Tag: Daryl Morey

“Built to Lose” Book Special With Jake Fischer

October 28, 2021 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Jake Fischer’s “Built to Lose” chronicles the league’s “Tanking Era” with a focus on the 76ers, Suns, Magic, Kings and Lakers.

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Enjoy Aaron’s one-on-one conversation with Bleacher Report writer Jake Fischer on his debut book, “Built to Lose: How the NBA’s Tanking Era Changed the League Forever.”

4:47-5:23: “There was a long Google doc of probably 600 names of people that were this player and his agent and the player’s college coach and every single guy who was ever rostered by that team, guys who were in training camp. And then as you get on the phone with other people, you start to ask also, like, ‘Hey, now that we’ve talked for 20, 30, 40 minutes, and you kind of know who I am a little bit, know the work I’m trying to do, and just the honest conversation I’m trying to have, anybody you think you could put me in touch with that would help me further understand, add another perspective?’ Sometimes I’ll even ask for specific people.”

14:38-15:47: “For me, before I got into this more newsy space at Bleacher Report, at Sports Illustrated, I was working on “Built to Lose” for a long portion of my time there. I kinda developed a niche at SI of being someone who covered left-of-center stories, like I got coffee with Mike D’Antoni ‘cuz he’s obsessed with Starbucks. And my last thing I ever wrote for SI was a profile on Red Panda, so stuff like that. Continue reading

Dan Morgan: “Ben Simmons” Will Be “the Guy Blamed” for 76ers’ Collapse

June 25, 2021 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Ben Simmons converted barely more than one-third of his 73 free-throw attempts this postseason, the worst percentage in NBA history for anyone w/ 70+ attempts. (All-Pro-Reels/Wikimedia Commons).

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Dan Morgan of the Process Potables podcast joins Loren and Aaron to break down the Philadelphia 76ers’ unexpected elimination at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks. From Ben Simmons’ offensive disappearing act to Joel Embiid playing through injury to Dan’s faith (or lack thereof) in head coach Doc Rivers to President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey’s offseason task ahead, this episode has everything. Enjoy some excerpts below:

11:57-13:49: “Unfortunately, Philadelphia is one of the most negative markets that I think probably exists in major sports in North America, even when things are going well. People in this city have wanted to tear the team down from before even rising up. … Depending on who you talk to, the process ranged anywhere from three to 37 years, so it’s unclear about when it started, it’s unclear about when it ended and then every season when they lose, it’s “Welp, the process is over.” The process was over three years ago, two years ago, this year. It’s an absolute mess. It’s unfortunate but the reality of it all, honestly, is that the team is in really good shape. It is very unfortunate that they blew an opportunity like this when it seemed like the stars were aligning for them. … It felt like everything was working for the Sixers, and then Trae Young comes in and shuts it all down. But they have Joel Embiid, who if you take out the games played argument was the MVP of the league. You have Ben Simmons who is a 24-year-old transformative player, both sides, should have been the Defensive Player of the Year in my opinion. You have Tobias Harris… They have things they can do. They have promising young players in Matisse Thybulle and Tyrese Maxey…

15:02-16:26: “‘Can they [co]exist, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid?’ Well, that’s been the question for a long time. They did enough to be the No. 1 seed in an improved East this year, so there’s something to be said for that. I still don’t know that you can say, ‘No, it absolutely can’t work.’ But the problem is year after year, the conversation happens, and of all of Ben Simmons’ shortcomings, this was the worst, and I don’t think it’s close at all. This was far and away one of the most atrocious things I’ve ever seen. … Continue reading

Randy Harvey: “Which Rockets Team Will We See?”

May 18, 2018 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Through two games, James Harden & Kevin Durant are isolating frequently to great individual success. But does that hurt either team’s flow? Randy Harvey weighs in (GameFace-Photos/Creative Commons).

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We’ve brought back Randy Harvey, former sports editor of the Houston Chronicle, to discuss the Houston Rockets’ Western Conference finals run. Since retiring on March 1st, Randy and his wife moved to Pasadena where he’s continued to follow the Rockets from afar. With the series tied at one, the Rockets stand three wins away from their first NBA Finals berth in 23 years. Standing in their way, the mighty Warriors who have won two of the past three titles. This season’s Rockets won a league-best 65 games after adding superstar point guard Chris Paul, who had never appeared in a conference final, along with 3-and-D wings P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute. Of course, the team is centered around James Harden, whose MVP-caliber season has vaulted his team into this position. As the Western Conference finals has effectively turned into a best-of-five series, without further ado, let’s check in with Mr. Harvey for more on this heavyweight matchup. Continue reading

Salman Ali: Rockets Enjoying “Perfect Synergy” Throughout Organization

April 7, 2017 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Now with a singular focus on basketball, James Harden is recording an MVP-caliber season, leading the Houston Rockets to the third-best record in the NBA (Keith Allison/Flickr).

