Rockets’ Daryl Morey talks feud with Termine, mortgaging the future, and more

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey recently joined ESPN’s Zach Lowe to talk all things Houston Rockets, including the CP3 trade and the small ball origins.

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey recently joined ESPN’s Zach Lowe on The Lowe Post podcast, which is Morey’s second time speaking in front of a national audience within a span of a week. If you recall, Morey joined FS1’s First Things First earlier in the week.

Lowe started the podcast by asking Morey about the situation with China at the beginning of the season, which he wisely didn’t comment on. It’s quite surprising Lowe brought that up, as it seems like it’s beyond time to move past that, considering how the playoffs will be starting soon, and there are far more topics to discuss than that.

The timing of this conversation is important to note, as it happened during the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, which took place between March 6th-7th of last week. On top of that, the Rockets have looked dismal of late, which Morey wasn’t asked to opine on.

It would have been interesting to hear his thoughts on the Rockets’ recent slide, as the Rockets haven’t even looked competitive in any of their four most recent losses. It’s also interesting that Lowe didn’t mention anything about the unofficial luxury tax mandate from Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, as it would have also been interesting to hear Morey share a more detailed response with someone like Lowe, who he trusts and respects.

As Morey discussed all things Rockets, let’s get started with a recap of what he had to say.

Next: Capela trade

Capela Trade

When the Rockets made the decision to trade Clint Capela in favor of a smaller lineup, the national outcry came pouring in. What were the Rockets doing? How were they going to compete without a 7-footer?

We’d seen the Rockets on essentially every ESPN show, from First Take to Around the Horn to Pardon the Interruption, and they too were asking the same question. Charles Barkley of TNT’s Inside the NBA stated how this strategy was an example of Rockets GM Daryl Morey throwing in the cards for the rest of the season and mailing it in.

Morey discussed the public outcry of the Rockets being without a 7-footer on the roster, and made sure to remind everyone how that’s simply not true.

“If on the same day we made that trade, we had also traded for Tyson Chandler, do you think the uproar have been as big? Everyone is like ‘they don’t have a 7-footer’ and I was like ‘we have Tyson Chandler.’  We’re choosing not to play him right now but he’s there.

Obviously Tyson Chandler hasn’t been a major factor for the Rockets but Morey wanted to dispel the notion that the Rockets don’t have a 7-footer on the roster. Another 7-footer the Rockets have on the roster is Isaiah Hartenstein, but they also aren’t playing him right now.

Morey explained the rationale behind the decision to swap Capela for Robert Covington, and offered a transparent response.

We felt like it was a move we had to make. Obviously we’re focused on our chance to win the championship and we were a good team, we needed to be a great team and we thought this gave us the best chance to be great..”

It’s too early to draw a conclusion either way, but it’s good to see Morey acknowledge that the Rockets weren’t a great team as previously constructed. It obviously remains to be seen how they’ll fare in the postseason, but they’ve been sliding in the standings of late.

Next: Small ball success

Small-ball success

The Houston Rockets have gone 7-6 since acquiring Robert Covington, which is far from encouraging. Although that’s not entirely on Covington, it’s not a good enough record to draw confidence in the microball strategy.

Perhaps the better statistic is the Rockets’ record without Capela this season, which is now 17-7. Although that sounds great, it would actually be 21-3 if the Rockets had turned those four recent losses into wins, but that’s neither here nor there.

Morey explained his feelings on how the Rockets have played without having a traditional center in the lineup.

“We’re thrilled. Obviously we wish we were 12-2, I think we’re 10-4 now since not playing with Clint.  I think our job is obviously to get great players, get superstars. Hopefully, probably at least two to win the title, and maybe more, but we have two. And then find the right fits around them.

The overwhelming question that was raised upon the Rockets’ acquiring Russell Westbrook was simple: how would it work offensively? Russell can’t shoot 3-pointers and he thrives at driving to the basket, due to his unprecedented athletic ability for a point guard.

But how would that work with a traditional center clogging the paint? The Rockets realized it wouldn’t work, which is why they devised this schematic change midseason.

We feel with James and Russell, probably even a little more with Russell is what we’ve learned, having spacing and shooting and driving lanes….if you’re going to win with those two guys, I think that’s the best way to play.”

The experiment has gotten MVP-level play out of Russell Westbrook, but it presents a bit of a challenge for Harden, as he’s always thrived off having a lob option, which the Rockets obviously don’t have in their starting lineup. Granted, this could change with the insertion of Jeff Green in the starting lineup, but we’ve not seen Houston Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni make that adjustment yet.

Next: Russ/CP3 Trade

Russ/CP3 Trade

Morey made the most widely discussed move of the offseason when he swapped one future Hall-of-Fame guard in Chris Paul for another in Russell Westbrook. We had heard rumblings of CP3 and James Harden not getting along, but that was vehemently denied by all parties, including Morey himself.

