September 9, 2025 • 23 mins
Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone hops on with Wex and AC to discuss the arrival of Kevin Durant, a promising free agency period, expecations for the 2025 season, the departure of Jalen Green and a slew of other highlights heading into the season opener next month?
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named at him talking. Your
team's Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler. Are the A Team A.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
All right, it's straight up three o'clock.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
It's Sports Talk seven ninety, it's Space City Home Network.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
It is the A Team. Wex over there ac right here.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Cole Thompson is our producer, and as promised, we are
joined in studio by the general manager of your Houston Rockets.
I just like to call you the man that brought
Kevin Durant to town. And that's gotta be that's got
to feel good, even at this juncture in his career,
to know that that guy's gonna lace him up every
single night for the Houston Rockets.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
I mean, we're definitely excited about having Kevin join the
family and and and be around and hopefully add to
something that that you know, we think last year is
kind of a really good start to building something really cool.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Yeah, And I mean everybody's probably already asked you this
question a million times, But when you bring a player
of that caliber to town and you not only I
mean getting that guy in the house, but then incorporating
him into what you've already built, Because you've built this.
That's the that's the cool part about what the Rockets
I think are gonna do this year. It's all homegrown,
built from the ground up, you know, draft all that
(01:18):
kind of stuff. But it's like, how did it all
come together? Has got to be the question you've asked
or been asked a million times. How do you get
Kevin Durant to Houston?
Speaker 1 (01:29):
You know?
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (01:30):
I mean, you know you. I think you you build
a team right like you? I don't, you know, I
think I think, you know, he wanted to be a
part of what we're doing here, which means he saw
something cool in us. And I think, yeah, like you said,
we built it like and I don't. I don't want
to say I built it like we we built it
like not even just you know, not just me, not
(01:52):
just the Fertidas, not just the front office, not just
the coaches, you know, the players, Like everybody's a part
of building it, you know, every everybody, buddy, everybody, who's who,
who's still here, everybody honestly who passed through, every everybody
built it you know collectively. And and and like I
said last year, I think I think people could kind
of see what we were what we were trying to
(02:13):
build and where we're trying to go. But you know,
but but everybody's you know, the job is not done,
right and so uh and so we have to keep
building this year.
Speaker 5 (02:23):
Is it pretty obvious to you that last line you
said is shared by everybody in the organization, the guys
on the court, the coaching staff, the whole team and everything.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
The job's not done.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
Yeah, I mean yeah, I'll be extraordinarily disappointed if anybody
thinks we've won anything, because we haven't, you know, like
and and the goal isn't to win a playoff series
or win two or win three. The goals would win
a championship. So you know, unless unless you're sitting there
with the trophy, then you you haven't won anything. And
(02:52):
and you know, and and and it's on us. You know,
we got we got it. We got to do it.
Speaker 5 (02:57):
A lot of different individual players, we obviously can discuss
about out how they've grown in their careers here with Houston,
many of whom have only been here in Houston. It
seems only right with his current activity if we began
with Alpura and Shengoon, who consistently is doing things and
playing right now, at euro Basket. You know, how do
you approach watching him work in the off season. And
I know a lot of players and coaches again this
(03:18):
offseason have been around him both there and here. The
progress that he's making and the fact that he's on
the court and looking like he's ready to take another step.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
Yeah, I mean, he's really young. I mean all our
guys are. You know, he's actually one of our older
young guys. But he's still very young and he needs
to be improving. He needs to improve a lot from
last year to this year. He owns that more than anyone,
and keep improving for the foreseeable future. You know, he's
not a thirty one year old established vet trying to
(03:49):
stay at his peak.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
He's twenty just.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Turned twenty three, and he's been getting better and there's
such obvious areas for growth.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
And one thing we do.
Speaker 4 (03:59):
We have people, we we we we guys, we draft guys,
we trade for that. They the backgrounds are super disparate,
and we're not we're not honing in on any one thing,
but one thing that that if there if there's one
thing that I care about the most, or that we
collectively care about the most, it's that you really love basketball,
and that the driver isn't fame, wealth, whatever, it's it's
(04:23):
the game. And and for sure alprin loves the game
of basketball and wants to be as good as he
possibly can be.
Speaker 5 (04:29):
How long did it take you to get a Men
Thompson to love basketball?
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Yeah? No, it turns out I didn't get anyone to
love These guys have it.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
They they have it, And we're only honestly, we're only
interested in guys who have it, you know, and if
you and and the game brings a lot with it,
like even at young ages, the game brings a lot
with it. So there's all this extra curricular stuff that
comes with the game of basketball that one can love
and not really love the game of basketball. And to me,
one of the ways you can tell is like, is
(04:57):
you know, do you make do you play winning basketball?
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Do you make winning plays?
Speaker 4 (05:01):
And you know, a Men's a great example of somebody
who is extraordinarily driven to win every game.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Is it weird when I tell you that I'm more
excited about him than even Kevin Durant or even Alprin
chingoon on this season's Houston Rockets team, just because you
always talk about the guys taking the next step. And
you and I have had conversations about him off the air.
You know about my affinity for him. It's kind of
uncomfortable at times, but I'm like, I'm obsessed with the
(05:28):
freak that guy is.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
He's a gym rat.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
We've talked about that, and I just feel like the
ceiling is just insanely high for him.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:36):
No, I mean, like last year, a big part of
our success was he'd gotten comfortable his rookie year and
he took a step. The same thing applies for this year.
