Morey is good at what he does

Even if the players don't work out, GM Daryl Morey plays the system as well as any GM in the league. He and his staff felt that Donte' Greene was the player for them. He was available at 25 for their selection. Instead of grabbing him, then kicking back with a cream soda until their 54th overall selection and calling it a day, Morey was feverishly working the system and the other teams.

He takes a player (Batum) he knows he can move to Portland, who'd hoped Batum would just fall to them at 27 (unlikely since the Spurs are rumored to have wanted him at 26, had the Rockets not grabbed him at 25). Then he orchestrates the Batum trade to Portland for Darrell Arthur.

Portland had taken Arthur one spot ahead of the Grizzlies and the Grizzlies wanted him. So the Grizzlies instead take Greene. In the end each of the 3 teams end up with the player they want, but the Rockets also get the 33rd pick in the deal from Portland, which ends up being Joey Dorsey.

To recap, a lazy overmatched GM would have selected Greene and said, "Things worked out just as we'd hoped and we got the player we were targeting all along."

But Morey does his homework on the players and the other teams and their needs and works the system and the phones and after the draft can say, "Things worked out just as we'd hoped and we got the player we were targeting all along. AND WE GOT A SECOND PLAYER THROWN IN FOR FREE!!!! AHAHAHAHAH!!!!!"

Like I said, even if Greene and/or Dorsey don't work out, they did an incredible job of maximizing their opportunities on draft night.

Here's the Morey interview w/ Marc & Andre this morning on SportsRadio 610 as he breaks down the moves he made and the players that were drafted.
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