Better Team: Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets?

General Manager

April 28, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Denver Nuggets president

This is seemingly the closest of all the categories. Bob Myers and Daryl Morey have built reputations as savvy general managers with drastically different backgrounds.

Myers played college basketball and served as a basketball agent for 14 years. His 19 clients include Brandon Roy, Tyreke Evans, Kendrick Perkins and former Warriors Dorell Wright. His cumulative contracts that he negotiated during his career as a sports agent total more than $575 million dollars.

He was responsible for the drafting of Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli and Draymond Green, as well as the acquisition of undrafted Scott Machado and Kent Bazemore. He was also acquired Jarrett Jack through a three-team trade and brought on veteran Carl Landry on a one year contract. Let’s also not forget the signing of Andre Iguodala and the trade to the Utah Jazz which cleared $24 million in cap space.

Morey has had no previous basketball experience before becoming a SVP Operations for the Boston Celtics. He had a heavy background in sports statistics but did not have the similar involvement as someone like Myers. Morey’s “Moneyball” approach to basketball is as unique as it is successful. The Rockets are the first NBA team to hire a General Manager with such a distinct lack of basketball experience and the first team to really trust the Sabermetrics system.

Well, it paid off. Morey has been essential in drafting second round steals like Chandler Parsons, acquiring great players through trades like James Harden and signing free agents like Omer Asik. Morey also bagged the biggest free agent of this year, Dwight Howard, in a move that displays his prowess as an executive. In doing so, he beat out all the other GM’s trying to acquire Howard, including Myers.

Morey’s statistical background has created a unique brand of basketball, one that looks at substance above flash and one that prioritizes winning games by whatever means necessary.

Morey came in third in the Executive of the Year voting for good reason; although he lacks the direct basketball experience of other GMs, his intelligence and statistical know-how gives him a unique edge over other executives.

This one is very close, but given the fact that Morey has more experience as a GM and that he successfully stole Howard from the Warriors, the edge goes to the Rockets.

Edge: Rockets