GM Morey leaving Rockets
Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is stepping down on his own accord, a little more than a year after sparking a rift between the NBA and Chinese government.
Morey said he made the decision to spend more time with his two collegeaged children, who are taking a year off from school during the pandemic, and to “see what other potential challenges could be out there.”
Morey said he’s leaving the team Nov. 1. Tilman Fertitta, who has owned the Rockets since 2017, said Morey told him of his decision the day the team got back to Houston from the NBA bubble about a month ago.
“Daryl is one of the premier GMs in the league and I’m disappointed … ( but) Daryl made it real clear he wasn’t staying here forever,” Fertitta said. “When I bought the team, he told me that. And he decided this is the time that he wants to change his life.”
Fertitta added he’ll promote vice president of basketball operations Rafael Stone to general manager.
Morey caused an international uproar last year when he tweeted support for antigovernment protesters in Hong Kong. Morey tweeted an image that said: “Fight For Freedom. Stand With Hong Kong.” His tweet was in reference to prodemocracy demonstrations in the semiautonomous Chinese territory that had been mired in escalating violence between protesters and law enforcement.
The tweet caused businesses in China to cut ties with the Rockets and broadcasters there refused to air the team’s games this season. NBA telecasts in China, however, resumed during the recent NBA Finals.
Morey is an MIT graduate who became one of the early proponents of the use of analytics in the NBA. The Rockets went 640400 with Morey as the general manager and won a franchiserecord 65 regularseason games in the 201718 season. That was the second time Houston lost in the conference finals under Morey, falling to the Warriors in seven games after also losing to them in the conference finals in 2015.
Lue to be Clippers’ head coach:
Tyronn Lue has agreed to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers.
A person with knowledge of the situation said final terms were still being arranged. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no contract had been signed.
Lue will replace Doc Rivers, the 59yearold who had coached the Clippers for the past seven seasons and is now coaching the Philadelphia 76ers. Lue, 43, was on Rivers’ staff this season when the Clippers wasted a 31 lead over Denver and lost in the Western Conference semifinals.
ESPN first reported the agreement between Lue and the Clippers, saying it was a fiveyear deal.
Lue was on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ staff when he replaced the fired David Blatt during the 201516 season. Under Lue’s guidance, the LeBron Jamesled Cavs beat the Warriors for their firstever NBA championship that season.
Lue, who won two NBA championships as a player with the Lakers, went 12883 in parts of four seasons as the Cavs’ head coach. He coached Cleveland to the NBA Finals in 2017 and 2018, but both times it lost to the Warriors. He was fired after an 06 start to the 201819 season.
Lue is in his second stint with the Clips, having joined them initially in July 2013. The following June, he went to Cleveland.
Lue’s hiring means there are six Black head coaches in the NBA as he joins Rivers, Lloyd Pierce in Atlanta, J. B. Bickerstaff in Cleveland, Monty Williams in Phoenix and Dwane Casey in Detroit.