If he doesn't get better, we won't get it. We
won't be the team we want to be. And that's
that's that's irrespective of KD of Fred, of Clint, of
Steven of whoever.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Like, Yeah, we need we need these young guys.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
We need a man, we need Alpern, we need Jabbari
Tari Reid, we need all of these guys to to
to to stack days get better every day. And they've
had the individually and collectively, they've had a very good.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Summer and now we need to translate it.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
We are talking to rockets, GM rafel Stone obviously in
studio and so I can look you in the eye.
When I ask you this question, you had to part
ways with Jalen Green to get Kevin Durant as a
guy who drafted Jalen Green, How hard was that? How
hard was that conversation having with him everything? Because he
was here, it's all he knew. And then what was
(06:39):
your reaction in the second part of the question to
his kind of parting, parting goodbye's statement to the Houston
Rockets and what Houston meant to him.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Yeah, drafting Jalen is that that's nothing.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
That's that's my job working with him, getting to know him,
and just the quality human being that he is. That
that that's what makes it tough, right, It's not the
proprietary I did you know, I didn't do anything of
substance there.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
But but but.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
When you I think, you know, we're all human and
and NBA teams live together, right you you're you you
see each other way more than you see your family.
And and so when you're with somebody like that for
four years and they're a quality human being who is
trying to do the right thing every day and you
(07:29):
can see him growing up too, that's that's always really
kind of cool.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
It's it's never easy. Uh.
Speaker 4 (07:35):
The flip side is it's part of the business. And
because he had grown up, I think he was at
a point in his career and his life where he
was he was ready for it. In terms of his
his parting words, they were heartfelt and kind of what
I would expect because I know how much his teammates
and and you know, everybody in in our offices meant
(07:59):
to him. I know how much the city meant to him,
and I just know what a quality guy he is,
and and that perspective he shared I thought was very cool.
I always end up, like when the subject comes up,
we always end up talking about Jalen or I always do.
I also want to say it all applies to Dylan too. Yeah,
And and those guys I loved the last couple of years.
I've just really enjoyed the basketball team that we put
(08:22):
on the court, not just last year, even the year
before that. They just the effort level given day in
and day out was something that I just.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Personally took a ton of enjoyment. And those are the
two guys who played the most minutes on those teams.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
And so so yeah, that for for both of that
like super hard Uh, the flip side is again same thing.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
They're both in really good places. They're both making great livings.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
They're in a place to take care of themselves and
their families forever, you know, and and so and.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
And this is a new opportunity for them. And so.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
That's kind of the refrain I give myself right that
makes it, That makes it all doable. It's not easy,
but doable. And then, you know, and then and then,
and then I am very excited to add kind of
these new guys. Obviously, I knew Clint from prior from
prior times, and he's a great human being. I've thoroughly
enjoyed getting to know Dorian and and Kevin and and
(09:14):
I'm just super excited to see what the season brings
with those guys.
Speaker 5 (09:17):
Well. The reacquisition of Clint Capella, I think is as
an interesting one. I was there in Vegas. You know,
McHale's coaching the team. They're out there, he's there. He
wasn't coaching the actual summer league team, but he was
the coach of the team. And Clint's there, And you
know what, I don't think everybody was sure where his
rookie season would be, would it be here, would it
be there? He made it clear it would be here,
and there he was and wanted to play and was
(09:38):
immediately a part of the Rockets future and grew as
an NBA player here and then elsewhere. He's back here
in a group of Alpern and Steven and now Clint.
It's about as formidable a group as you have if
you just comment on bringing Clint back and who he
is now as an NBA player and what you kind
of view what you might be able to throw at
teams from the top level of the.
Speaker 4 (09:59):
Front cour Yeah, we going into free agency, we did
not think Clint was going to be available.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
We just thought we wouldn't have enough.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
We had we kind of had a finite amount of
money left and we thought he was still think he
is a better player than than that amount of money.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Kind of similar to how the team has to prove it.
He has to prove it every every year. You got
to prove yourself.
Speaker 4 (10:21):
Anew But but I think he missed Houston, the city.
I think he wanted to be part of a team
that he perceived as having a real chance to win,
and so a lot of things fell into place, and
so we had we were able to have kind of
quick conversations at the start of free agency, and I
don't know, like I think eBay and I spoke to
(10:42):
him like we had a meeting set up on a
on an hour in or something, and I was like,
I think we're I think we might get Clint, Like
I was very excited about it. And precisely because I
do think we like depth. We like we like lineup flexibility.
We had a ton of success last year applying alprin
at the four.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
We like Jabbari obviously can play four or five some three.
We like we like we like playing him in all
those spots. And so just I do think depth sometimes
can be underrated, and and so it was important to
be deep. But then also just I do know you know,
it's it's nice when you know people and you know
the quality of person you're getting, and that that that
(11:25):
weighed in us too. We we wanted somebody who doesn't
you know, is willing to do the dirty work, wants
to win basketball games, isn't worried about all the rest.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Of the stuff you had mentioned.
Speaker 5 (11:35):
Jalen growing up as a rocket, Well, Clint grew up
as a rocket. He learned how to drive as a
Rocket Rockets All Access here on Space City Home Network.
If you missed that episode a few years ago, he
did learn how to drive a car here in Houston.
