June 18, 2014It’s that time again when Kris Eisley and his boss, Larry Marble, sit down and discuss the season that’s passed. Last year was a scary talk for Kris as the Rockets didn’t perform well at all and Mr. Marble wasn’t happy. Can’t see it going the same this year.
” wrote:Kris, how are you my good man? Great run we made, but tough to see us bow out of the Western Conference Finals like that. Enough about what I think. How do you think you personally did this season?
” wrote:To be honest, I think I did a fantastic job. Not only did I acquire some serious talent like Mike Conley, Trey Burke, Nerlens Noel and Cody Zeller, we were able to develop them into better players and make a deep playoff run. On top of that, I acquired us two picks in the top-7 of this year’s draft AND I kept our salary under the cap.
” wrote:I couldn’t agree with you more, Kris. We had a tremendous year. We won many more games than anyone expected us to and you put us in a great position for the future. Teams around the league would envy our position. I trust you and your decision making to put us in the best possible position to challenge the Nuggets in the West this coming season and push for a title in the VERY near future. What do you think? You want another run at this?
” wrote:I don’t even need to think about it, Sir. I’m not going anywhere. Look forward to working with you again this season!
June 20, 2014I get an email from a guy named Tim Bass, telling me he has just purchased the Rockets and will now be my boss. The next day, he calls.
” wrote:Kris, it’s Tim Bass. Wish we had time for introductions but we have got some work to do. Our website editors need some quotes from you about the upcoming season. Care to say a few words? What do you think about this team and how we will fare this season?
” wrote:It’s tough to say. I want to believe that last season was a trend and not a fluke, but this is a fickle league. We will certainly take the division, I can tell you that much. I’d love to make a deep playoff run again, but I won’t guarantee that. Tell them we will again win our division and be a top-3 seed in the West.
” wrote:We better take the division with the teams we have to go up against! Alright, now between you and I, how much are you looking to spend this season? Where are we going to be at based on the salary cap line?
” wrote:I hate talking money; just hate it, especially when it is not mine. But I’ve got to be honest with you, I’ve been very good to this franchise the past two seasons. We have been under the cap both years and I’ve shed salary. I know I’m going to need to spend at least the entire cap. If we want to make a push and get over the top, it’s going to cost us. How about $10 million over?
” wrote:Whoa, that’s a bit much. Look, I want to win as much as the next owner, but this is also a business. I’ll give you some spending cash, a little over the cap, but don’t go crazy. We’ve got the talent right here on the roster to grow into great players. Don’t go spending money to bring in new guys that will stunt our young players’ growth.