Rogue
01-20-2009, 08:11 PM
Houston - Every couple weeks, Rockets.com sits down with general manager Daryl Morey to get his thoughts on everything Rockets-related. If you've got a question for the GM, send it to us (email link at bottom) and we'll try to get it answered next time.
JCF: With the win over Denver, you guys are now 10 games over the .500 mark. Considering all the injuries and ensuing lineup shuffling this team has endured, do you sometimes find yourself wondering, "How the heck have we managed to go 26-16?"
DM: I think when you're in the middle of it all, you don't have much time to look back. You just take your victories and focus on the next game.
Coach Adelman does a great job and we expect to win no matter what lineup is out there. We believe in the players and think that, no matter what 7 or 8 guys are out there, we have a good chance to win.
JCF: Well that depth has obviously been a huge part of your ability to survive the injury bug. I mean, if I had told you before the season that Von Wafer, Carl Landry and Aaron Brooks were going to be playing the majority of the fourth quarter minutes in a huge road win against the defending champs, what would your reaction have been?
DM: It was expected. We knew that would happen (laughs).
No, I mean, Von has really given us a lift. He was a long-shot to make the team in training camp. We'd had our eyes on him for a few years, but the odds were against him. But he made the team, got an opportunity and won't let it go. Now Coach Adelman will have a good problem when we get all our players back, figuring out how to make it work.
People ask all the time: Did you know Von would play this way? And the honest answer is that nobody could have known that. All we try to do is bring in players we think have a chance to do well and, every once in awhile, one gets an opportunity and shows what he can do.
JCF: It's interesting because right around this time last year it was Carl Landry who sort of burst on to the scene in a similar fashion - Second-round pick, guy who wasn't expected to contribute much his rookie year, but once he got on the floor he just made it impossible to take him off.
DM: Yeah, our personnel group - Gersson, Sam, B.J., Gerald, everyone - does a tremendous job. Sometimes we have a hard time choosing between these players and often they don't work out, but we feel like if we do our homework, every once in awhile we'll get someone like Von who really shows what he can do.
JCF: I don't know if you're aware of this, but our play-by-play guy Craig Ackerman won't stop gushing about Von (http://www.nba.com/media/rockets/WhereVonWaferHappens.mp3), and has even confessed to having a serious man-crush on Mr. Wafer.
DM: (laughs) Well, tell him he picked a better man-crush than Tommy Heinshon did when I was up in Boston. But I'm going to make you look that up.
JCF: Alright then, I'll do some digging. But back to Von and his place in the rotation, do you worry at all about integrating Tracy and Ron back into the mix when they return; especially given how well the offense is rolling right now and how high the energy has been in their absence?
DM: I hope we have that problem. It hasn't happened yet where we've had too many guys available who could play. But when it gets there, Coach and I will get together and Coach will make the final call on who plays. Then we'll just construct it from there and settle on a plan going forward.
JCF: Can you give any sort of update on Tracy and Ron's status?
DM: Both are coming along well. We're just trying to get them to where they'll come back and not come in and out of the lineup. I think we're going to get to that goal this time, barring some new injury. Both are going to be back around the end of the month.
JCF: So neither one is likely to play on this upcoming road trip then?
DM: I think unlikely. I think Ron has a better chance than Tracy. With Ron, much depends upon how the medical imaging comes out when they take a look at it in the next week or so.
JCF: I know this is a sensitive subject, but I'm curious to get your thoughts on all the drama which has surrounded Tracy this season.
DM: I think anytime you've got a superstar of Tracy's caliber who's going through all the injury issues he's had this season, you can almost set your watch to stories about discord and things like that, even though they're not based on any sort of reality.
JCF: Looking at the team as a whole, you'd obviously have to put them in the second tier of NBA teams right now, since they're clearly not currently in the same class as L.A., Cleveland, Boston or Orlando. What, besides simply getting healthy, do the Rockets need to do to ascend to that level?
DM: Well when we've had almost everyone together which, to be fair, has not happened much - I think we've only had our whole roster once and that was the Cleveland game - we've played to the caliber of the top teams. Would we be able to do that consistently is unknown, but we feel like we need to get them all together, get some chemistry and we still feel like we've got the talent to compete with those teams. But we haven't shown it yet, so it's hard to be sure at this point.
One thing I will add: We shouldn't be talking about a Big Three or a Big anything at this point, but if we're going to talk about that that "Big" stuff then we should be talking about our Big Four, because Shane is such a huge factor for us.
JCF: The trade deadline is quickly approaching (Feb. 19th). I know you can't really reveal your cards at this point, but do you anticipate making some sort of move beforehand?
DM: I think by the trade deadline we'll do something. I think every year we've done something. Of course, how we're playing and who's healthy will really swing what happens, but I think history shows that there's always something that will happen at the deadline.
JCF: My only other thought for now is that it'd be great if we could end these sessions with you going off on some sort of rant regarding something that's been percolating within your brain of late. I suspect you're not going to take me up on this offer, but the forum is yours if you want it.
