in the league, I think that he’ll probably end up in the East Coast. That’s where he always told me he wanted to end up, so I think that he’ll tell me anything (if I ask him for advice), because he knows that he won’t have to face me until the Finals.”

Having previously hired a Morey lieutenant (Sam Hinkie) to run their front office, the Sixers reportedly made a run at Morey himself in 2018 following Bryan Colangelo‘s sudden exit. As such, Philadelphia would be a team to watch if Morey seeks a job on the East Coast. For now though, the 76ers appear content with letting Elton Brand run the show, as they hire veteran executives to fill out Brand’s basketball operations staff.

Of course, Morey’s potential options will hinge on part on the timeline for his return to the NBA. If he doesn’t seek a new job for two or three years, the landscape of the Eastern Conference could look a whole lot different than it does now, creating new opportunities for the longtime Rockets executive.

Daryl Morey

Rockets Coaching Candidates Knew Of Morey’s Decision

October 16th, 2020 at 6:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

While Daryl Morey’s decision to step down as the Rockets’ GM surfaced this week, he said that coaching candidates were notified during the interviewing process that he was departing, Kelly Iko and Sam Amick of The Athletic report.

Morey made up his mind nearly a month ago, a day after the team was eliminated from the Western Conference playoffs. Family considerations were the main reason why he chose to leave at this time.

“I mean he just said, ‘You know, I’m kind of just struggling and don’t know what I want to do,’” owner Tilman Fertitta said. “To tell y’all, when we signed Daryl’s last extension, Daryl told me, ‘You know, I’m not going to always be here (and) when my last son graduates (I might leave).'”

Head coach Mike D’Antoni decided he didn’t want to remain in the organization on the plane ride home and Morey said all of D’Antoni’s potential replacements were told that he was headed out, as well.

“We’ve been up front with all the candidates that this was coming and they’ve been respectful to not have it get out early,” said Morey, who added that D’Antoni’s parting did not impact his decision. “It’s been baked in.”

The Athletic duo, though, said that it hasn’t been quite that transparent. At least two of those candidates were uncertain why Rafael Stone, the executive VP of basketball operations who is replacing Morey as GM, was leading the interviewing process. They were not directly told Morey was going to step down.

Morey had essentially been operating as a consultant the past few weeks, The Athletic confirmed.

Houston has interviewed Jeff Van Gundy, Ty Lue, Kenny Atkinson, Stephen Silas, David Vanterpool, Wes Unseld Jr., and John Lucas for the vacant coaching job. Lue has agreed to coach the Clippers, while Van Gundy, Silas and Lucas appear to be the top remaining candidates for the Rockets.

Rockets Notes: Morey, Stone, Silas, Johnson

October 16th, 2020 at 12:55pm CST by JD Shaw

Longtime Rockets general manager Daryl Morey announced on Thursday he’ll be stepping down from his role with the franchise on November 1, effectively ending a 14-year run with the franchise.

Morey was the engine behind several notable transactions in recent years, including signing Chris Paul to a four-year, $160MM deal, trading him for nine-time All-Star Russell Westbrook and moving center Clint Capela to usher the team into an unprecedented version of small-ball.

“After returning from Orlando and reflecting on what has been an amazing 14 years with the Houston Rockets, and after discussing my thoughts with family and close friends, I’ve decided I’ll be stepping away from the Rockets organization effective November 1st,” Morey said in a statement. “[Owner] Tilman [Fertitta] and I have had many conversations since I returned, and his unwavering support and counsel during our time together has been critical to our success.

“It has been the most gratifying experience of my professional life to lead the Rockets basketball organization, and I look forward to working with Tilman and the management team on the transition. I am very confident that the future – for the Rockets, and for our incredible fans – is in great hands, and that the Rockets will continue to perform at the highest level.”

Morey met with Fertitta on Thursday to inform him of his decision. Houston acted quickly on filling his soon-to-be-vacated position, promoting EVP of Basketball Operations Rafael Stone to GM and giving Eli Witus an increased role as assistant GM.

“On behalf of the entire Rockets organization, I would like to thank Daryl Morey for his hard work and dedication over the past 14 seasons,” Fertitta said. “Daryl is a brilliant innovator who helped the Rockets become a perennial contender. I have truly enjoyed working with Daryl and couldn’t have asked for a better general manager to have at the start of my ownership. I wish him and his family all the best.”

There’s more out of Houston today:

Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle examines the rise of new GM Rafael Stone, who originally joined the franchise back in 2005. Feigen notes in a separate story that Stone will lead the team’s search for a new head coach in the coming days and weeks.
Houston will interview Mavericks assistant Stephen Silas for a second time on Friday, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Brian Windhorst (Twitter link). The Rockets have reportedly focused on the trio of Silas, Jeff Van Gundy and John Lucas for the team’s vacant head coaching position.
Longtime Rockets scout Brent ‘B.J.’ Johnson tragically passed away on Thursday due to a bicycle accident, Feigen relays in a story for the Houston Chronicle. “He was riding his bike and hit a culvert,” Johnson’s wife Claudette said. “There was construction. They are thinking he fell forward and broke his neck because there was no blood.” Johnson is described by those who knew him as hard-working, positive and influential. He was hired by the organization back in 1994. “BJ was beloved and respected not only throughout the Rockets organization, but across the league and the basketball world,” the Rockets said as part of a larger statement on social media (Twitter links).

