Morey: Rockets will attempt to sign superstar via free agency

[Dash]

Host: As a GM, you see the way players are in the league and how guys want to player with another star or two and form superteams. As a GM, how has the game changed over the last few years now that more guys are wanting to play together like this?

 

Daryl Morey: I think thats been a dynamic...I actually think thats a good dynamic for us. Its gonna help us. It actually hasnt helped us yet but will at some point. Houston is a big time city that players want to play for. If we can get one, or next year we'd have the cap room to convince two, two stars to come here, I think that trend is good for us. I think it is a little overblown but its good for us. Other thing is the league is getting smarter. Other teams are getting more and more sophisticated. Thats a bad trend obviously. We want every other team being dumb and stupid but reality is, especially even in our division, you got well-run teams in San Antonio and Dallas, and Grizzlies are really good right now and New Orleans has been good. Thats a negative trend--is that how smart teams are getting. A positive trend is the desire for the players to team up in good cities because we are a very good city.

 

Host: How frustrating does it become, you see that marquee FA only wants to play in NY or LA or in this certain market. How frustrating does that become for you when a marquee guy only says hes interested in LA, NY or Chicago.

 

Daryl Morey: To me again, I see that trend, I think thats more of good trend than bad trend. Because of the way the CBA works, a lot of the players are limited in their salary at different levels. Houston is a city that guys really want to play for at every level. At the high level we have it, but even at the Sam Dalembert level. He turned down more money, a better contract to come play for Houston. Thats gonna benefit us more than it hurts us. People are seeing it as a negative. I see it as a positive. Especially where we are situated in Houston. People really like to play in Houston.

 

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The bolded parts are the most interesting out of this interview, it might be a hailmary but the Rockets have nothing to lose by trying something that could potentially turn this team into a championship contender. Houston is a BIG market (4th largest in country) and its been noted before that players do like the city and the management here, so the appeal is there but it hasn't been enough lately. Love the bit on Dalembert taking a worse contract to come play here.

 

I'm guessing the two stars Morey was talking about would be Deron Williams and Dwight Howard since Chris Paul picked up his option, again highly unlikely but Houston has the market and the role players that might appeal to one or both of them.