DM: (laughs) Well, I'm still bothered by everyone saying we're small when we always outrebound people. But, yeah, I think I'll turn that offer down. I'm trying to stay in a good mood (laughs).
JCF: With the win over Denver, you guys are now 10 games over the .500 mark. Considering all the injuries and ensuing lineup shuffling this team has endured, do you sometimes find yourself wondering, "How the heck have we managed to go 26-16?"
DM: I think when you're in the middle of it all, you don't have much time to look back. You just take your victories and focus on the next game.
Coach Adelman does a great job and we expect to win no matter what lineup is out there. We believe in the players and think that, no matter what 7 or 8 guys are out there, we have a good chance to win.
JCF: Well that depth has obviously been a huge part of your ability to survive the injury bug. I mean, if I had told you before the season that Von Wafer, Carl Landry and Aaron Brooks were going to be playing the majority of the fourth quarter minutes in a huge road win against the defending champs, what would your reaction have been?
DM: It was expected. We knew that would happen (laughs).
No, I mean, Von has really given us a lift. He was a long-shot to make the team in training camp. We'd had our eyes on him for a few years, but the odds were against him. But he made the team, got an opportunity and won't let it go. Now Coach Adelman will have a good problem when we get all our players back, figuring out how to make it work.
People ask all the time: Did you know Von would play this way? And the honest answer is that nobody could have known that. All we try to do is bring in players we think have a chance to do well and, every once in awhile, one gets an opportunity and shows what he can do.
JCF: It's interesting because right around this time last year it was Carl Landry who sort of burst on to the scene in a similar fashion - Second-round pick, guy who wasn't expected to contribute much his rookie year, but once he got on the floor he just made it impossible to take him off.
DM: Yeah, our personnel group - Gersson, Sam, B.J., Gerald, everyone - does a tremendous job. Sometimes we have a hard time choosing between these players and often they don't work out, but we feel like if we do our homework, every once in awhile we'll get someone like Von who really shows what he can do.
JCF: I don't know if you're aware of this, but our play-by-play guy Craig Ackerman won't stop gushing about Von (http://www.nba.com/media/rockets/WhereVonWaferHappens.mp3), and has even confessed to having a serious man-crush on Mr. Wafer.
DM: (laughs) Well, tell him he picked a better man-crush than Tommy Heinshon did when I was up in Boston. But I'm going to make you look that up.
JCF: Alright then, I'll do some digging. But back to Von and his place in the rotation, do you worry at all about integrating Tracy and Ron back into the mix when they return; especially given how well the offense is rolling right now and how high the energy has been in their absence?
DM: I hope we have that problem. It hasn't happened yet where we've had too many guys available who could play. But when it gets there, Coach and I will get together and Coach will make the final call on who plays. Then we'll just construct it from there and settle on a plan going forward.
JCF: Can you give any sort of update on Tracy and Ron's status?
DM: Both are coming along well. We're just trying to get them to where they'll come back and not come in and out of the lineup. I think we're going to get to that goal this time, barring some new injury. Both are going to be back around the end of the month.
JCF: So neither one is likely to play on this upcoming road trip then?
DM: I think unlikely. I think Ron has a better chance than Tracy. With Ron, much depends upon how the medical imaging comes out when they take a look at it in the next week or so.
JCF: I know this is a sensitive subject, but I'm curious to get your thoughts on all the drama which has surrounded Tracy this season.
DM: I think anytime you've got a superstar of Tracy's caliber who's going through all the injury issues he's had this season, you can almost set your watch to stories about discord and things like that, even though they're not based on any sort of reality.
JCF: Looking at the team as a whole, you'd obviously have to put them in the second tier of NBA teams right now, since they're clearly not currently in the same class as L.A., Cleveland, Boston or Orlando. What, besides simply getting healthy, do the Rockets need to do to ascend to that level?
DM: Well when we've had almost everyone together which, to be fair, has not happened much - I think we've only had our whole roster once and that was the Cleveland game - we've played to the caliber of the top teams. Would we be able to do that consistently is unknown, but we feel like we need to get them all together, get some chemistry and we still feel like we've got the talent to compete with those teams. But we haven't shown it yet, so it's hard to be sure at this point.
One thing I will add: We shouldn't be talking about a Big Three or a Big anything at this point, but if we're going to talk about that that "Big" stuff then we should be talking about our Big Four, because Shane is such a huge factor for us.
JCF: The trade deadline is quickly approaching (Feb. 19th). I know you can't really reveal your cards at this point, but do you anticipate making some sort of move beforehand?
DM: I think by the trade deadline we'll do something. I think every year we've done something. Of course, how we're playing and who's healthy will really swing what happens, but I think history shows that there's always something that will happen at the deadline.
JCF: My only other thought for now is that it'd be great if we could end these sessions with you going off on some sort of rant regarding something that's been percolating within your brain of late. I suspect you're not going to take me up on this offer, but the forum is yours if you want it.
DM: (laughs) Well, I'm still bothered by everyone saying we're small when we always outrebound people. But, yeah, I think I'll turn that offer down. I'm trying to stay in a good mood (laughs).