Has a very young Rocket. Lots more to get to
with Rafelstone, Rockets general manager, other individuals on the team,
How the team views the rest of the Western Conference
(11:57):
with all their changes as well. All part of our
conversation which will continue right here on the eighteen.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
All right back at it here on the eight team
Sports SOOX seven to ninety Space City Home Network.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
It is the a team.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
On a Tuesday edition of the program wex AC and
Rockets GM Rafelstone in studio, we talked about a lot
of the players and you mentioned them and wex obviously
mentioned them that have I mean, it's quite the for
a team that's bringing back so much of its core.
It does seem like quite the facelift when you bring
in a guy like Kevin Durant, and you're right, he
is getting most of the attention. But Dorian Finney Smith,
(12:32):
I feel like this could be like a dark horse
candidate for one of those moves that's like sneaky where
people are like man or fella really kicked ass with
that move by the end of the season and beyond.
How excited are you about adding him to the mix,
especially because a guy like Dylan departed defensively.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
Yeah, I mean, I think I'm very excited about Dorian.
He's been around a ton obviously, like great guy, great teammate,
like just a really good addition to the room, and
and obviously a very good player, can really shoot the
ball and defensively, you know, one of the things I
(13:08):
kind of admired about him for years and years and
years was his just his ability to communicate defensively. It's
it's fantastic, and I think it really elevates not just
his own play, but that the play of his teammates.
And so I do think yeah, again, going to Dylan,
I think there's there's a lot about Dylan that we
are that we you know, will miss and so and so.
(13:29):
I you know, hopefully Dorian is really able to to
to add add his own element to us.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Well.
Speaker 5 (13:35):
Congrats to Dorian and his new wife recently married as
he joins the Rockets for the next several seasons. One
of the other players that's back, and a lot has
been made about the progress that he Bade over the
course of his early season, and then what is expected
in his future with Reed Shepherd and how he might
be utilized if he earns his way onto the court
and earns his way into the rotation. What's what is
(13:57):
the coaching sat What does your staff think about what
Rea Shepherd's shown that he can do and what there
might be in his future?
Speaker 4 (14:04):
Yeah, I think I mean coaches, players, front office. I
think we all see the same stuff. Reads really talented,
you know, he just has to translate it to games,
find uh, find his kind of niche and and and
his confidence and you know, and then then just let
it go.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
I think he will.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
I think he puts in the work and he's gonna
get He's gonna get really good opportunity.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
So I think he's gonna have a very successful season
for us.
Speaker 5 (14:30):
What would that look like in your mind? Like a
successful season? Is that hard to pinpoint? Yeah, he's just
part of a team that's playing games.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
Yeah, exactly, like he's he's he's an important part of
a team winning a bunch of games. And whether his
impact is on one night, it's offense, on another nice defense,
it's transition, Like who cares, right, like, but what you
want him to do is you just you want to
you want to add the unique talents he has to
the greater hole. And he's not I mean, read's not
a he's not a singular player. He like there there,
(14:59):
there's there a lot of stuff that he does well,
and so you know, we we want him to be
to be able to show his whole game super rhetorical.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Uh, it had to be so important to bring back
a guy like Steven Adams.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Obviously we all know that.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
But were you even surprised at just how effective he
was when he finally was able to get back on
the floor last year and the double BIG's lineup. Everybody
talked about that and how successful you guys were on
both ends of the floor with what he brings.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Yeah, no, I.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
Mean, I mean we traded for Steven because we wanted Yeah,
we thought he would get healthy and he did, and
then when he's healthy, that's the player he's always been.
So I think with respect to Steven, no, not surprised,
if anything. Maybe I thought he'd be healthy a little
bit earlier. So uh so it was it was good
and we could see the signs pretty quickly that he
was ramping up, and it's like, oh, he's gonna be fine,
(15:48):
and he was.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
He was great.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
And then in terms of the double big, Yeah, that
that did surprise me. I don't you know we if
it didn't, then it would be shame on me for
not starting it, but uh not not doing it at
the beginning of the season. But yeah, like, you know,
good basketball players can play with good basketball players, and
(16:11):
and I do think Steven's a very high IQ player.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Alpern is too, and and they played really really well together.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Is it possible for this group to actually somehow be
better defensively this year than.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
It was last year?
Speaker 4 (16:24):
No, I mean, our goal is definitely to be better
defensively than last year, and we'll be bigger I think overall,
which I you know, I certainly, I certainly hope we're
better defensively. Like the goal is to be better at everything.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
We weren't. We weren't a good enough team next.
Speaker 4 (16:40):
Year, you know, we're so so we need to be
better offensively, defensively, we need to better be a better
rebounding team, all of it.
Speaker 5 (16:46):
You were able to get to an extension done last
off season with the players lined up for both Jalen
Green and Alprin Shingoon. This offseason, the players Jabari Smith
Junior and Tari Easton got it done. With Jabari Smith Junior,
are their hopes with you and and even with whatever
has taken place from a negotiation standpoint from his side
or Eastern side, that it is something you'd like to
get done before the season, something you're working on currently.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
I love Tari Easton full stop. I also don't talk
about negotiations with our players.
