Feigen got a quick interview with Daryl Morey recently...
Among the choice quotes:
"I think we're going to have a tall task ahead of us to be a playoff team. I think that is the goal for us. The history of teams with no all stars making playoffs is pretty limited."
.....
[about potential trades for 2009/10] "It's more we're in patient mode," Morey said. "We're trying to add players through trades primarily who help us win now and in the future. It does put a higher bar on the moves. They are a little more rare. We're not trying to move any contracts. Now that we have a pretty good sense Yao will be back next year, definitely the plan is to put a team around Yao for next year, and be as competitive as we can this year."
This isn't surprising. We've been trying to lower the expectations a bit here, too. I'll go on record as saying I think the current roster wins maybe 35 games next year. They will compete and play hard and we'll cheer like hell for the good guys, but they will be the lesser talented team most every night. And one simple trade for an expiring contract or seven really isn't going to change our immediate future. It will only kill our long-term prospects.
That said......
"History would say other moves are coming," Morey said. "It is less likely this is (the) roster.
"If we could add all-star-caliber player, that would be a home run. Teams don't give them away. To outperform expectations, we need one of our players to play at an All-Star level or Mac to come back and play at that level, or a trade."
I think Scola could be a borderline All-Star kinda player, but he's not a franchise player. I do not think Morey believes for a second that McGrady will come back and be a top 5 NBA player. At least not next year. Nor do I think there is a Ron Artest out there to be had like last year.
Morey isn't dumb. (Obviously.) If it takes one down non-playoff year to lead the Rockets to the promised land 2-3 years from now... that's a calculated risk he will take every day of the week. Besides, it might make us appreciate Yao Ming even more when the team returns to its Steve Francis/Cuttino Mobley era results next year. When 37 wins was somehow an "accomplishment". Ugh.
As we always say - In Daryl Morey we trust.
Too bad Feigen couldn't get more out of him in this interview, but I do think Morey's spending most of his time plotting ways to kill Simmons for continually calling him "Dork Elvis" (a nickname that really isn't even that funny as Morey was maybe five years old when Elvis had his last peanut butter and banana sandwich).