An NBA general manager wears many hats.
The job is multifaceted. You have to manage conflicting priorities on competing timelines. Contrary to the popular belief of NBA fans who spend too much time on trade machines, it’s a difficult job.
It’s also a high-paying one. Fans have high standards for their general managers, and rightly so. That said, an unreasonable standard is – well, unreasonable.
There’s also a tendency to hyperfixate on your own GM’s track record without considering what other executives
are up to. It’s easy to isolate one person’s mistakes and paint them as incompetent, but if other people in the same position make more mistakes, your point is weakened.
Which brings us to Rafael Stone of the Houston Rockets.
For the most part, I think he’s done a fine job with the Rockets. I’ve defended him in this space to a (probably) annoying extent. This won’t be one of those articles. It’s my turn to be annoyed:
Stone has developed a problematic habit of dumping second-round picks.
Rockets too quick to give up second-rounders
The latest example is the Dorian Finney-Smith dump. Stone sent the Hornets three second-round picks just to take on his contract, even though it expires via a Team Option (TO) next summer.
There are different explanations. Some say the Rockets were ducking the second apron. They wanted to avoid the repeater tax before Amen Thompson was extended. Perhaps.
Others have said that they’ll generate a Traded Player Exception (TPE). If the Rockets use it, that’ll feel like a valid reason to have made this deal. As of now, not knowing how that will shake out, it’s fair to point something out:
This isn’t the first time Stone has used second-round picks to correct a mistake.
Stone also forked over second-round draft capital to dump Usman Garuba and TyTy Washington. Even that points to a broader issue: It’s unclear whether Stone thinks quality players can be found after, say, pick 17. That’s where he took Tari Eason, and that’s the latest pick he’s snagged a decent player with during his tenure in Houston. This is purely speculative, but to me, it felt like Houston picked Josh Christopher due to his (*ahem) relationship with Jalen Green, and TyTy Washington because he was out of ideas.
(Garuba felt like an inspired, but failed choice)
In fact, much of Stone’s reputation hinges on finding Eason and Alperen Sengun in the middle of the first round. Nobody should undersell those accomplishments, but it would be ideal if Stone had found at least one player in the end of the first or beginning of the second round who still mattered to Houston’s outlook.
(Side note: This is what I meant when I wrote that Stone needed Bruce Thornton to work out. That was an overstatement, but in terms of his reputation, he’s due for a second-round hit. It would change his perception significantly if Thornton was a guy).
Did you know five second-round picks for Kevin Durant? I’d forgotten. He also shed three second-round picks in the five-team deal that landed Dillon Brooks in Houston.
One could argue either of those moves was necessary. Perhaps they were. Still, it’s just a bit frustrating to see the team bleed second-round picks by using them to move off bad deals or clear roster space, when other teams use them to add value to the team.
The magic words: “Other teams”. It’s not fair to criticize Stone outside of a league-wide context. Contextually speaking, he doesn’t use second-round picks exceptionally well.
Should we round up the pitchforks?
Rockets are still in good hands
An NBA general manager wears many hats.
Rafael Stone signed Tari Eason below market this summer. He did the same for Marcus Smart. In terms of contract negotiations, the guy is Rasputin in a royal’s ear when he’s talking to these agents.
Rafael Stone drafted Tari Eason 17th, and (basically) Alperen Sengun 16th. Most GMs don’t make a habit of selecting players of that caliber at that stage in the draft. That counts for something, too.
The criticism that Stone doesn’t draft well in the lottery is complicated (and, a separate article altogether). Outside of Green over Mobley (which no, I’m not contractually obliged to mention in every article), I think he’s largely done the best with what he’s had.
But, moving forward, Stone needs to prioritize late draft picks. Sure, the second round is a shot in the dark. Why not take the best possible shots?
After all, that’s part of being a GM too.