Speaker 5 (17:14):
When you're able to get players that would like to
be here, and presumably on the outside externally. I think
a lot of people look at what all four of
those players I mentioned have done in the seasons preceding
potential extensions. Everybody likes what they've seen that like what
they bring to the table. They're clearly part of what
is why the Rockets are who they are. Clearly Tari
is that, and clearly Jabbari was that. And in advance
(17:36):
of that, Jabari specifically, you already brought him up. Plays
the five, plays the floor, plays the three, whatever group's
out there. He seems like he will fit in with
them and seems pretty intent on and very hard on
himself for the things he thinks should be more a
part of his game, thinks he should already be better
at and all indications are he's ready to be.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (17:56):
I'm not gonna say a different player, but a better
player at all the things as to why you brought
him back and gave him extension, do you see the
same thing in him?
Speaker 4 (18:04):
Yeah, Jabari is a driven guy and he's actually I like,
this was actually something that you don't know when you
draft guys.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
You have no idea what they're going to be like.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
But I was really impressed his rookie season because it
was a really challenging season, not just for him but
for the team. And the thing I loved about him
that I discovered as a rookie was he just doesn't
make excuses. He just takes on the chin and and
it's actually unusual, not just in sports or in the NBA,
it's unusual in life.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Right.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
How how many of us like make a bad play
and don't look around first?
Speaker 5 (18:40):
Yeah something, it's you, right, Like our listeners knows the
bear and so yeah, it's it's it's it's it really
says a really, it's it's a really it's a character
strength with Jabari it's a really cool thing.
Speaker 4 (18:55):
He and he's been like that since we got him.
It's again, he came to us with that. It's not
something we we instilled in him. But I'm very fond
of it and I admire it, and so I and
I think it's going to it's going to really help
him become the player that we want him to become
and he wants to become, because, yeah, when he sees
(19:15):
when it doesn't go the way he wants, he's very
hard on himself and he's very self critical. But by
being that way, he's able to actually address the issue.
He's not looking around for why didn't you do this
or what you know, He's like, I got to figure
out a way to be better, and and he has
gotten better every year. He keeps like you can see it.
And again, this is a life things. It's not an
NBA or a sports thing. But we tip we notice,
(19:40):
we notice when people improve, like at a finite moment
in time, that improvement almost never happened at that finite
moment in time. Right, So what happens is you steadily
get better day after day after day for days and
months and years, right, and then people take notice at
some random point and and and it's you know, and
and the people who are really successful embrace the grind
(20:02):
and they don't need they don't need people externally saying, oh,
you've gotten so much better. They're driven to get better themselves.
And I do think that's the type of person Jabari is.
Speaker 5 (20:12):
Seems like all the individual other players we've brought up
and talked about all share the same thing. And most
of them have said it at some point this offseason
since the acquisition of KD their excitement level to get
on the court with him, to be his teammate, to
play basketball with him. I'm sure you don't have the
sense that you've heard it from them. Where do you
think the excitement level is And how much can that
(20:32):
play into how well this team plays together. That they're
fired up that he's they're practicing with him, he's on
their team, they're going to go forward with him.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
Yeah, I mean, you know play You know, players are
human too, and I think like everybody's always excited at
the beginning of the season, but you're particularly excited if
you think you have a chance potentially to do something special.
And I think from I think everyone on our team
is excited about this year, thinking that the group as
a whole has a chance.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
To do something special.
Speaker 4 (20:59):
And again, it's not nothing's being handed to us. It's
not like we're going to walk out there and be
the team we want to be. We're gonna have to
start at the bottom, grind our way through every win.
We're gonna have to be you know, I thought we
were the toughest, hardest playing team in basketball last year.
In order to be successful, we're gonna have to be
(21:19):
that again. And but but I think guys are looking
forward to that challenge.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
So personal bias again, but could you have hit a
bigger home run hiring Em Doke as your head coach
and how much of him being you know, in charge
of things from a coaching standpoint here in Houston was
kind of I don't want to call it a recruiting
tool to getting Kevin Durant, but he's listing off, all right,
here's the place is I will go. How much of
(21:47):
that was a factor for him choosing Houston as a
team that he would want to go to.
Speaker 4 (21:50):
You definitely have to ask Kevin that, Like, I'm not
gonna I'm not gonna speak for him, but in terms
of email. I think he's been Yeah, he's been awesome.
We're he's just been perfect cultural fit with me and
with Tilman and Patrick and the Fertida family and uh
and the rest of our front office.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
He's he's a great partner.
Speaker 4 (22:10):
The way we see basketball is is I mean, it's
you're never perfectly aligned on that, but it's about as
close as you as you probably are likely to ever
get between a coach and a GM, which makes kind
of the commonality of goals really easy.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
And you know, he's yeah, he's and he's just a
good dude.
Speaker 4 (22:29):
Like again, like you know, we we spend a lot
of time together, and you have to enjoy people otherwise
life's just miserable.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
And I I thoroughly.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
Enjoy email and and and I spend way more time
with him then then then uh then then most probably
would think is smart or appropriate, But well.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Dude, so you'll go bowling together or what we literally
play people all together, like every day.
Speaker 4 (22:54):
We're like last night we were like limping off a
court together in our free time.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
So uh no, yeah, we spent I just I love him.
