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Mike D’Antoni reacts to Daryl Morey’s extension with Rockets

Mike D'Antoni, Daryl Morey, Rockets

Earlier today, the Houston Rockets agreed to a five-year contract extension with general manager Daryl Morey, who has been in that position since the 2007-08 season. Head coach Mike D’Antoni spoke to the media regarding Morey’s extension and offered his congratulations, giving Morey his due credit for helping to establish the Rockets as a perennial contender:

By far the most consequential move during Morey’s tenure was the trade to acquire James Harden in 2012, when the Rockets sent Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb and draft picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Harden and fillers.

The deal is still regarded as one of the biggest missteps in Thunder franchise history (the Thunder dealt Harden because they did not want to pay him a max contract), but it has played beautifully for the Rockets. Houston has made the playoffs in each of Harden’s six seasons with the team, and “The Beard” won the league’s Most Valuable Player award last season and could be headed for another MVP this year.

Morey has presided over a Rockets team that has made two Western Conference Finals appearances in the last four years despite undergoing fairly massive team overhauls. Houston came within a single game of reaching the NBA Finals last season.

Although Harden has been the main component in Houston’s success, one of the more underrated moves made this season was the signing of Kenneth Faried.

The Rockets signed Faried in January, and in 17 games he has put up per-36 numbers of 19.7 points and 12.4 rebounds while amassing a 22.7 PER.

Many around the league regard Morey as one of the best GMs in basketball. Meanwhile, D’Antoni has proved to be a tremendous hire, with a 162-69 record in his two-plus seasons as head coach.

 

The post Mike D’Antoni reacts to Daryl Morey’s extension with Rockets appeared first on ClutchPoints.

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