So if that wasn’t the case, many wondered why he’d pull off such a move. Especially considering the widely accepted notion that the Rockets would have won the championship were it not for CP3’s hamstring injury. Morey had a very telling answer to this question.

“The Russ trade was similar to the Clint trade in that we just felt like you can’t win unless you’ve got a peak level that’s very high. We thought the team we had with Chris and James was extremely good but was going to come up short of the title. We thought that adding Russ, who unquestionably has this peak level of play that not many guys have reached, was the right move.”

There’s no denying Russ’s motor, as it’s not dwindled one bit despite him getting older. But how long did Morey know CP3 was going to be moved? This is what Paul has been very vocal about this season, as he felt he should’ve been given a heads up and has complained about being blindsided by the move.

CP3 has spoken about how he was misled by Morey and told he wasn’t going to be traded, only for Morey to do exactly that. Morey explained how it all unfolded, and how even he wasn’t expecting the trade to happen.

Everyone is like ‘you knew you were going to make this trade’ but I was adamantly telling people we weren’t going to make a big trade because that is really strongly what I believed.

Now, there’s no way I could have anticipated the Paul George situation opening up that option. That option seemed just not even in our set of possibilities. In retrospect, maybe I could have anticipated it but I didn’t.

From this lens, there’s a far different perspective to draw. Morey didn’t know Paul George was going to be traded, as he had just re-signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the previous offseason, so Russ wasn’t even in consideration.

Once PG13 was moved, it was clear the Thunder were rebuilding, and it didn’t exactly make sense for Russ to stick around for that, as they were stockpiling assets for their future. For Russ, who had played 11 seasons in OKC, it didn’t make sense to be a part of that rebuild.

That’s when the move was ultimately made, and despite CP3’s endless complaints, it’s actually worked out well for both teams. Paul has improved his level of play, and the Thunder are going to make the playoffs because of it.

Next: Origins of small ball

Origins of small ball

Early in the season, Houston Rockets guard James Harden was drawing double-teams on a nightly basis, which significantly hindered the Rockets’ offense. This was on display during the Rockets’ game against the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day, as the Dubs were double-teaming Harden before he even reached half-court.

This led to the Rockets getting embarrassed on national television by a score of 116-104. The Rockets were left scrambling for answers, and they were forced to devise an unconventional solution to this problem, which led to the birth of small-ball for the Houston Rockets.

Morey spoke about this:

“As soon as [Harden’s] double teams came, Clint’s screens became double-team escorts where he would get doubled. Or they would just switch it, and we would rarely get to a traditional pick-and-roll coverage where we’d get to a lob threat.

As that evolved, we were only getting to a lob threat like 1-in-5 or 1-in-4, it became a natural evolution to go to five-out spacing.”

Although the Rockets have prevented Harden’s double teams by surrounding him with 3-point shooters, this is obviously only successful if they make their 3-pointers. Granted, that can be said about anyone in the league, as you’d be hard-pressed to win games without making treys. This is especially the case for the Rockets,  as they attempt 48.8 percent of their shots from behind the arc.

This is an area in which the Rockets have struggled this season, as they’ve been an average 3-point shooting team, which will make it easy to neutralize their small ball strategy come playoff time.

Next: Win-now mode

Mortgaging future for the present

It’s safe to say Morey is willing to take chances and risk it all. It’s been proven that if Morey believes there’s a star player to be had, he’s willing to go all in for said player, regardless of the cost.

We especially saw this during the trade that sent Chris Paul from the LA Clippers to the Houston Rockets, as Morey sent Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, and Montrezl Harrell all for CP3, which are all key players for the Clips in the third season following the trade.

Morey has made no qualms about his willingness to include draft picks in deals as well, which was on display during the 2018-19 season in which the Rockets were trying to land Jimmy Butler from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Rockets were famously offering four first-round picks for Jimmy Butler, which was surprisingly turned down by the Minnesota Timberwolves. This left many to wonder why Morey was willing to pay such a high price for one player, which Morey explained to Lowe:

“I don’t understand the teams that hang onto their [draft] picks when they’re close like this.

Generally when teams drop out of contention, the average time it takes to get back to contention is eight years, we’ve looked at this. And that’s when you get back.

So when you’re out, you’re out. When you’re in, you should go for it.”

This is the first time we’ve heard Morey speak on this, and it’s something Rockets fans surely wanted to hear him explain. The Rockets have traded away a combined seven first-round draft picks dating back to the 2017-18 season, which includes their picks from 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025, and 2026.

On top of that, the Rockets have also parted with a boatload of second round picks, which includes 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. This is a bit of a different story, as the Rockets have reeled in several second-rounders in return, as a result of several trades, and have several pick swaps as well.