He's great.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
All right, Well, Rafel, you've been great. We appreciate you
taking the time out. We are obviously looking forward to
the season as much as you guys are. Can't wait
to get back on the floor and see what this
group has to put together, and we'll talk again.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
Soon, hopefully.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
I appreciate you'all having me absolutely rafel Stone Rockets GM
here on Sports Talk seven ninety and Space City Home Network.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
We will continue after the break the eight on Sports
Talk seven ninety
Two lifelong Houston sports guys named at him talking. Your
team's Adam Clinton and Adam Wexler. Are the A Team A.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
All right, it's straight up three o'clock.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
It's Sports Talk seven ninety, it's Space City Home Network.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
It is the A Team. Wex over there ac right here.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Cole Thompson is our producer, and as promised, we are
joined in studio by the general manager of your Houston Rockets.
I just like to call you the man that brought
Kevin Durant to town. And that's gotta be that's got
to feel good, even at this juncture in his career,
to know that that guy's gonna lace him up every
single night for the Houston Rockets.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
I mean, we're definitely excited about having Kevin join the
family and and and be around and hopefully add to
something that that you know, we think last year is
kind of a really good start to building something really cool.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Yeah, And I mean everybody's probably already asked you this
question a million times, But when you bring a player
of that caliber to town and you not only I
mean getting that guy in the house, but then incorporating
him into what you've already built, Because you've built this.
That's the that's the cool part about what the Rockets
I think are gonna do this year. It's all homegrown,
built from the ground up, you know, draft all that
(01:18):
kind of stuff. But it's like, how did it all
come together? Has got to be the question you've asked
or been asked a million times. How do you get
Kevin Durant to Houston?
Speaker 1 (01:29):
You know?
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (01:30):
I mean, you know you. I think you you build
a team right like you? I don't, you know, I
think I think, you know, he wanted to be a
part of what we're doing here, which means he saw
something cool in us. And I think, yeah, like you said,
we built it like and I don't. I don't want
to say I built it like we we built it
like not even just you know, not just me, not
(01:52):
just the Fertidas, not just the front office, not just
the coaches, you know, the players, Like everybody's a part
of building it, you know, every everybody, buddy, everybody, who's who,
who's still here, everybody honestly who passed through, every everybody
built it you know collectively. And and and like I
said last year, I think I think people could kind
of see what we were what we were trying to
(02:13):
build and where we're trying to go. But you know,
but but everybody's you know, the job is not done,
right and so uh and so we have to keep
building this year.
Speaker 5 (02:23):
Is it pretty obvious to you that last line you
said is shared by everybody in the organization, the guys
on the court, the coaching staff, the whole team and everything.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
The job's not done.
Speaker 4 (02:31):
Yeah, I mean yeah, I'll be extraordinarily disappointed if anybody
thinks we've won anything, because we haven't, you know, like
and and the goal isn't to win a playoff series
or win two or win three. The goals would win
a championship. So you know, unless unless you're sitting there
with the trophy, then you you haven't won anything. And
(02:52):
and you know, and and and it's on us. You know,
we got we got it. We got to do it.
Speaker 5 (02:57):
A lot of different individual players, we obviously can discuss
about out how they've grown in their careers here with Houston,
many of whom have only been here in Houston. It
seems only right with his current activity if we began
with Alpura and Shengoon, who consistently is doing things and
playing right now, at euro Basket. You know, how do
you approach watching him work in the off season. And
I know a lot of players and coaches again this
(03:18):
offseason have been around him both there and here. The
progress that he's making and the fact that he's on
the court and looking like he's ready to take another step.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
Yeah, I mean, he's really young. I mean all our
guys are. You know, he's actually one of our older
young guys. But he's still very young and he needs
to be improving. He needs to improve a lot from
last year to this year. He owns that more than anyone,
and keep improving for the foreseeable future. You know, he's
not a thirty one year old established vet trying to
(03:49):
stay at his peak.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
He's twenty just.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Turned twenty three, and he's been getting better and there's
such obvious areas for growth.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
And one thing we do.
Speaker 4 (03:59):
We have people, we we we we guys, we draft guys,
we trade for that. They the backgrounds are super disparate,
and we're not we're not honing in on any one thing,
but one thing that that if there if there's one
thing that I care about the most, or that we
collectively care about the most, it's that you really love basketball,
and that the driver isn't fame, wealth, whatever, it's it's
(04:23):
the game. And and for sure alprin loves the game
of basketball and wants to be as good as he
possibly can be.
Speaker 5 (04:29):
How long did it take you to get a Men
Thompson to love basketball?
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Yeah? No, it turns out I didn't get anyone to
love These guys have it.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
They they have it, And we're only honestly, we're only
interested in guys who have it, you know, and if
you and and the game brings a lot with it,
like even at young ages, the game brings a lot
with it. So there's all this extra curricular stuff that
comes with the game of basketball that one can love
and not really love the game of basketball. And to me,
one of the ways you can tell is like, is
(04:57):
you know, do you make do you play winning basketball?
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Do you make winning plays?
Speaker 4 (05:01):
And you know, a Men's a great example of somebody
who is extraordinarily driven to win every game.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Is it weird when I tell you that I'm more
excited about him than even Kevin Durant or even Alprin
chingoon on this season's Houston Rockets team, just because you
always talk about the guys taking the next step. And
you and I have had conversations about him off the air.
You know about my affinity for him. It's kind of
uncomfortable at times, but I'm like, I'm obsessed with the
(05:28):
freak that guy is.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
He's a gym rat.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
We've talked about that, and I just feel like the
ceiling is just insanely high for him.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:36):
No, I mean, like last year, a big part of
our success was he'd gotten comfortable his rookie year and
he took a step. The same thing applies for this year.
