Subscribe
Follow Us
Few executives have walked into a situation as precarious as the one Rockets GM Rafael Stone walked into 11 months ago. In addition to having to fill the giant shoes of his predecessor Daryl Morey, Stone had to hire a head coach and make sure his star players were happy with the direction of the organization. Ultimately, Harden and Westbrook asked out and created two other obstacles for Stone to overcome. It's been a whirlwind and he hasn't even finished a full calendar year at the helm.
Generally, it's foolish to determine whether or not a general manager will be good after one year on the job. However, you can start to judge job performance after a full season. Stone has now had two full drafts, two free agencies, and has completed enough transactions for three seasons on the job. Let's take a look at the major ones first.
Stephen Silas: Incomplete
Stone's first major move as general manager was to find a new head coach after Mike D'Antoni had walked away in the offseason. Houston had narrowed it down to former Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy, Rockets assistant John Lucas, and Mavericks assistant Stephen Silas. They took quite a bit of time delineating before they ultimately picked Silas for the job. It's really tough to say that Silas did a good job in his first year as head coach, but given the extraordinary circumstances that accompanied the team last year, it's only fair to give him a one-year pass. He has three years remaining on his contract and the Rockets aren't in any rush to win right away so they don't have to make a long-term decision on that front anytime soon.
2020 Offseason: A-
It was pretty obvious in the moment that the Rockets were bracing for a James Harden trade when you looked at what they did in the 2020 offseason. After Harden had turned down a 2-year, $103 million extension, they proceeded to spend their offseason acquiring first round picks and young players. No player over the age of 25 received a long-term deal. It may have looked like they were hedging their bets, but this was an organization operating as if they already knew where Harden's head was at.
And under those circumstances, they kind of killed the offseason. The crown jewel of their summer (and possibly Stone's best series of transaction to date) was Houston acquiring multiple first round picks in a deal that also netted them Christian Wood. They then added an additional first rounder later as a sweetener for taking on John Wall's contract.
Then there were the moves that displayed Stone's eye for talent: particularly drafting Kenyon Martin Jr. and signing Jae'Sean Tate to a multi-year deal. These were both moves that cost Houston nothing other than money because both players were undervalued by the rest of the market. We'll get more to this eye for talent as we look at some of Stone's other moves. What's important to take away here is that Rafael Stone successfully made the roster younger and didn't panic under a lot of pressure from both Westbrook and Harden.
The James Harden trade: B+
I believe this grade will be controversial in the moment, but work out long-term to being accurate. Right now, the general public perceives the Harden trade as a colossal failure for the Rockets because the only player Houston has to show for it right now is Daniel Theis (via trade exception). However, four unprotected first round picks and four first round pick swaps are no joke. Because of Houston's depleted war chest from the Westbrook trade, the franchise clearly placed a premium on a deal involving multiple picks to restock the cupboard.
It's true that the Victor Oladipo part of the deal didn't work out and it's fair to criticize Houston for not just taking Caris LaVert. It appears the motivation for this was two-sided: they believed Oladipo was the better trade asset and preferred an expiring contract. This is evident when you look at what they traded Oladipo for a few months later – Kelly Olynyk's expiring deal.
This is definitely one of those trades that we'll have to come back and revisit in 10 years.
Midseason moves: B+
Article Continues Below
The return for Victor Oladipo was certainly underwhelming, but understandable nonetheless. Oladipo was an inefficient chucker that didn't play up-to-par defensively for most of his time in Houston. The Rockets had already taken on the risk so nobody else wanted to. Kelly Olynyk was a good player on expiring contract and they later used the trade exception generated from this trade to sign Daniel Theis. The value of the Miami 2022 first round pick is still to be determined, but it does give Houston some protection on the 2022 Nets pick.
Where Rafael Stone gets major brownie points is the acquisition of Kevin Porter Jr. from the Cleveland Cavaliers. The second round pick that Houston sent out was so heavily protected that it was unlikely to convert. Porter Jr. obviously comes with his share of baggage, but getting him for nothing and utilizing assistant coach John Lucas in this way is brilliant. If things work out for him next season, Porter Jr. may become a staple of Houston's long-term plans.
2021 NBA Draft: A+
Since there were three players with All-Star upside still available, it was hard for Houston to mess up the number two pick. Jalen Green is set to be a high-scoring stud at the NBA level and his performance at NBA Summer League helped fortify that belief. There only part of the reason Rafael Stone received this grade.
Forfeiting multiple future first round picks for the number 15 spot is ballsy, but if Alperen Sengun is the target, it's objectively a smart play. Sengun was an absolute beast in Turkey and his projected NBA numbers have him as a Top 5 pick on a lot of analytical models.
Usman Garuba was another guy who probably should have been selected higher, but fell to Houston at 23. He's probably one of the best defenders in this draft and his versatility ranges far and wife. Also, while Josh Christopher felt like a reach in the beginning, the theory of him as a basketball player makes sense. He'll definitely need to iron out the kinks in his offensive game before he plays an NBA game, but he overall looked like a Top 20 that fell of the Top 20.
Houston absolutely killed it on Draft night.
2021 Offseason: B+
What's most important here is Houston didn't do anything dumb to jeopardize their position. Using the trade exception to sign Daniel Theis was a shrewd move that saved Houston their entire mid-level exception for future deals.
And though if extends out a few seasons, the Theis contract is reasonable enough to be a positive asset in future trades. Houston re-signing David Nwaba for $15 million over the next three seasons was also smart as the deal is extremely team friendly with a team option on the final season.
Adding two positive value contracts to the war chest is always a win.
Overall: A
This is a pretty high grade that I'm reluctant to give out. However, I do believe Houston is in a much more favorable position as a franchise long-term than 11 months ago. Rafael Stone has been patient about tearing down the infrastructure, he's replenished Houston's draft assets, and he hasn't signed bad contracts. The only significant blunder you can point to is picking Victor Oladipo over Caris LaVert.
Other than that, it's been smooth sailing. What Stone does at the upcoming trade deadline will be fascinating. They don't need my validation, but Rockets fans should be encouraged by this first year under Rafael Stone.
