3 reasons why Rockets’ Rafael Stone isn’t your typical rookie GM

1. Stone’s handling of the Rockets’ James Harden conundrum

The biggest test so far for Stone has been the possibility of trading James Harden, after reports surfaced that he wanted to leave the Houston Rockets for another team. The consensus was that the Rockets should try and trade Harden sooner rather than later to avoid conflict.

Being a lawyer by trade, Stone did not buckle to the pressure from outside or various leaked reports by unnamed sources. Stone has held firm and now has a chance to not only keep Harden, but to possibly have the deepest team Harden has had around him in years.

In fact, this current Houston Rockets team could be Harden’s best team of his entire Houston Rockets’ career. This is no small feat, especially for a General Manager just starting in the NBA. Of course, as the title of this article says, Stone is not your typical rookie General Manager.

Only time will tell if Stone will continue his early-season success on the court, but one thing that is for sure is that the moment is not too big for Stone.

For this reason, you can bet that any moves that he makes will be well thought out, and no Stone will be unturned (full pun intended).