Rafael Stone reveals why Rockets are one of the NBA's most well-oiled machines

The Houston Rockets have been one of the most well-run organizations in the NBA in recent years. Rafael Stone says their small brain trust is the reason for that.

According to Stone, the Rockets have "the smallest (front office) in sports". He attributes much of the team's success to that fact.

Why not? Too many cooks make for a hectic kitchen. The Rockets don't need to run every decision through a vast bureaucracy. This is a philosopher king model. It makes sense:

As long as the philosophers in charge have the right philosophies.

The Rockets are in good hands with Rafael Stone

Stone lays this logic out succinctly.

"I just can’t talk to a hundred different people, and I don’t see the point of having a bunch of people that don’t have input. I want everybody who works with us to matter."

-Rafael Stone

That's fundamentally smart, but it only works if the people who matter are competent.

Luckily, that's the case for the Rockets.

Look at this group's track record. Landing a steal in the draft was an annual tradition for the Rockets. The draft day trade for Alperen Sengun was a stroke of genius. So was selecting Tari Eason with the 17th pick in 2022. Cam Whitmore didn't pan out, but he's clearly more talented than an average 20th overall pick.

That's not all the Rockets have done well. First, they leveraged the Nets' future. They traded those picks for a stake in the Suns' future, which they leveraged to acquire Kevin Durant at a discount.

Need more? Alperen Sengun signed for less than a rookie max. Fred VanVleet took a team-friendly discount. Kevin Durant is allegedly likely to do the same. This Rockets' front office has made a habit of retaining players on contracts that make sense for the organization.

Are there any grounds to criticize this front office?

Rockets have nailed (most) major decisions

For some of us, it's difficult to stop picturing Evan Mobley in Rockets red.

In this same interview, Stone indicates that he always had eyes for Green. It's confusing. Why is such an otherwise intelligent guy so beholden to such a dumb decision?

I'm joking (kind of). There's an element of subjectivity in player evaluation. Stone saw something in Green, whether he was right or wrong.

Otherwise, this front office has been nearly unimpeachable. Perhaps they mismanaged some second-round picks, but they've executed most major decisions flawlessly. The Rockets have put themselves in an ideal position:

There's only a few people to thank for that.