Houston Rockets

[Ian Noble]

Houston Rockets Open!
The Houston Rockets are looking for a new GM!

Previous GM: Charles Barkley gave the Rockets six years of service.

You have up to one month to show the Hiring Committee you're up to the job of leading the Rockets!

What are we looking for before we appoint you as Rockets GM?

Engagement and Activity

Someone who can show they will be an active member of Dynasty Five for a long time, to make the Rockets their own and build a great dynasty and to understand that it will be a job that will take many years! We want someone who wants to become part of the semi-roleplaying atmosphere of being a real NBA GM here at D5, who gets involved in rating players, day-to-day discussion and even posts media centre articles such as rankings, jersey switches, analytics, scouting reports or stories.

Knowledge

The Rockets roster is in a promising place right now: built around Giannis Antetokounmpo's leadership and the veteran presences of Kevin Love, Kemba Walker and Mike Conley, Houston is all but a lock for the playoffs, but needs to take an extra step to really challenge some of the most elite teams in Dynasty Five for championship contention! After a disastrous off season leaving possibly the weakest bench in the league it's going to require some expert tinkering to make it all work out in Houston!

Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the current Rockets roster.

How to Apply

***Reply to this thread to introduce yourself***

Explain your experience with NBA basketball, which team you support, where you live etc.
Possibly explain your plans for the Rockets if you were to take over as GM.
If you don't have a GM name already, choose a name that's not been taken already

Keep active as outlined above

Also have a read of What is Dynasty Five?

After the Hiring Committee has seen enough we will meet to decide who gets hired for the job!

note: even if you miss out on this team, showing you're a committed, hard working GM will put you first in line for any future team openings and ahead of everyone else on the waiting list.

[Tom Izzo]

Hello again! I've been around here for a while waiting for a team to open. I was a candidate for the Trailblazers job before being turned down in favor of Jerry West. I've been semi-assisting with the Detroit Pistons while Chauncey Billups was away for training. And ultimately, my experience with GM Leagues is deep and lengthy.

It all started in 2005 with nbagmleague.proboard.com. I took over the Detroit Pistons there when I was 15 years old. From there, several leagues spawned and I roped my friends in. My brother, Chauncey Billups, was involved in that league. And Josh Barber, longtime D5 member, joined toward the end of the league's run. Josh was a friend of a mutual friend who was told about the league and that's actually how we "met" and became friends over the past decade. Josh got his friend to join, George Gervin, who I also participate in our fantasy basketball league with.

So imagine if I never joined nbagmleague back in 2005. Several key members may not have ever been a part of this community. You guys can call me granddaddy.

Aside from simply participating in Leagues over the years, I've attempted to run a few. Me and Josh attempted some spin-off leagues revolved around global basketball and different rules. We started 3 leagues in the past 5 years and completely finished one full season of one of the leagues, whereas the other two struggled to gain momentum. Me and my brother ran our own league for roughly a year, called NBA Glory. But life and school got in the way and that had to go as well. Why do I highlight those failed projects? One, to help paint the picture of my passion for these leagues that has sustained over *14* years. And two, well, because I've learned with those failures that running a league isn't quite right for my life. I don't have the energy and commitment to put in the hard work that guys like Ian do. However, being a GM, that's exactly right for me.

I've been involved in D5 in the past. I was around during the D6 experiment and even briefly during the D5 Resurrection. While waiting in D5, I've participated in discussions, rating changes, input on accepted trades. I think I've been waiting for an opening for almost 2 years? I have to check the time. But it's been a while. Over that time I hope I've demonstrated my commitment and involvement in this league and hope to become a more permanently established member with full control of my own team.

The Rockets seem to be in a pretty great spot. But don't be fooled by the glamour of Giannis. The underlying issue here is that the Rockets have aging veterans with large contracts, eating up a huge portion of the salary cap. These players may be looked at as negative assets due to their contracts and injury history. We are entering Giannis' prime, which means he is going to want to win. The Rockets need to compete now or risk losing the MVP to free agency. My long term plan is to make Giannis the franchise player and not to lose him to free agency. And to do so, I need to convince him he can win in Houston. A quick and soft rebuild will have to be necessary, in my opinion. Love and Conley are not the right fits to build around Giannis, due to age/contracts/injury concerns. I will explore my options with the intent on being a top 3 Western team in 2 years time, before Giannis is set to hit the market. We will have to stay committed to building a winning culture and chasing championships or we risk losing everything in just a few years.

[Hanamichi Sakuragi]

What happen to Charles?

[Ian Noble]

Dec 14, 2019 23:06:44 GMT Hanamichi Sakuragi said:

What happen to Charles?

I've asked his real-life friends, seems like he got a new job and has devoted time to that instead, which is fair enough. It's really damaged his team though

[Steve Nash]

Hey guys,

I've been an assistant for Brian and the Pelicans since February. During the past few months, I've been helping Brian with trades, player evaluations and scouting. I've learned a lot from him and I've learned a lot about the league during this time. You guys have built something pretty special here and I've been happy to be a very small part of it.

