Asik is a very good defensive player. however Rockets can help him become better ,Harden and JLin are both great willing passers,Asik benefited alot , he got lots of easy socring opportunites last season. I wonder he can get so many opportunities in another team or not.
Is Asik a top 5 center in the league? Actually, it's hard to argue he's top 10. He will never even receive consideration for an all star team, much less make one.
I don't think it's hard at all to call him a top 10 center and I would say he is a top 5 rebounding and defensive center.
I don't think Asik is a "star" but he will be good for us if we keep him. There have been a few threads about this and usually the general consensus is lets keep Asik so we have 48 minutes of elite defense and rebounding unless there's a star on the trade block like LMA or Love. Done and done.
This! Defense and rebounding is way more important to this team than scoring. Look at Tyson Chandler. He was an All Star and DpoY and the only offense move he has is dunking. Omer is pretty much on the same level if not better than Tyson AND is younger and healthier. It's a little bit sad to see how many people here think in fantasy game numbers only... What center is really better than Asik? DH, Duncan, M.Gasol, Horford, Hibbert, Noah, Monroe (but close since playing on a crappy team), Lopez (but worse rebounder). Thats it.
PS: And lets not forget about the money. Today Asik would easily get 12mio/year. Look at what Bynume just got...
Whether he is top 5 or not really doesn't matter. What matters is having the #1 center backed up by a top ten center gives the Rockets a huge advantage in the league.
Defense is a team thing, and its also about playing smart offense (using the shot clock and making the opposing team use energy to guard you). With the way the Rockets chuck up shots and how quickly a pace they play at they will never be a great defensive team, even with Howard and Asik. Nevermind any of that, though. Our perimeter defense is probably the worst in the NBA. We don't have anyone on our roster who is capable of lockdown defense on wing threats. Given the era of current NBA, the era of of the 3 second rule, big men influence on defense has greatly diminished. Defense is more of a "team" concept now. Having Dwight and Asik is great, but until the rest of our team buys into playing solid defense and not shooting the ball with 20 seconds left on the shot clock, Houston will NEVER be a great defensive team.
And I think you're being generous for a lot of these guys. I would argue Asik easily proved he is straight up better than Brook Lopez in our two match ups with the Nets last year. Duncan and Horford play the 5 but arguably they're not true centers Dwight, Gasol, Hibbert, Noah...depending on how heavily you weigh defense and rebounding, Asik can easily be as high as #5 in the league. He wasn't at that level the whole season, mind you, but he improved a lot and still has room to grow.
Don't worry, they probably won't trade Asik just for the sake of trading him. If Morey gets a good deal and a 3rd star in return, he'll pull the trigger to make the team better. If not, Asik stays.
I actually said it before: We should keep Asik. He is a top 5 defensive center. That is worth more than any potential upgrade at PF outside of maybe Love or Aldridge. It's easier to get decent production out of a Terrence Jones or so than it is to have the luxury of having two of the best centers in the league. So [CBL] is really just copying thoughts already stated by [ATW].
Asik is no Hollywood star but he is one of those small flicks that could sell well. Borderline allstar material at best
Reality is we cannot keep him forever. Eventually his contract would end and he is seeking to be a starter in this league. I don't think he has that championship mentality as a 6th guy thinking. You can try implement it into his grey cells. Good Luck! We'll see.
