Daryl Morey On A Fantastic Season For A Scrappy Team
May 20, 2009 – 7:48 am by Tas MelasAs the General Manager of the Houston Rockets, Daryl Morey has got to be walking with a pretty puffy chest right now. To lose your two highest paid players and still advance to the second round in a tough Western Conference where you took the Lakers to the brink is an accomplishment. But, now, what to do? Do the Rox hang on to T-Mac despite having their most playoff success in over a decade? The good thing about Tracy McGrady is that his contract expires after next year, giving Houston a nice trade asset. Tracy’s long-standing health issues and his age have to be a concern for Houston (his attitude has also conjured worries). It’s just difficult to see Houston messing with the incredible chemistry they had without him, and it was very difficult on his teammates not knowing if they were playing with a healthy T-Mac, or playing with him at all on a daily basis. Daryl Morey joined KILT to discuss McGrady, the Rockets’ free agents (Von Wafer and Ron Artest), Yao Ming’s health, and the team’s playoff run.
Was he surprised by his team’s performance in Game 7?
“It probably shouldn’t have surprised me but it did. Just the way we had battled all year, I thought we would stay in it and give ourselves a shot in the end; we didn’t, so that was disappointing. I don’t think it should take away from going 2-2 without Yao Ming which was pretty impressive… It was surprising but the Lakers are a good team; you have to give them a lot of credit.”
On what happened in Game 7:
“I was asked yesterday so I looked it up; we had $25 million playing their $72 million in that Game 7. Their size and ability came through. Really what they did was they turned up the defense which they had some struggles with for much of the series. Without Yao or Tracy, it was just too much to ask Ron and a 2nd year player, Aaron, to carry the scoring load.”
His plans this offseason:
“I can see us being pretty active, both in the draft – we’ve picked up 4 extra picks through trades or buying them in the last 3 years so I’d expect us to be active there – and free agency. Obviously, we’ve got our own guys, Ron and Von, to address. I think the trade front might be active this year with the economy. I think the trade front might be more active than the free agent front, especially early. I think we may see some of the dynamics happening in baseball where some of the deals may be lower than agents are looking for and no agent will want to be the first to sign a deal that looks under market to them.”
When we can expect McGrady back:
“I think the earliest is the start of the season. I do think that’s a bit of a long shot but the doctors haven’t ruled that out. The latest would be, I have to be frank, you really don’t know based on what they’re telling us. These injuries are very hard to predict on the back end. But on the front end, optimistically, he could be ready for the start of the year.”
On re-signing Ron Artest:
“You don’t know. We’re hoping it doesn’t turn difficult but I think some of the dynamics of free agency this year are going to make it hard for every team. Again, it’s hard to know…”
On the possibility of competing with other teams for Von Wafer and Ron Artest:
“I think Von and Ron had a good year and I do expect teams to be interested in signing them. I never have a problem with a player looking to get the most and get the best situation and the most money or whatever their goals are for them. We’re focused on the Houston Rockets and we’re pretty open about that and I don’t have a problem with players that are focused on their career. That’s part of what they have to do, so we’ll see how both work out. It’s been a good story to have them both involved here.”
On Yao Ming:
“He’s still our cornerstone. All the talks about contract, those are things we’re going to keep between Yao and the team. I think Yao, in terms of his injury, we’re very optimistic about his injury. Obviously, he’s a big guy and he’ll always be prone to injury but this particular injury is not one to worry about as far as the doctors are telling us. It’s a very small issue that will heal itself with not much rest. It came at a bad time and if it had come earlier in the year, he would have healed up and been right back out there.”
Tags: Basketball, Daryl Morey, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Ron Artest, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming
