Rockets match Nets offer for Donuts (Updte Pg 17: Offer Pulled, DMo UFA)

[pr0wler]

D-Mo's back is obviously ****.

He passed the phsysical with the Nets. The Nets this year has been so conservative ever since the Sean Marks era to the point that there is no way they would risk giving him money if he has a bad back in the first place. I'm not saying he is not prone to re-injuring his back but I would bet money that his back is healthy as of this moment. This is just a way for Morey to spite D-Mo because of the lack of agreement of what Morey really wants. Failing his physical, and releasing him as a UFA is for Morey to save face and give D-Mo the stigma that he is still injured and has behavior issue so he doesn't get the money he wants.

You don't know that he passed a physical with the Nets. They may have seen the concerns with his back and decided to take him on anyways. That happens more than you think. Plus remember that these are different doctors doing the physicals and they can arrive and different conclusions.

But we do know that DM failed a physical with the Pistons back in February and they vetoed a trade because of it. So you'd be wise to save your money on that bet.

This.

Look, I love DMo...my Dad bumped into him a few months ago here in the city and he was extremely nice and friendly to him. He even got a photo with him.

I'd love to see him in a Rockets jersey and I'm pretty confident the coaches and Morey do as well otherwise they wouldn't have gone to all this trouble. DMo wouldn't be walking around wearing Houston gear and saying "Basketball player of the Houston Rockets" on his Twitter well into the Fall if he didn't want to be here.

Bottom line is there has to be something wrong with his back, just like the Pistons saw, and that's the root of all these issues. It's really too bad cause he was fun to watch and I hope he can sign a deal elsewhere, even if short-term, and make it back in this league.

[K_chile22]

What a scum move by Morey. They perfectly knew Dmo's back status before free agency and way before the Nets tested him. Now basically they cockblocked DMo out of the only offer he received. I guess that's what you get when you try to challenge the system. If the Players Association is not on this, that would suprise me.

Sent from my MotoG3 using RealGM mobile app

That's why Morey has met with the league to try to get him to Brooklyn, huh?

[K_chile22]

If your saying the Rockets failed Dmo out of spite (which makes absolutely no sense, why would they go through the hassle of matching, then negotiating a new team friendly deal for fun? That's so dumb lol) you're also saying Detroit is full of it for failing him there

[BallerTalk]

Exactly... with the way the current rule is, you can match any offer out of spite.... fail the player on your physical since thats all up to the team to decide, then renounce him and stick it to the player and team who signed him.

That's not how it works.
If a team matches and then the player fails his physical the player automatically goes to the team that gave him the offer sheet.
That didn't happen here because D-Mo and the Rockets discarded the original offer sheet.

[K_chile22]

Exactly... with the way the current rule is, you can match any offer out of spite.... fail the player on your physical since thats all up to the team to decide, then renounce him and stick it to the player and team who signed him.

That's not how it works.
If a team matches and then the player fails his physical the player automatically goes to the team that gave him the offer sheet.
That didn't happen here because D-Mo and the Rockets discarded the original offer sheet.

Which happened because Dmo refused to report because his agent didn't tell him they lose money if the Rockets match

[BallerTalk]

What a scum move by Morey. They perfectly knew Dmo's back status before free agency and way before the Nets tested him. Now basically they cockblocked DMo out of the only offer he received. I guess that's what you get when you try to challenge the system. If the Players Association is not on this, that would suprise me.

That's why Morey has met with the league to try to get him to Brooklyn, huh?

Exactly.
Funny how so many people missed that part of the story.

[BallerTalk]

NBA needs to step in on this one. If Motiejunas is unrestricted and the Nets want to try and sign him, they should be able to. This is utterly ridiculous.

The NBA reportedlydid weigh in, and this is the result.

When BJ had D-Mo refuse to report after the Rockets matched both sides negotiated a new deal, thereby nullifying the Nets' offer sheet. Then D-Mo failed his physical which created a new dilemma. In a effort to resolve the situation for all parties, the Rockets reportedly went to the league to see if the rules of the matched deal could be attached so D-Mo would go back to the Nets.
The league apparently declined. Presumably they didn't want to set a precedent of players holding out on negotiated deal.
That is where BJ screwed D-Mo the most.

[13th Man]

NBA needs to step in on this one. If Motiejunas is unrestricted and the Nets want to try and sign him, they should be able to. This is utterly ridiculous.

The NBA reportedlydid weigh in, and this is the result.

When BJ had D-Mo refuse to report after the Rockets matched both sides negotiated a new deal, thereby nullifying the Nets' offer sheet. Then D-Mo failed his physical which created a new dilemma. In a effort to resolve the situation for all parties, the Rockets reportedly went to the league to see if the rules of the matched deal could be attached so D-Mo would go back to the Nets.
The league apparently declined. Presumably they didn't want to set a precedent of players holding out on negotiated deal.
That is where BJ screwed D-Mo the most.

Wow, BJ should be fired for this debacle. Couldn't have turned out worse for D-Mo.

[pr0wler]

If it's one thing all of us agree on, BJ should never get a job as an agent again.

[inquisitive]

I guess DMO can go ahead now and sign a one year minimum deal somewhere to prove himself...then get a big contract offer after that assuming he plays well and doesn't get hurt.

[Ballerhogger]

I guess DMO can go ahead now and sign a one year minimum deal somewhere to prove himself...then get a big contract offer after that assuming he plays well and doesn't get hurt.

If he cant pass physically he cant prove anything. Looking bleak for his career.

[BallerTalk]

Wow, BJ should be fired for this debacle. Couldn't have turned out worse for D-Mo.

If it's one thing all of us agree on, BJ should never get a job as an agent again.

To be fair I would say this, BJ clearly screwed up throughout this process but perhaps not quite as much as we first thought.

I posted this a week ago:

At this point, unless D-Mo's back has the structural integrity of wet tissue paper, I don't see how BJ Armstrong can convince him or anyone else that he served D-Mo well here.

That was my thought when I tried to understand how any agent could be so absolutely horrible during what should have been a routine RFA process.
Now, with the information that has come out since, it appears that may well have been the case.

BJ was stubborn and appeared foolish at times but it may have been all in an effort to get D-Mo as much upfront money as he could knowing D-Mo's back would be an ongoing problem.
This explains why he rejected the QO that many felt they should have taken and banked on UFA in 2017.
This explains why he accepted an extremely team friendly offer sheet from the Nets, it offered more upfront money than the QO.
This explains why he negotiated in the offer sheet that D-Mo not be subjected to more strenuous exams as a condition of the contract.
And this really explains why he put up such a fuss when Houston did not pick up the incentives in the offer sheet when they matched.

BJ dropped the ball by allowing the offer sheet to be discarded in pursuit of those incentives, apparently forgetting the risks involved if D-Mo failed his exam. However some of his earlier follies may have been done with the awareness of D-mo's frail back in mind.

This doesn't excuse Armstrong's mistakes but it does provide a different angle on some of the strange choices he made.

[RaptorsLife]

damn a millionaire getting screwed outta millionaires

[TMU]

The players' union should have advocated the league to standardize the physical throughout the league. I do think that teams could exploit this aspect and back out on a contract that regret offering. I don't think it's as transparent as it seems.

Having said that, I have a hard time believing that Morey tried to screw D-Mo over this. The fact D-Mo failed his physical previously with the Pistons and now a 2nd failed physical with the Rockets suggests that his back may not be suited to prolong his career. And BallerTalk has nicely summarized why the deal with the Nets is nullified.

[pr0wler]

Yeah good point about BJ. In the back of my mind I was thinking that maybe he isn't so crazy after all, perhaps it was all based on the fact he knew DMo's back was in bad shape so he was being as stubborn and difficult as possible and trying to secure as much short-term money rather than play for a long-term contract.

I think his knowledge of the CBA and contracts etc. is lacking, but there is definitely a chance he is a lot more clever than most of us gave him credit for.

[BallerTalk]

The players' union should have advocated the league to standardize the physical throughout the league. I do think that teams could exploit this aspect and back out on a contract that regret offering. I don't think it's as transplant as it seems.

Having said that, I have a hard time believing that Morey tried to screw D-Mo over this. The fact D-Mo failed his physical previously with the Pistons and now a 2nd failed physical with the Rockets suggests that his back may not be suited to prolong his career. And BallerTalk has nicely summarized why the deal with the Nets is nullified.

I absolutely agree there should be universal guidelines for physicals in the NBA. There appears to be too much room for ambiguity and potential subjectivity in the process as it is now.
However, as is inherent in matters of health, there will inevitably be cases that come down to judgement calls. As such, I don't think we will ever have hard, fast rules on what constitutes a pass or a fail.

Like you, I also don't think Morey or the Rockets tried to screw D-Mo here. They tried too hard and too long to get him in the fold.
Plus, when healthy, he would have provided a skill set that fits seamlessly with the way they play.
The fact they still matched his offer even after he could no longer be a traded this season is a clear indicator that they wanted him as a player not just an asset.
Then, after everything fell apart, it appears they still made efforts to not publicize the failed physical and try find an equitable resolution for him and them.

Unfortunately for D-Mo this sucks on so many levels. Not only does he not get the lucrative deal he hoped for at the start of free agency, he doesn't even get the deal he agreed to a week ago.
Furthermore, after having failed a physical for the Pistons and the subsequent examination by specialists in New York, having a trade rescinded as a result, then receiving virtually no interest throughout the summer, and now having reportedly failed another physical in Houston...the likelihood of getting anything more than a one year "make good" deal is slim at best.
I can't imagine how upset and disappointed he must be.

[inquisitive]

I guess DMO can go ahead now and sign a one year minimum deal somewhere to prove himself...then get a big contract offer after that assuming he plays well and doesn't get hurt.

If he cant pass physically he cant prove anything. Looking bleak for his career.

He'll 'pass' a physical somewhere....some team will eventually do it.

[Curmudgeon]

He may pass a physical somewhere, but no team will offer the kind of money that the Nets and Rockets were offering.

[BackseatBoss]

Man, I feel sorry for D-Mo. This whole debacle might end his NBA career. He might get some offers from other teams, but I doubt it will be anything more than a couple of mil per. Back to Europe I guess.

[ratul]

Daryl Morey and Sam Hinkie do bad things for basketball - as Warren Buffett said 'Beware of geeks bearing formulas.'