Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone is making two high-profile additions to his basketball operations staff with the hires of Matt Bullard and Chris Wallace to front-office roles. Neither will have an official title, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, since Stone prefers to allow his staff to weigh in on all types of decisions.
Bullard is the third former NBA player in Houston’s front office, joining Ed Pinckney and Chuck Hayes. He played 11 NBA seasons, headlined by nine years with the Rockets and a spot on the 1993-94 championship team — which was the first to win a title in franchise history.
Since 2005, Bullard has worked as a game analyst for Houston’s local television broadcasts. His TV contract was not renewed after the 2020-21 season, but he quickly noted his ambition to join an NBA team in a management role, and this is the culmination of that goal.
Obviously a tough loss for viewers when AT&T SportsNet decided not to bring Bull back in a truly bizarre decision. But his expertise was clear and Stone gets to add to his front office. https://t.co/OFdPFefcbg
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) July 6, 2021
As for Wallace, he began working in the NBA in 1986 as a scout and earned his first role as general manager with the Boston Celtics in 2000.
In 2007, he moved to Memphis as general manager and vice president of basketball operations, effectively replacing Jerry West. Wallace remained in that role until 2019, when he transitioned to an advisory role. Wallace was best known for building the defensive minded “grit and grind” era of the Grizzlies, which featured regular playoff appearances and big names such as Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, and Zach Randolph.
For Stone, who is still in his first calendar year as the lead executive in Houston (where he replaced Daryl Morey), the hires should alleviate any concern by fans regarding a lack of experience or pedigree.
“Houston made it a priority to add experience and expertise under Rafael Stone, investing in infrastructure as the franchise rebuilds,” writes ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. Bullard and Wallace could be consulted quickly, since the Rockets own three first-round picks in the July 29 draft and a have potentially busy start to free agency in the following week.
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Wallace will work in a scouting department that also includes Jimmy Paulus, Ed Pinckney and Chuck Hayes among others.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) July 6, 2021
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