A tweet by the Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey in support of the Hong Kong protests was one of the big controversies before the start of this season. The Chinese Basketball Association responded immediately by suspending cooperation with the Rockets among other actions. Houston were expected to lose around $25 million because of CBA’s actions. According to the NBA commissioner Adam Silver, the league could lose up to $400 million due to the tweet.
Despite the impact Morey’s tweet had on the Rockets, team’s owner Tilman Fertitta expressed support to the general manager, saying he did nothing wrong. Fertitta plans to keep on working with Morey for the years to come and calls him one of the best general managers in the league.
Per Jonathan Feigen of Houston Chronicle:
“The tweet was seven words. There was nothing wrong with the tweet. That’s why one hour later I told ESPN when I was asked ‘Are you going to get rid of Daryl Morey,’ I was like, ‘Are you crazy? Why would I get rid of Daryl for that tweet?’ I think Daryl’s one of the best general managers in the league. Plus, we truly enjoy working with each other. To this day, we plan on working with each other, and I expect Daryl to be here for years to come.”
Houston is among the twenty teams who will continue the season at Disney World in Orlando. The Rockets are currently sixth in the Western Conference with 40 wins and 24 losses. They should resume their campaign by facing the Lakers.
