The Undoing Project Author of
Moneyball, Michael Lewis, chose Daryl Morey as the new nerd-hero at the center of his 2016 book,
The Undoing Project. Whereas
Moneyball highlighted the plight and success of
Billy Beane as GM of the Oakland Athletics in 2003,
The Undoing Project reveals Daryl Morey as the underdog king of basketball, making use of a similar analytical method to acquire undervalued talent as Beane did with the A's to produce a forceful team. Lewis uses Morey as a real-world example of one who has exemplified ideas introduced by
Daniel Kahneman and
Amos Tversky, two Israeli psychologists whose work pioneered the field of
behavioral economics. The psychologist duo defined a simple, two-part distinction of the way the brain makes decisions: System 1 and System 2. A more intuitive, subjective, fast, and efficient process, System 1 represents the brain's capacity to make split-second choices, often
using personal experience to guide decision-making. System 2, however, characterizes a slower, more analytical process of reasoning to reach a conclusion. Michael Lewis points out in
The Undoing Project how Daryl Morey observed basketball experts of the time making awfully subjective assessments in looking at basketball players. Shifting the Rockets' scouting strategy to look at hard data over simple observations, Morey implemented a more System-2-based approach to the team's hiring practices. This strategy is thought to be critically linked to the Houston Rockets' recent success. The tweet was Morey's first public expression of political views. Morey later deleted the tweet. In
mainland China, where the Rockets have an extensive relationship after the selection of
Yao Ming in
2002, Morey's tweet resulted in the
Chinese Basketball Association's suspension of its relationship with the Rockets and the issuance of a statement of dissatisfaction from the consular office of the
People's Republic of China (PRC) in Houston. All Houston Rockets-related items were removed from the
Tmall and
JD.com sites and the team's games were removed from broadcasting on
Tencent. The
Associated Press said that the reactions underscored Beijing's sensitivity about foreign attitudes toward the protests. A few days later, Morey and the NBA each issued a separate statement addressing the original tweet, with Morey saying that he never intended his tweet to cause any offense and the NBA saying that it was regrettable. A bipartisan letter by
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,
Ted Cruz, and six other lawmakers fiercely criticized the NBA's handling of the controversy. The lawmakers wrote that the NBA's response not only "sold out an American citizen" but also "reinforces the
Chinese Communist Party view that those who point to Chinese repression in Hong Kong are at best stating opinions, not facts", as well as being "a betrayal of fundamental American values". Critics also contrasted the league's disparate response to Morey's tweet with its history of political activism and compared the incident to an October 2
South Park episode "
Band in China" which parodies the self-censorship of the American entertainment industry to meet
PRC censorship demands. The statements also drew criticism from PRC state-run media for their perceived insufficiency, as Morey himself did not apologize. NBA commissioner
Adam Silver later defended the league's response to the tweet, supporting Morey's right to freedom of expression while also accepting the right of reply from the government of and businesses from mainland China. Further fallout from the tweet included the decision by
China Central Television to cancel the broadcasting of two NBA preseason games, pro-Hong Kong protest demonstrations held at preseason games in the United States involving teams from the Chinese Basketball Association, the cancellation of
NBA Cares community events in Shanghai, criticism by then-president
Donald Trump of the perceived double standards by the reactions of specific coaches to NBA response relative to their past criticisms of his policies, and the suspension/termination of all mainland Chinese sponsors of the NBA. A
Fox Business article said that the NBA would look to Africa and India for growth if the league were to sever ties with mainland China as a result of the tweet. ==References==