If he doesn't get better, we won't get it. We
won't be the team we want to be. And that's
that's that's irrespective of KD of Fred, of Clint, of
Steven of whoever.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Like, Yeah, we need we need these young guys.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
We need a man, we need Alpern, we need Jabbari
Tari Reid, we need all of these guys to to
to to stack days get better every day. And they've
had the individually and collectively, they've had a very good.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Summer and now we need to translate it.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
We are talking to rockets, GM rafel Stone obviously in
studio and so I can look you in the eye.
When I ask you this question, you had to part
ways with Jalen Green to get Kevin Durant as a
guy who drafted Jalen Green, How hard was that? How
hard was that conversation having with him everything? Because he
was here, it's all he knew. And then what was
(06:39):
your reaction in the second part of the question to
his kind of parting, parting goodbye's statement to the Houston
Rockets and what Houston meant to him.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Yeah, drafting Jalen is that that's nothing.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
That's that's my job working with him, getting to know him,
and just the quality human being that he is. That
that that's what makes it tough, right, It's not the
proprietary I did you know, I didn't do anything of
substance there.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
But but but.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
When you I think, you know, we're all human and
and NBA teams live together, right you you're you you
see each other way more than you see your family.
And and so when you're with somebody like that for
four years and they're a quality human being who is
trying to do the right thing every day and you
(07:29):
can see him growing up too, that's that's always really
kind of cool.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
It's it's never easy. Uh.
Speaker 4 (07:35):
The flip side is it's part of the business. And
because he had grown up, I think he was at
a point in his career and his life where he
was he was ready for it. In terms of his
his parting words, they were heartfelt and kind of what
I would expect because I know how much his teammates
and and you know, everybody in in our offices meant
(07:59):
to him. I know how much the city meant to him,
and I just know what a quality guy he is,
and and that perspective he shared I thought was very cool.
I always end up, like when the subject comes up,
we always end up talking about Jalen or I always do.
I also want to say it all applies to Dylan too. Yeah,
And and those guys I loved the last couple of years.
I've just really enjoyed the basketball team that we put
(08:22):
on the court, not just last year, even the year
before that. They just the effort level given day in
and day out was something that I just.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Personally took a ton of enjoyment. And those are the
two guys who played the most minutes on those teams.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
And so so yeah, that for for both of that
like super hard Uh, the flip side is again same thing.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
They're both in really good places. They're both making great livings.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
They're in a place to take care of themselves and
their families forever, you know, and and so and.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
And this is a new opportunity for them. And so.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
That's kind of the refrain I give myself right that
makes it, That makes it all doable. It's not easy,
but doable. And then, you know, and then and then,
and then I am very excited to add kind of
these new guys. Obviously, I knew Clint from prior from
prior times, and he's a great human being. I've thoroughly
enjoyed getting to know Dorian and and Kevin and and
(09:14):
I'm just super excited to see what the season brings
with those guys.
Speaker 5 (09:17):
Well. The reacquisition of Clint Capella, I think is as
an interesting one. I was there in Vegas. You know,
McHale's coaching the team. They're out there, he's there. He
wasn't coaching the actual summer league team, but he was
the coach of the team. And Clint's there, And you
know what, I don't think everybody was sure where his
rookie season would be, would it be here, would it
be there? He made it clear it would be here,
and there he was and wanted to play and was
(09:38):
immediately a part of the Rockets future and grew as
an NBA player here and then elsewhere. He's back here
in a group of Alpern and Steven and now Clint.
It's about as formidable a group as you have if
you just comment on bringing Clint back and who he
is now as an NBA player and what you kind
of view what you might be able to throw at
teams from the top level of the.
Speaker 4 (09:59):
Front cour Yeah, we going into free agency, we did
not think Clint was going to be available.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
We just thought we wouldn't have enough.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
We had we kind of had a finite amount of
money left and we thought he was still think he
is a better player than than that amount of money.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Kind of similar to how the team has to prove it.
He has to prove it every every year. You got
to prove yourself.
Speaker 4 (10:21):
Anew But but I think he missed Houston, the city.
I think he wanted to be part of a team
that he perceived as having a real chance to win,
and so a lot of things fell into place, and
so we had we were able to have kind of
quick conversations at the start of free agency, and I
don't know, like I think eBay and I spoke to
(10:42):
him like we had a meeting set up on a
on an hour in or something, and I was like,
I think we're I think we might get Clint, Like
I was very excited about it. And precisely because I
do think we like depth. We like we like lineup flexibility.
We had a ton of success last year applying alprin
at the four.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
We like Jabbari obviously can play four or five some three.
We like we like we like playing him in all
those spots. And so just I do think depth sometimes
can be underrated, and and so it was important to
be deep. But then also just I do know you know,
it's it's nice when you know people and you know
the quality of person you're getting, and that that that
(11:25):
weighed in us too. We we wanted somebody who doesn't
you know, is willing to do the dirty work, wants
to win basketball games, isn't worried about all the rest.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Of the stuff you had mentioned.
Speaker 5 (11:35):
Jalen growing up as a rocket, Well, Clint grew up
as a rocket. He learned how to drive as a
Rocket Rockets All Access here on Space City Home Network.
If you missed that episode a few years ago, he
did learn how to drive a car here in Houston.
