Rockets Offered GM Job In 2007 To Jay Bilas

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Rockets Offered GM Job In 2007 To Jay Bilas 

Post#1 » by RealGM Wiretap » Fri Apr 30, 2021 3:11 pm

The Houston Rockets offered their general manager job to Jay Bilas in 2007 before eventually hiring Daryl Morey. 


Bilas played collegiately at Duke in the 1980s and then played in Europe for a few seasons before becoming an assistant coach at Duke while attending law school. Bilas became a broadcaster for ESPN in 1995.


Bilas detailed the possibility of running the Rockets during an interview with Adrian Wojnarowski. 


Bilas was initially approached by a headhunter to gauge if he would have interest in working for an NBA team in a front office capacity. The headhunter didn't initially identify the team with interest, which was eventually revealed to be the Rockets. 


Bilas flew to Houston to meet with Leslie Alexander for several hours and then returned to his home in North Carolina. 


Alexander later requested Bilas meet with him again, this time at his home in La Jolla, California. After the two spoke for about 45 minutes, Alexander offered the general manager job to Bilas.


Bilas responded that he would like to accept the job but they would have to discuss terms.


Bilas eventually negotiated with Alexander's lawyers and were unable to agree to a deal. 

Via Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN

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Re: Rockets Offered GM Job In 2007 To Jay Bilas 

Post#2 » by mastermixer » Fri Apr 30, 2021 3:27 pm

I don’t believe any stories about someone turning down their first GM job.

I’m sorry, if you turn down one of the most exclusive jobs in the world because you “couldn’t come to terms on a deal” you don’t deserve another shot.


Also, If you can’t negotiate your own job’s terms, how are you going to negotiate with other teams GMs and other players lmao.


I truly believe these stories are just floated by the the person to try to raise their stock for other jobs
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Re: Rockets Offered GM Job In 2007 To Jay Bilas 

Post#3 » by elmdawgg69 » Fri Apr 30, 2021 3:32 pm

Bilas is also a practicing attorney with a Duke law degree.
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Re: Rockets Offered GM Job In 2007 To Jay Bilas 

Post#4 » by Jabroni Lames » Fri Apr 30, 2021 3:42 pm

Imagine the wingspan of the team that Bilas would have built.
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Re: Rockets Offered GM Job In 2007 To Jay Bilas 

Post#5 » by The_Hater » Fri Apr 30, 2021 3:54 pm

Ben McLemore, ‘by far the best player in the 2013 draft’ would have become a Rocket much sooner.
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I dont get how so many people believe in the raptors,they have zero to chance to win it all.


April 14th, 2019.
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Re: Rockets Offered GM Job In 2007 To Jay Bilas 

Post#6 » by The_Hater » Fri Apr 30, 2021 3:59 pm

mastermixer wrote:I don’t believe any stories about someone turning down their first GM job.


Bilas makes a lot of money doing what he’s doing now and it comes without the stress and lack of job security of being an NBA GM.

People weigh things like this when deciding to make a career change and if they feel they are giving up certain things in their current situation, they want to be compensated properly for that. The fact that he has never pursued any NBA jobs since 2007 makes me think that it wasn’t a personal goal of his either.
AthensBucks wrote:Lowry is done.
Nurse is below average at best.
Masai is overrated.
I dont get how so many people believe in the raptors,they have zero to chance to win it all.


April 14th, 2019.
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Re: Rockets Offered GM Job In 2007 To Jay Bilas 

Post#7 » by d-train » Fri Apr 30, 2021 6:48 pm

Rockets dodged a bullet.
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