Since 2015, I have been an active member in D720. I have made the playoffs three times with my Suns and been to the finals once. I've been a member of the trade committee and player agent boards for a few years, as well as contributing to the league through offseason grades, predictions and jersey swap edits. My team in 720 is built to be competitive but also with a focus on the future. That mentality and vision is what I would want to implement with the Rockets. Obviously, Giannis is the focus of the franchise and a team built around him would be my priority. However, he is 25 and the other pieces of this team are significantly older. Infusing the roster with younger players and contracts would create a team that can grow around Giannis and peak when he does. The roster is currently quite top heavy, with a lot of players in their prime or post-prime on lucrative contracts - with not a lot else. Keeping Giannis and adding depth to this team may be the most challenging part as the GM. My approach to building a team around Giannis would certainly involve testing the market on guys like Kevin Love or Mike Conley. As well, shedding some salary and attaining a bit of wiggle room around the cap would help in next year’s free agency to round out the bench. However, I will still want to remain competitive and show Giannis that this franchise will be one that can win with him as the star. Drafting is an aspect of this team that will be very important and a part I think I can do well. I enjoy scouting and player development. While it can be a crap-shoot, having solid prospects in the pipeline while Giannis is 25 will be essential to create this team into a dynasty that it has the potential to be. This is where my previous experience as the Pelican’s assistant and my time in D720 will be an advantage. All in all, while this will take time and will be difficult to execute if I am selected, I think it is an effective strategy for creating a consistent team with a winning culture. I feel as though I would fit right in as the new owner.

I've been fairly lowkey during my time here, mostly learning and lurking. I hope that isn't to my detriment. For those that know me and have gotten to know me, you can guarantee that I'm in it for the long haul and will be here for years to come. If you have any additional questions, feel free to ask. In the meantime I'll be watching Jaren Jackson Jr and Trae Young highlights.

Thanks,
Steve Nash

[Brian Scalabrine]

I'll vouch for Steve. He's been an integral part of our team as assistant GM. Much more so than any other assistant I've had in the past.

He's extremely active, often messaging me info about our players. He's also led the way on several trade negotiations. We worked hand in hand when it came to the draft, he was definitely more knowledgeable about it than I was this year.

Steve has an excellent grasp of player value, contracts, draft prospects and everything else that comes with being a D5 GM.

The Houston Rockets would be lucky to have him.

[Ian Noble]

Steve Nash
Tom Izzo

Amare has removed himself from the running so it's just you two guys!

Tom Izzo you pointed out some of the flaws in the process in one of Amare's trade threads and I'm inclined to agree. It might be good to have a think about new methods of hiring in future.

I'll be back with more guidance for you guys this weekend. Apologies I haven't given much guidance so far, although I think you've both been around long enough to know how this works.

[Ian Noble]

Guys I'm really sorry for not being attentive to this situation. Christmas has hit at the wrong time

Tom Izzo
Steve Nash

Would you be averse to a league-wide vote about who gets the job?

[Steve Nash]

Sounds good to me Ian Noble!

[Jared Montini]

I’ll vouch for Nash as well, he’s super active in 720 and one of the better gms.

[Tom Izzo]

Sorry I've been away for a few days. I'm in Mexico with the girlfriend's family with limited internet.

[Tom Izzo]

I've been in active talks with several members about some potential moves. I want to lay out my plan for Houston here and reveal what I've been trying to do because I will have limited internet until I return home on January 4th.

My objective has been, and would remain to be if I get the Houston job, to shed Kevin Love and Mike Conley. I want expiring contracts this year, and if possible, draft picks as well. This is a hard ask but talks with some members have progressed.

I want to tank this year with the hope of getting lucky with the draft. Maybe a ping pong ball bounces in my favor. With at least one lottery pick rookie and Giannis, and newly found cap space (should I reach my goal of obtaining expiring deals in exchange for Kevin Love and Mike Conley), I will go after a max player. I see LeBron, Paul George, and a few other guys I'd try to lure with the prospect of playing next to Giannis. I'd prefer a younger star with a longer contract, but I would take who I could get.

With the rest of my cap I would target quality veterans to build a roster around my two stars - 3, if I still have Kemba Walker as well. I have to check the math, I'm not sure where my cap situation would be at. The following year I would use my MLE to go after a good free agent that fits next to my stars. At this point, should everything work out, I would have built a team that should be at the top of the West and ready to contend and hopefully have convinced Giannis to stay.

I understand this plan may not be easy to achieve but that's what I decided to attempt during the trial run.

[Jerry West]

Literally every vote counted.

Congratulations Tom Izzo

Enjoy Giannis

[Tom Izzo]

The wait is over at last

[Ian Noble]

Jan 3, 2020 12:33:30 GMT Tom Izzo said:

The wait is over at last

Congratulations Mr Izzo! Welcome to the Houston Rockets organisation!

Condolences Steve Nash, that was a painfully close poll! I'm sure you'll get there next time around, please hang in there!

[Steve Nash]

Thanks all the votes guys! I didn't expect it to be that close.

Congrats Tom! The Rockets will benefit from your insight.

I will definitely be sticking around for the next opening! Thanks again 😊

[Tom Izzo]

Thanks for those who voted for me. As for those who did not, I'm going to be submitting a freedom of information request to Ian and put each of you on my shit list. Welcome to the show