Daryl Morey Interview on July 2nd: Dwight, Lin, Asik

Anybody is Better than Jeremy?

 

The noise here is nuts. Who cares if Lin and Asik's values were gauged and trades pondered? If Parsons was an $8 mil man he'd be shopped too. His greatest value is that he is dirt cheap, a steal. Same goes with Beverley.

I do think Lin as 6th man with Asik in the 2nd unit would be a great complement to Harden and Dwight as starters. I get really good vibes from Lin and Asik working together.

Still don't think D12 is coming to Houston though. How do you turn down $30 million less AND a TV show that has an audience in the millions, and given that it's LA ... perhaps hundreds of millions nationwide?

 

Smith. Greg Smith :grin:

 

I have to agree with that whole-heartedly. If Asik wanted out I wouldn't blame him at all.

 

But asik has to understand you have someone who is a proven all star coming in. If asik is understanding he wouldnt take it hard. He knows he can't expect to start over dwight. all he can think about is showing hes better by performing better when the season starts.

 

I'd rather have Asik at $8.3M rather than trading him for JSmith or Millsap and paying those guys $10M+.

Contrary to popular belief I think Asik and Howard can co-exist on the same team for sure and even on the floor at the same time in spurts. Having 2 skilled 7 footers (one of them being the best in the league) is a major luxury. Remember when the Mavs had Chandler/Haywood a few years ago in their Championship run. The size was difficult for other teams to deal with and Chandler/Haywood aren't nearly as good or as talented as Howard/Asik.

Asik would also be the best insurance policy for Howard in case he has nagging injury issues and with Asik backing him up we can limit his minutes to make sure he makes it through the season and is fresh for the Championship run.

I think having Dwight play around 32-25 Minutes per game would be ideal. That leaves about 15 minutes left for Asik at the C spot. Depending upon the night and matchups I'm sure Asik can play another 10 minutes or so with Dwight on the court at the same time. It doesn't matter whether Dwight or Asik is playing C or PF. Put them out there and let the opposition have to match up to us.

The biggest thing to consider is Dwight will be 28 in December with a lot of miles for a big man who relies/relied on his athleticism. Howard hasn't played all 82 games since the 09-10 season. The odds are against Howard playing all 82 games next year... especially if there's no Asik and we're relying on Dwight for 38+ Minutes per game.

Long story short I'd rather roll out Asik on a night we don't have Howard or he's in foul trouble as opposed to say Greg Smith and Josh Smith or Millsap in the frontcourt.

 

Like I said, I'd love to see him and Jeremy dominate from the bench. They'd be great. But I still wouldn't blame either of them for not wanting the role because they are very good starters.

 

I don't think Omer would be that disappointed. He's a professional first and foremost but in addition there's still plenty of minutes and a big role for him. Also, he just got paid so it's not like he's losing his chance to show his worth before collecting.

What's your definition of a real PF? For me I'd rather have Asik over say Paul Milsap or Josh Smith for example. That's how much I value Asik and agree that having talented Centers in this league is extremely rare. If you're thinking LMA as a real PF now we're talking.

 

Why do we need a 3rd max contract player. Do you know how much having a 3rd max player would gut the chemistry of this team. 2 max players creates a perfect balance, but having 3 definitely will depreciate the team's efficiency. Rather than juicing the team with big stars who have high expectations of playing time and having the ball in their hands, I say we use the above average role players we have and have them actually complete their role....

.......and please don't use Miami as a rebuttal. Miami paid their way to a championship. Earned it yesss, but it was definitely a purchase. Also, the experience and maturity level of Miami is much higher than the Rox....guys willing to take a backseat to let the other shine and be leader. Harden and Dwight aren't there yet.

 

Manu G accepted it and it worked like a charm (until he got old haha)m.

Lets be honest here about Asik. He is a very good rebounder and defender, but his offense is terrible. He cannot create his own offense. He gets 80% of his pts off assists from other players. He fumbles a lot of passes as well. He is a ideal backup C if get Howard.

I know people say we would be paying too much for a backup, but who's to say your backups can only make less than 5 mil/yr? We could find a PF for cheap and it all balances out (T Jones or DMo). Having two of the top 5 paint defenders would be great to have.

 

A second team lead by Lin and Asik will be devastating. Essentially you have another team of a scoring point guard who can play the PnR and run the team well paired up with a starting-caliber center, I think that would make the Rockets ridiculously deep.

If only the team can somehow restructure Lin's contract to around 5 - 6 million a year, I would consider him a steal.

 

Do you know how much NOT having a 3rd max player would gut the chemistry of a team especially if they are worth it? *Cough Presti* *Cough Harden*

Also, how quickly people forget Boston's big 3 of KG, Pierce and Allen.

 

this i can agree with. Asik does little for us on offence, and we don't want him drawing fouls because he can't shoot free throws. However he does make a HUGE impact on defense. Having a player like Dwight who has both offense and defense is where the difference comes in. So of course Dwight is the better overall choice. We need a big man who can be good offensively and on the offensive boards.

Unfortunately neither one can shoot free throws to save their lives. so either way we'll see some hacka howard/asik going on next season

 

Agree 100%. Plus then when playoffs begin, they can go all out and not worry about foul trouble. On top of that, Asik can finish games if hack-a-Ho starts working. Asik has proven that he can shoot FTs well enough in the clutch, and with his work ethic, he is going to get even better.

 

I wouldn't have a problem with a backup at 8.3mil if the starter isn't already making over 20mil

 

Then why would anybody ask the question?

 

Being a bargin does not help you win. Talent does.

 

Dwight's free throws improved a lot by the end of the season. Don't doubt he would be better next year.

 

Agree. You don't need a big 3. There is no magic formula. Miami had Lebron James.

 

In case Morey already has a trade agreement that he likes to share?