Has a very young Rocket. Lots more to get to
with Rafelstone, Rockets general manager, other individuals on the team,
How the team views the rest of the Western Conference
(11:57):
with all their changes as well. All part of our
conversation which will continue right here on the eighteen.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
All right back at it here on the eight team
Sports SOOX seven to ninety Space City Home Network.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
It is the a team.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
On a Tuesday edition of the program wex AC and
Rockets GM Rafelstone in studio, we talked about a lot
of the players and you mentioned them and wex obviously
mentioned them that have I mean, it's quite the for
a team that's bringing back so much of its core.
It does seem like quite the facelift when you bring
in a guy like Kevin Durant, and you're right, he
is getting most of the attention. But Dorian Finney Smith,
(12:32):
I feel like this could be like a dark horse
candidate for one of those moves that's like sneaky where
people are like man or fella really kicked ass with
that move by the end of the season and beyond.
How excited are you about adding him to the mix,
especially because a guy like Dylan departed defensively.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
Yeah, I mean, I think I'm very excited about Dorian.
He's been around a ton obviously, like great guy, great teammate,
like just a really good addition to the room, and
and obviously a very good player, can really shoot the
ball and defensively, you know, one of the things I
(13:08):
kind of admired about him for years and years and
years was his just his ability to communicate defensively. It's
it's fantastic, and I think it really elevates not just
his own play, but that the play of his teammates.
And so I do think yeah, again, going to Dylan,
I think there's there's a lot about Dylan that we
are that we you know, will miss and so and so.
(13:29):
I you know, hopefully Dorian is really able to to
to add add his own element to us.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Well.
Speaker 5 (13:35):
Congrats to Dorian and his new wife recently married as
he joins the Rockets for the next several seasons. One
of the other players that's back, and a lot has
been made about the progress that he Bade over the
course of his early season, and then what is expected
in his future with Reed Shepherd and how he might
be utilized if he earns his way onto the court
and earns his way into the rotation. What's what is
(13:57):
the coaching sat What does your staff think about what
Rea Shepherd's shown that he can do and what there
might be in his future?
Speaker 4 (14:04):
Yeah, I think I mean coaches, players, front office. I
think we all see the same stuff. Reads really talented,
you know, he just has to translate it to games,
find uh, find his kind of niche and and and
his confidence and you know, and then then just let
it go.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
I think he will.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
I think he puts in the work and he's gonna
get He's gonna get really good opportunity.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
So I think he's gonna have a very successful season
for us.
Speaker 5 (14:30):
What would that look like in your mind? Like a
successful season? Is that hard to pinpoint? Yeah, he's just
part of a team that's playing games.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
Yeah, exactly, like he's he's he's an important part of
a team winning a bunch of games. And whether his
impact is on one night, it's offense, on another nice defense,
it's transition, Like who cares, right, like, but what you
want him to do is you just you want to
you want to add the unique talents he has to
the greater hole. And he's not I mean, read's not
a he's not a singular player. He like there there,
(14:59):
there's there a lot of stuff that he does well,
and so you know, we we want him to be
to be able to show his whole game super rhetorical.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Uh, it had to be so important to bring back
a guy like Steven Adams.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Obviously we all know that.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
But were you even surprised at just how effective he
was when he finally was able to get back on
the floor last year and the double BIG's lineup. Everybody
talked about that and how successful you guys were on
both ends of the floor with what he brings.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Yeah, no, I.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
Mean, I mean we traded for Steven because we wanted Yeah,
we thought he would get healthy and he did, and
then when he's healthy, that's the player he's always been.
So I think with respect to Steven, no, not surprised,
if anything. Maybe I thought he'd be healthy a little
bit earlier. So uh so it was it was good
and we could see the signs pretty quickly that he
was ramping up, and it's like, oh, he's gonna be fine,
(15:48):
and he was.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
He was great.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
And then in terms of the double big, Yeah, that
that did surprise me. I don't you know we if
it didn't, then it would be shame on me for
not starting it, but uh not not doing it at
the beginning of the season. But yeah, like, you know,
good basketball players can play with good basketball players, and
(16:11):
and I do think Steven's a very high IQ player.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Alpern is too, and and they played really really well together.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Is it possible for this group to actually somehow be
better defensively this year than.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
It was last year?
Speaker 4 (16:24):
No, I mean, our goal is definitely to be better
defensively than last year, and we'll be bigger I think overall,
which I you know, I certainly, I certainly hope we're
better defensively. Like the goal is to be better at everything.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
We weren't. We weren't a good enough team next.
Speaker 4 (16:40):
Year, you know, we're so so we need to be
better offensively, defensively, we need to better be a better
rebounding team, all of it.
Speaker 5 (16:46):
You were able to get to an extension done last
off season with the players lined up for both Jalen
Green and Alprin Shingoon. This offseason, the players Jabari Smith
Junior and Tari Easton got it done. With Jabari Smith Junior,
are their hopes with you and and even with whatever
has taken place from a negotiation standpoint from his side
or Eastern side, that it is something you'd like to
get done before the season, something you're working on currently.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
I love Tari Easton full stop. I also don't talk
about negotiations with our players.
