Annual NBA GM Survey gives little love to Houston Rockets

The annual NBA GM Survey is out for 2016-17 with little recognition for the Houston Rockets.

The GM survey isn’t necessarily like the playbook on the season, but it does offer some interesting perspective on what GM’s think.

It’s not like the Houston Rockets entered this season expecting to be top ranked in the West. That said, it sure seems like a lot of writers, bloggers and now NBA GM’s are sleeping on the Rockets.

In fairness, this survey was probably completed prior to the preseason, so perhaps the GM’s didn’t have an opportunity to witness the Rockets high octane offense first hand.

Although the survey is confidential I’ve also wondered whether GM’s give completely honest answers. Think about it – it’s their job to build a franchise, so would you want to put out into the universe certain answers that could potentially put a spotlight on that player?

Rockets GM Daryl Morey sits courtside at Madison Square Garden

Imagine you are Daryl Morey and you are coveting a certain prospect you believe is under rated from the draft. Now factor in if that youngster was on a team where he wasn’t getting serviceable minutes on court. If you pinpoint that player as under rated and then you have an option to trade for him, by voting for that player you may shine a light on his value.

I also fail to believe the GM’s don’t recognize the pulse of what other teams are doing. After watching Open Court on NBA TV last night I was baffled by the panel of Chris Webber, Isaiah Thomas, Greg Anthony, Grant Hill, Steve Smith and former Rockets coach Kevin McHale.

Not one of those panelists saw the Houston Rockets as a top 4 contender. Worse as they went through the Eastern Conference several of them cited New York as the second best team. Hang on a minute – –  did I miss something? They noted the Pacers and Celtics who have definitely improved, but to only throw the Raptors in the mix after mentioning the Hawks and Bucks was blasphemy. Nor did they not the Pistons another mistake in my opinion.

Anyway, the GM’s seem to have a better grasp of who’ll be in the mix, though I’m not sure I agree on the placement.

Hey maybe they know something I don’t, but I think they’ll be much more movement in the West than they do. As far as the East goes I tend to lean the other direction and believe continuity for the Pistons, Celtics and Raptors will rue the day.

NBA 2016-17 General Manager Survey:

Houston Rockets Related Answers:

As for the survey you can check out the complete survey via this link. Here’s the top areas the Rockets and their players were either mentioned or completely ignored:

Where GM's rank top 4 teams in West: #NBA #Rockets pic.twitter.com/UsgsJax4XX

— Space City Scoop (@SpaceCity_Scoop) October 20, 2016

As per above the GMs listed the top 4 Western Conference teams as:

• Golden State Warriors
• San Antonio Spurs
• Los Angeles Clippers
• Oklahoma City Thunder

Sure looks like the GM’s aren’t convinced Russell Westbrook is ready to shrivel up and die!  As for Houston 10.7% of the GM’s think they could finish fourth.

Most Under Rated Player Acquisition:

George Hill took top spot with 24.1%. Though Ryan Anderson didn’t make the top 5 he did receive some mention.

Best International Player Not in NBA:

The Rockets got on the board via Sergio Llull who placed second in this category with 28.6% of the votes behind Milos Teodosic who garnered 53.6%

Coach who runs best offense:

Mike D’Antoni tied for third with Rick Carlisle who both received 6.7% of the vote behind Gregg Popovich (16.7%) and Steve Kerr (63.3%)

Which new (or relocated) coach will make the biggest impact this season?

D’Antoni also made the mark in this category placing third with 8.3% behind  Frank Vogel (10.0%) and the obvious answer of Tom Thibodeau (78.3%).

Who is the toughest player in the NBA?

Patrick Beverley received honorable mention following behind  Tony Allen, Kawhi Leonard, Russell Westbrook, Steven Adams,  Draymond Green, Matthew Dellavedova, and LeBron James.

James Harden gets some notice:

James Harden showed up in a few categories, though I’m sure he’ll take exception for being left out of some key categories.

2017 MVP :

Harden received 10% of the vote to win MVP tying with Steph Curry.  LeBron James won in a landslide with 46.7% of the vote and his closest competitor was Russell Westbrook with 23.3%.

Best Shooting Guard in NBA:

Harden won this in a landslide with 56.7% of the votes. His closest competitor was Klay Thompson who received 40%. A bit of a shock that Dwyane Wade took third spot with 3.3%. (likely one GM).

Next: Where does KJ McDaniels fit on Rockets?

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If you are super keen on this kind of thing you may want to check back at year end to see how they GM’s fared with their picks.