5 Takeaways From Daryl Morey's July Appearance on The Ricky
Let’s dig deep and overanalyze.
Mike O’Connor is the best O’Connor in basketball writing. Previously of The Athletic, you can find Mike on Twitter @MOConnor_NBA.
A few months before Daryl Morey interviewed to be the Sixers’ President of Basketball Operations, he graciously gave a far more important interview on our very own Rights to Ricky Sanchez podcast, tackling a wide range of topics with Spike and Mike over the course of nearly an hour.
Lucky for you, I’ve re-listened to said interview and am here to bring you a few important takeaways that you may have forgotten, as quite a bit has happened in the world since then. Let’s begin.
On the role of analytics in his decision making
“Really all it is, is, my job’s no different than Red Aurebach in 1950 when he was running the Celtics, which is ‘make great decisions all the time’ on draft, on trades, on free agency. And using data helps that… but end of the day, they’re all human decisions. No spreadsheet is making any trade.”
This is an important distinction that often gets lost in the caricature-ization of Morey as an analytics worshipper. There’s a perception that Morey operates under some ironclad analytics-based principles -- that every decision is reached by what an analytical model says, or that he’d sign or trade for one player over another simply because their Real Adjusted Plus/Minus is higher.
There is no doubt a consideration of that type of information, as Morey says. But the appeal in hiring Morey is not that he simply understands math better than the previous regime, but rather that he’s a creative thinker with a maniacal level of obsession for working the margins. Success on the margins has been hard to come by from Sixers braintrust for years, and Morey’s ability to think outside the box will be crucial in helping the Sixers wiggle out of their current jam.
On Sam Hinkie and how a team operates differently when trying to contend
“The whole reason you build up all the capital, and [Hinkie] did the best job I’ve ever seen, I think, at building it up, is, at the time that you have the chance to win it… you go forward. And there was a prominent player who could’ve been traded for even on a one-year rental a year ago, I could see [Hinkie] just piling all in to that.”
“You have to be on a success cycle, which is, when you’re down, you’ve got to build up your store in the armory as much as possible, and then when you’re up, you’ve got to use it all, to eek out small advantages to increase your chance to win. And you’re gonna go through these cycles, but that’s fine. That’s natural.”
This part was particularly interesting and I think helps inform how Morey might approach this job. First off, I think he vaguely alludes to the fact that he thinks Hinkie would’ve traded for Kawhi Leonard. But the real takeaway here is that if he thinks the Sixers have any title window whatsoever, he’s likely going to make win-now moves until he feels that the window is gone. TheSixers certainly don’t have many assets still sitting in the cupboard, but Morey seems to be of the mindset that half-assing an attempt to build a title contender isn’t worth it. If he and ownership believe that this team should try to contend now, I’d be surprised if they don’t go balls to the wall to make it happen.
On the balance of power in decision making within a front office
“First off, there’s this perception like… ‘Keep the owner away. Owner bad, random other dude good.’ I think owners, especially if they’re good at asking the right questions, good at thinking through things, you want the owner involved and here’s why: people in my job can get shortsighted. They can be worried about the next two years, the next three years, versus the long term health of the franchise. The only person in the entire organization of a team that has the same incentives as the fans is the owner.”
There is definitely some level of lip service here -- I doubt that the majority of GMs are eager to have major input from owners -- but I think it shows part of why Morey was able to succeed and stick around for a long time in Houston. Perhaps unlike Sam Hinkie, Morey seems quite adept at tending to all of the voices in the room and making them all feel heard. That is a crucial part of keeping all of the various egos surrounding a front office from engulfing each other. And with all the voices still within the organization, it should bode well for his ability to lead a functioning front office.
On what traits he likes to have in a head coach
Spike: “You have a choice between two coaches. One coach, his relationship with players is a 10, and strategically he’s about a five. The other coach, strategically he’s a 10, as good as there goes, but his relationship with players is a 5. Which coach do you choose?
Morey: “So I just have one question. Is his relationship with players league wide? Like, do all players love him?”
Spike: “Yes.”
Morey: “The first one no doubt. Cause I mean, having a coach that players want to play for is super important in the NBA. Maybe it’s not true in the smaller markets where it’s hard to recruit, but people like playing in Philly, they like playing in Houston. And on the strategic side, I wish there were huge differences on how teams play, but there aren’t. I mean there are important differences but they’re not -- long way of saying it’s much more important to get the top player than to have him be in the exact perfect system.”
This was an interesting point on Morey’s part that led me to believe that he could be excited at the prospect of working with Doc Rivers. Rivers is as respected by players league wide as anyone else, and Morey may view that as a marginal edge in getting star (or any) players to come to Philly. Certainly, between Rivers, Morey, and Elton Brand, the Sixers have some serious name brand value when it comes to meeting with potential free agents who may want to play for the Sixers.
On Philadelphia fans
“My only insight into Philly fans -- and by the way, some of the best fans in the world -- is my wife, who grew up in New Jersey. And when [Hinkie] got the job, she told Sam, she’s like, ‘dude, you’re in trouble. They’re crazy. I’m not sure you’re gonna make it more than a few years.’ And she was completely right, not for the reason that maybe she thought.”
At least Morey is walking into the job with a decent feel for what the fanbase is like. After spending an hour with Spike and Mike, he should have a much better feel than any other potential front office hire would have.