Speaker 5 (17:14):
When you're able to get players that would like to
be here, and presumably on the outside externally. I think
a lot of people look at what all four of
those players I mentioned have done in the seasons preceding
potential extensions. Everybody likes what they've seen that like what
they bring to the table. They're clearly part of what
is why the Rockets are who they are. Clearly Tari
is that, and clearly Jabbari was that. And in advance
(17:36):
of that, Jabari specifically, you already brought him up. Plays
the five, plays the floor, plays the three, whatever group's
out there. He seems like he will fit in with
them and seems pretty intent on and very hard on
himself for the things he thinks should be more a
part of his game, thinks he should already be better
at and all indications are he's ready to be.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (17:56):
I'm not gonna say a different player, but a better
player at all the things as to why you brought
him back and gave him extension, do you see the
same thing in him?
Speaker 4 (18:04):
Yeah, Jabari is a driven guy and he's actually I like,
this was actually something that you don't know when you
draft guys.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
You have no idea what they're going to be like.
Speaker 4 (18:14):
But I was really impressed his rookie season because it
was a really challenging season, not just for him but
for the team. And the thing I loved about him
that I discovered as a rookie was he just doesn't
make excuses. He just takes on the chin and and
it's actually unusual, not just in sports or in the NBA,
it's unusual in life.
Speaker 2 (18:35):
Right.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
How how many of us like make a bad play
and don't look around first?
Speaker 5 (18:40):
Yeah something, it's you, right, Like our listeners knows the
bear and so yeah, it's it's it's it's it really
says a really, it's it's a really it's a character
strength with Jabari it's a really cool thing.
Speaker 4 (18:55):
He and he's been like that since we got him.
It's again, he came to us with that. It's not
something we we instilled in him. But I'm very fond
of it and I admire it, and so I and
I think it's going to it's going to really help
him become the player that we want him to become
and he wants to become, because, yeah, when he sees
(19:15):
when it doesn't go the way he wants, he's very
hard on himself and he's very self critical. But by
being that way, he's able to actually address the issue.
He's not looking around for why didn't you do this
or what you know, He's like, I got to figure
out a way to be better, and and he has
gotten better every year. He keeps like you can see it.
And again, this is a life things. It's not an
NBA or a sports thing. But we tip we notice,
(19:40):
we notice when people improve, like at a finite moment
in time, that improvement almost never happened at that finite
moment in time. Right, So what happens is you steadily
get better day after day after day for days and
months and years, right, and then people take notice at
some random point and and and it's you know, and
and the people who are really successful embrace the grind
(20:02):
and they don't need they don't need people externally saying, oh,
you've gotten so much better. They're driven to get better themselves.
And I do think that's the type of person Jabari is.
Speaker 5 (20:12):
Seems like all the individual other players we've brought up
and talked about all share the same thing. And most
of them have said it at some point this offseason
since the acquisition of KD their excitement level to get
on the court with him, to be his teammate, to
play basketball with him. I'm sure you don't have the
sense that you've heard it from them. Where do you
think the excitement level is And how much can that
(20:32):
play into how well this team plays together. That they're
fired up that he's they're practicing with him, he's on
their team, they're going to go forward with him.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
Yeah, I mean, you know play You know, players are
human too, and I think like everybody's always excited at
the beginning of the season, but you're particularly excited if
you think you have a chance potentially to do something special.
And I think from I think everyone on our team
is excited about this year, thinking that the group as
a whole has a chance.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
To do something special.
Speaker 4 (20:59):
And again, it's not nothing's being handed to us. It's
not like we're going to walk out there and be
the team we want to be. We're gonna have to
start at the bottom, grind our way through every win.
We're gonna have to be you know, I thought we
were the toughest, hardest playing team in basketball last year.
In order to be successful, we're gonna have to be
(21:19):
that again. And but but I think guys are looking
forward to that challenge.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
So personal bias again, but could you have hit a
bigger home run hiring Em Doke as your head coach
and how much of him being you know, in charge
of things from a coaching standpoint here in Houston was
kind of I don't want to call it a recruiting
tool to getting Kevin Durant, but he's listing off, all right,
here's the place is I will go. How much of
(21:47):
that was a factor for him choosing Houston as a
team that he would want to go to.
Speaker 4 (21:50):
You definitely have to ask Kevin that, Like, I'm not
gonna I'm not gonna speak for him, but in terms
of email. I think he's been Yeah, he's been awesome.
We're he's just been perfect cultural fit with me and
with Tilman and Patrick and the Fertida family and uh
and the rest of our front office.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
He's he's a great partner.
Speaker 4 (22:10):
The way we see basketball is is I mean, it's
you're never perfectly aligned on that, but it's about as
close as you as you probably are likely to ever
get between a coach and a GM, which makes kind
of the commonality of goals really easy.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
And you know, he's yeah, he's and he's just a
good dude.
Speaker 4 (22:29):
Like again, like you know, we we spend a lot
of time together, and you have to enjoy people otherwise
life's just miserable.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
And I I thoroughly.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
Enjoy email and and and I spend way more time
with him then then then uh then then most probably
would think is smart or appropriate, But well.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Dude, so you'll go bowling together or what we literally
play people all together, like every day.
Speaker 4 (22:54):
We're like last night we were like limping off a
court together in our free time.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
So uh no, yeah, we spent I just I love him.
He's great.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
All right, Well, Rafel, you've been great. We appreciate you
taking the time out. We are obviously looking forward to
the season as much as you guys are. Can't wait
to get back on the floor and see what this
group has to put together, and we'll talk again.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
Soon, hopefully.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
I appreciate you'all having me absolutely rafel Stone Rockets GM
here on Sports Talk seven ninety and Space City Home Network.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
We will continue after the break the eight on Sports
Talk seven ninety
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