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The Rockets embody one of the best storylines of the 2016-17 season. After badly underwhelming a year ago, the front office adeptly moved around pieces, Mike D’Antoni was brought in to lead the team and James Harden has taken his game to unparalleled heights. As a result, Houston enjoys the league’s third-best record. Salman Ali, Managing Editor for Red Nation Hoops and host of the podcast with the same name, visits to discuss all those topics and more including how various role players are thriving and what Houston’s chances are against the rest of the Western Conference’s elite teams. Before the episode blasts off and we journey through the cosmos, you may prepare by scanning some of the highlights below:

0:50-1:26: From Salman’s perspective, just in time for the postseason, Harden is looking more like himself as he recovers from his wrist injury:

“I think the Rockets did a good job at sandwiching that rest day to where he’d get a full five days of rest. And let’s be real, that was a rest day. It was listed as a flu, but we kind of know it was because he didn’t want to sit and the Rockets had to say it was a flu day, so I think they did a good job of finding ways to sit him. His shooting stroke looks good. He’s getting to the rim, and he’s not tentative when he gets there, which is a problem that he had last week. And he’s not grimacing after shots, which was a big issue. Through the TV, you could just see that that wrist was bothering him, and now it looks a lot better.”

7:08-8:17: Even before the season, our guest began to notice that Harden was training his focus on the Houston Rockets to an extent he never had before. The adjustment has benefitted the team immensely:

“He seems really invested. Obviously, the bigger, high profile thing that Harden did this year is he signed that big extension to stay with the Rockets. To me, that showed a huge commitment to the franchise that may not have been there last season. Let’s be frank. He did not try as hard as he could have last year, and I think that reflected in how poor the Rockets played…he’s treating basketball as his job as opposed to something he’s doing on the side. That’s a really, really important distinction to make. Calvin Watkins of ESPN sat down with Travis Scott. He’s actually a local Houston rapper. He was talking about his opinion of James Harden, and he basically says, ‘James Harden doesn’t even want to go out with me anymore. All he does is he wants to stay inside and play basketball.'”
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Randy Harvey: Rockets Haven’t “Played With (Consistent) Sense of Urgency”

April 10, 2016 / Joshua Fischman / 0 Comments

According to Randy Harvey, James Harden’s poor defensive effort has been a primary reason for Houston’s defensive decline this season (GameFace-Photos/Creative Commons).

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As the Houston Rockets battle for a postseason berth, it’s the perfect time to bring on Houston Chronicle sports editor Randy Harvey. Of course, the Rockets have wildly underperformed, just a season after their thrilling Western Conference finals appearance. Much uncertainty surrounds the team, including Dwight Howard’s future in the Space City and a likely vacancy at head coach. Choice highlights can be found below:

3:27-4:19 on James Harden’s role in the team’s defensive regression:

“You’ve got to start with Harden. One thing that a lot of people forget is that before last season, he was coming in off a World Championship team, so he worked all summer and came in in shape and played really well defensively, played very well at both ends of the court. This year, there was no national team endeavors in the offseason, and he came in really out of shape, and he’s never really caught up. So you start with that defensively.”

8:15-9:18 on the importance (or lack thereof) of Houston making the playoffs:

“I think it would be better for them not to make the playoffs, get the lottery pick, than it would be for them to play San Antonio or Golden State in the first round, and you’re basically four games and done. And what’s the point of that? I really don’t see any real advantage for the franchise. I will say this though: Les Alexander has always, even when they weren’t very good going back two and three years ago, never was a tank guy.They were never gonna tank for a draft pick or for a lottery pick…He’s gonna be demanding that they make the playoffs.” Continue reading

Tag: Daryl Morey

“Built to Lose” Book Special With Jake Fischer

Dan Morgan: “Ben Simmons” Will Be “the Guy Blamed” for 76ers’ Collapse

Randy Harvey: “Which Rockets Team Will We See?”

Salman Ali: Rockets Enjoying “Perfect Synergy” Throughout Organization

Randy Harvey: Rockets Haven’t “Played With (Consistent) Sense of Urgency”

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