Rockets Notes: Next Steps, Westbrook, Green, Nwaba

October 15th, 2020 at 4:19pm CST by Luke Adams

It has been an eventful day in Houston, as word broke this morning that one of the NBA’s longest-tenured general managers, Daryl Morey, has decided to step down from his position in the Rockets‘ front office.

Few – if any – lead executives were more closely associated with a team’s identity and philosophy than Morey was, according to Kevin Pelton of ESPN, who notes that Morey’s analytical approach to the game resulted in the Rockets pushing the limits on pace and three-point attempts. We don’t have a clear sense yet of what sort of influence GM Rafael Stone will have on Houston’s playing style, so the team’s new head coach may determine its direction in the short term, writes Pelton.

According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, Stone is a believer in small-ball, but it’s not clear if he’s as enthusiastic about playing a full 82-game season without any traditional centers. As such, it will be interesting to see how aggressively the Rockets attempt to fortify their frontcourt this offseason.

Of course, bigger roster decisions will be on the horizon for Stone and the Rockets, especially if the team fails to make a deep playoff run again in 2021. I’d be surprised if Stone does anything drastic right away, but sources who have spoken to Marc Berman of The New York Post believe the Rockets are likelier to consider the possibility of a Russell Westbrook trade following Morey’s departure.

“I can’t imagine they are keeping (James) Harden and Russ together,” one NBA executive told Berman. “Russ excels best as the best player on a team and Harden needs outside shooters around him – not a ball-dominant guard. I think Russ will be the one traded.”

Here’s more on the Rockets:

After thriving in Houston down the stretch and during the postseason, Rockets forward Jeff Green is expected to receive interest from “a slew of contending teams” this offseason, writes Shams Charania of The Athletic. As I noted last week, Houston only holds Green’s Non-Bird rights, so it may be tricky to re-sign him without using the mid-level or bi-annual exception.
Following Doc Rivers‘ exit from Los Angeles, the Rockets initially wanted to hire him to fill their head coaching vacancy, sources told Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon of ESPN. However, Rivers quickly reached an agreement with Philadelphia, taking him off the board for Houston. With Rivers and Tyronn Lue unavailable, the franchise is reportedly focusing on three potential finalists.
Kelly Iko of The Athletic conducted an extensive Q&A with Rockets wing David Nwaba, who spoke about his Achilles recovery, his fit in Houston, and more. Nwaba said he anticipates being good to go for the start of the 2020/21 season. “I’m working on getting in shape. It’s taken longer than what I thought to get back into shape, but that’s going to happen through time,” he said. “… The season’s probably going to start in two, three months — I should be more than ready.”
In another piece for The Athletic, Iko and Danny Leroux took an in-depth look at the Rockets’ short- and long-term salary cap situation.
If Morey seeks another NBA job, there will be no shortage of opportunities for him, writes Chris Mannix of SI.com.

Daryl Morey Stepping Down As Rockets GM

October 15th, 2020 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

Longtime Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is stepping down from his position in Houston’s front office, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The Rockets’ plan is to promote executive VP of basketball operations Rafael Stone to fill Morey’s vacated GM role, sources tell ESPN. Eli Witus will also take on increased responsibility as Houston’s assistant general manager.

As Wojnarowski explains, Morey approached team owner Tilman Fertitta following the Rockets’ postseason elimination this summer to discuss the idea of leaving his job, despite having signed a five-year extension in 2019. Morey and Fertitta quietly negotiated an agreement to part ways, per Woj.

For the time being, Morey will remain with the franchise in an advisory role, helping the Rockets hire a new head coach to replace Mike D’Antoni. However, he’s only expected to remain in that role for a short period, according to Wojnarowski.

While Morey isn’t ruling out taking another job in a team’s front office at some point, it doesn’t sound like he’ll be looking for such an opportunity right away. Wojnarowski says the veteran NBA executive wants to spend some time with his family and explore what else might interest him professionally.

Morey has served as the general manager in Houston since all the way back in 2007, when Rick Adelman was coaching a roster headlined by Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. During his 13-year tenure, Morey oversaw 10 playoff berths and a pair of appearances in the Western Conference Finals in 2015 and 2018. The Rockets had the league’s second-best regular season record during those 13 years, according to ESPN.

Although Morey’s teams were never able to get over the hump and win a championship, he made some of the most memorable roster moves and personnel decisions of the last decade, including his trade for James Harden and his pivot to a three-pointer-heavy style of small-ball (and, in 2019/20, to “micro-ball”).

Morey came under fire last fall when he published a tweet in support of protestors in Hong Kong. He quickly deleted the tweet, but it generated major tension between the NBA and China, one of the league’s largest markets. A number of Chinese partners and advertisers severed ties with the NBA on a temporary or permanent basis, costing the league hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

China’s push for the NBA to discipline Morey and/or the Rockets to fire him led to leaguewide speculation about his job security over the last year. However, the league and the team never took action, with Fertitta insisting that he was standing by his GM.

Morey’s decision to step down was “100 percent” his own, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

With Morey out of the picture, it will be fascinating to see what direction the Rockets’ offseason takes under Stone. Harden and Russell Westbrook remain under contract for the next three seasons, so there’s no need for the club to make major changes or overhaul its roster yet, but the new decision-makers likely won’t be satisfied to simply run it back with the same group in 2020/21.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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