We know Morey is willing to give up whatever draft capital is necessary if it allows him to bring in a star, or anyone he feels can contribute and improve the team’s title chances. For that, he deserves praise, as not many GM’s around the league have proven to be willing to go all in to the extent that Morey has.

The fact that the T-Wolves rejected the Rockets’ monsoon of draft picks reflects the lack of value future draft picks have, as it pertains to landing a star player. From that standpoint, it makes sense for Morey to get rid of draft assets.

It hasn’t costed the Rockets a playoff berth, as they’ve not missed the postseason since acquiring James Harden. Granted, it’s hard to envision the Rockets’ future, with so many draft picks being shipped away, but the Rockets’ championship window is now, considering how there aren’t anymore super teams in the league.

So why worry about the future? The Toronto Raptors applied the same “win-now” mentality by trading for Kawhi Leonard, and it landed them a championship.

Next: Feud with Termine

“Ricky Bobby effect” from Justin Termine

Daryl Morey has gotten into feuds with several basketball analysts, including Charles Barkley, Bill Simmons and many more. For as many Twitter feuds we’ve seen him have, perhaps the longest-lasting one in recent memory has been with SiriusXM’s Justin Termine, who co-hosts the NBA Today Show with former Houston Rockets reserve Eddie Johnson.

This pair has been highly critical of the Rockets and rarely have anything good to say about the team and the front office, mainly Morey. Morey went back-and-forth with Johnson on Twitter earlier in the season, and especially feuded with Termine during the MVP battle of the 2018-19 season, between Houston Rockets guard James Harden and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The most recent chapter in the Morey/Termine saga was regarding what Morey referred to as the “Ricky Bobby-ization of sports”, which he expressed the greater consequences of.

“There aren’t alot of people outside of Houston who are rooting for the Rockets, for various reasons, which we don’t have to get into.

I think what Justin, “Ricky Bobby” will tell you I was saying is that it’s stupid that you get told on the telecasts how these games don’t matter, by the announcers and radio hosts, because the only thing that matters is the playoffs.

Even coming close in the playoffs is also not valuable and I just think the Ricky Bobby-ization of sports is probably not good for ratings.”

Termine has been quick to point out how the Rockets haven’t won a title under Morey and has compared that with the number of gripes they’ve made in recent years.

Things Rockets have whined about:

– Refs costing them trip to Finals,
– Media costing Harden MVP vs Westbrook.
– Media costing Harden MVP vs Giannis.
– Harden "factually" being best offensive player
ever.
– Draft happening before free-agency.

Things Rockets have won:

–

— Justin Termine (@TermineRadio) February 28, 2020

It’s worth noting that Termine has already offered a response to Morey referring to him as Ricky Bobby, by stating he felt he was misrepresented (imagine that, Termine is now the one griping).

Next: Relationship with MDA

Relationship with D’Antoni

Heading into the season, the Houston Rockets were unable to reach a contract extension with coach Mike D’Antoni. This meant the writing was on the wall, as we don’t often see teams force coaches to complete the final year on their contract, unless they intend on parting ways afterwards.

However, many believe D’Antoni has earned an extension due to his ability to innovate his offense to allow Russell Westbrook to fit into the Rockets’ system. MDA deserves credit for that, as we all know the Rockets shoot 3-pointers and Russell Westbrook is far from a sniper.

Morey spoke on behalf of his relationship with D’Antoni and offered this response to the question of what he looks for in a coach:

“I like someone who I’m being challenged by. Mike comes in and is constantly like ‘hey we should do this.’ The reality is without Mike D’Antoni, this Clint for Covington trade never happens. I’d be shocked if there’s very many coaches in the league where I can get that trade done.

As a GM, if you’re making what is a pretty big gamble, if you don’t have the coach on-board in a way that he understands how to use what we were going to try and do, you can’t make that. It’s just too risky, too risky. Too much giving up.

Coach D’Antoni said ‘I trust what you guys are doing, I see what you’re doing and we’re going to make it work. That means so much.”

The timing of this podcast was especially interesting, because the Rockets hadn’t lost to the Magic and the Hornets yet, although they had lost two straight to the Clippers and the Knicks, so it’s hard to imagine Morey saying anything different based on those two additional losses

It’s obvious MDA will be in Houston for the long-haul if the Rockets win the title, but what if they don’t? That’s a real possibility, as the Rockets haven’t looked like a legitimate contender this season. The small ball strategy hasn’t totally been to blame for that, but it has played a part in the Rockets’ recent four-game losing streak.

Based on the relationship Morey described between himself and D’Antoni, it seems MDA may have already secured an extension, as Morey mentioned how meaningful it was for MDA to support him and his small-ball experiment.

Morey explained how MDA has made it easier for him to take risks and take gambles as a GM, and we don’t know if the potential replacement would do the same. It’ll be interesting to see how the Rockets fare in the playoffs, but don’t be surprised if MDA is back, despite what you’ve been hearing to the contrary.