Houston Rockets Owner Leslie Alexander announced today that he has re-signed Daryl Morey as the team’s General Manager and Managing Director of Basketball Operations. Morey is entering his fourth season with the organization and his third as the team’s head of all basketball operations. As per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.
“Daryl has displayed great leadership during his three years overseeing our basketball operations,” said Alexander. “In his short time here, Daryl has already established himself as an innovator in the field of talent evaluation and player acquisition. My focus is to bring another world championship to the fans of Houston and I believe Daryl will be instrumental in achieving that goal.”
Morey has built a Rockets team that has gone a combined 108-56 (.659) and has set a number of team records over his two seasons as General Manager. His ability to manage and bolster the roster earned him YAHOO.com Executive of the Year accolades in 2008-09. In addition to earning votes for 2008-09 NBA Executive of the Year, Morey was named “Top 50 Most Influential in Basketball” in 2009 by HOOPSWORLD. Morey was also recognized in 2009 as one of “The 10 Most Creative People in Sports” by Fast Company magazine.
Houston registered a 53-29 mark in 2008-09 to give the team a third consecutive 50-win season for the first time in team history (52-30 in 2006-07 and 55-27 in 2007-08). The Rockets also advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals for the first time since 1997, taking the L.A. Lakers to a Game Seven despite playing without Tracy McGrady and losing the services of Yao Ming for the final four contests of that series. In 2007-08, the Rockets won a remarkable 22 straight games, which stands as the second-longest winning streak in professional sports history.
“I would like to thank Mr. Alexander for the faith he has shown in me and the basketball staff,” said Morey. “Under his leadership and with the resources he provides, the team is positioned well to consistently compete in the Western Conference. Mr. Alexander has always made it clear that his ultimate goal is a successful return to the NBA Finals and I look forward to continue working with him to meet that challenge.”
Morey came to Houston after serving three years as SVP Operations for the Boston Celtics. With the Celtics, his responsibilities included the development of analytical methods and technology to enhance basketball decisions, such as the draft, trades and free agency. Prior to his time with the Celtics, Morey worked as a Principal consultant with an emphasis on sports at The Parthenon Group, a leading strategy consulting firm. Morey was also a statistical consultant with STATS, Inc., the industry pioneer in the use of sports statistics highlighted in the Michael Lewis book Moneyball.
