Daryl Morey on the Hunt for a Star Player

The Rockets GM has been burning up phone lines across the NBA, but isn’t having a lot of luck getting someone to bite. The Houston Chronicle reports: “This was one of those nights when the Rockets were reminded of their plight. Isn’t Derrick Rose something? He’s the kind of player Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has spent the last 18 months trying to acquire, and until he gets someone a lot like him, this franchise is going to be stuck in a bad place … Morey has spent the last 18 months attempting to acquire an impact player of his own. One day, he’s meeting with Chris Bosh, telling him how the Rockets will build around him. He was positioned to make the deal work. He’d gotten the players the Toronto Raptors would have taken in a sign-and-trade. Problem is, Bosh decided to join LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in Miami. Lately, Morey has telephoned the New Orleans Hornets about Chris Paul and the Denver Nuggets about Carmelo Anthony. Both teams have told him they’re not interested. Atlanta’s Josh Smith is on Morey’s radar screen, as are others in all probability. Morey likley will have the New York Knicks’ No. 1 pick in 2011 and is hopeful there could be help coming down that road.”