Morey: "McHale will experiment with Asik at C and Dwight at PF"

TRANSLATION:

We're not selling Asik for a bag of chips. Come back to us with better offers if you want an NBA quality starting C.

 

They just absolutely cannot post up Dwight Howard while Asik is on the floor. Automatic double team

 

I said "I question whether [Dwight] would be able to guard quicker 4s on the perimeter". There's no question Dwight can be serviceable defensively against a lot, if not most, PFs.
That said, I do not believe his perimeter defense is as good as you seem to think and aside from Duncan and Patterson, you are comparing Howard to below average/average defenders here, so what is your point exactly?

It's not just about foot speed, either. I'd have to refresh my memory by watching some tape of Dwight defending quicker 4s with range, but I believe to remember Dwight's perimeter D fundamentals not exactly being great, so that may be as much, if not more, of an issue than his foot speed/quicks.
D-Mo, for example is quite quick for a 4, yet he plays on roller skates on D. Poor positioning/angles, poor close-outs, far too many reach-ins. Dwight has some of those same issues -- to a lesser extent of course -- which is why I, in fact, do not believe he'd be as good a defender from 18 feet and out as 37 year old Tim Duncan.

But yes, Dwight would not be a terrible defensively as a PF. Depending on close to Sticker-Dwight he'll be physically, he might be quite good for that matter.
That's not the question though. The question is whether he'd be good enough to make up for the likely offensive drop-off of any lineup featuring Dwight and Asik.

 

Well, if we want to star our 5 best players, we will have to start Lin, Harden, Parsons, D12, Asik. On defense thi works - both Asik and Dwight are agile enough to stay with almost all PFs. On offense at least one of them would need to get some kind of midrange game. If Asik can develope a good jumper we are good to go - but it doesn`t seem likely. If not, he needs at least to work at his hands, since there would be a lot of passing in tight spaces...

But I would be all for it - let`s try it.

 

Double teams aren't necessarily a bad thing. We're hoping DH gets doubled, anyway. Just have to be creative in how to use Asik.

 

We will not always run one on one by posing up Howard;
we will mainly run PnR.
If we should run 1 on 1 by Howard's post , we will run Parsons or Cassip or TJ at PF

 

If Asiks defender helps, Asik should be wide open directly under the basket. Dwight can make this pass, Asik just needs to be able to catch it. The problem is more the spacing with both on the floor for example in pick and roll situations. Asiks man can always help in the zone, since the defender doesnt have to worry about a 3 pointer. And that pass is way harder to make with potentially 2 or 3 defenders in or around the zone.

 

That's what needs to happen. Dwight has the tendency to clog the paint with his stale offensive.

 

Asik worked on receiving passes all last season. He manage to improve from granite hands to basalt hands. But no matter how you term it, Asik still has stone hands. Always will.

 

worthy experiment. we need to find Asik productive minutes outside backing up Howard.

 

Here is a re-posted video on what happens to penetration when the Rockets lose spacing. Spacing if you will remember is critical to an offense.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Z5f4Uo57vC4?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

When the Rockets lose spacing it means that the defenders are able to shut down the optimal point of attack, which almost always is at the rim. The spacing of the Rockets offense will almost always look like that with Howard and Asik playing at the same time.

Here is a re-post of Lin driving to the rim and having no space to work with. It predictably ends in a turnover. Again spacing is the issue.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Hm_H1VmWQc0?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Lin took 40% of his shots at the rim last season. Harden took 35%. The majority of those shots at the rim were not on a fast break. Do you fans think it would be a good idea to close down the driving lanes just to play Asik and Howard together?

 

Didn't Howard play PF his first few years in ORL?

 

I got one question for you. Stretch 4 is a new concept to the NBA. How did the offense run before then? Why don't you think it'll work now?

 

I got one question for you. Airplanes are a new weapon in warfare. How were wars fought before then? Why don't you think it'll work now?

 

The old style still works today. Just look at IND and MEM. But in those offenses one or both of the big men feature range out to the 12 foot mark(1). This allowed offensive sets with the entry pass to a big man with the other big man on the weak side pulling his defender away from the rim. It is interesting that in today's NBA these type of offenses are plodding and when successful paired with an elite defense. The new stretch PF offenses such as the Heat's feature much higher scoring offensive strategies. In the days that Hakeem and Thorpe played together defense was king. And that also is one of reasons JVG still is not a head coach again.

(1) When just one big man has range out to mid-range there are terrible issues. You have to look no further than Gasol's last 4 years with the Lakers to see how that situation can marginalize a great big.

 

I noticed from watching the games that the guards (harden and Lin) stopped bounce passing to Asik, and started high passing to him. Asik started nailing it.

Also one more good thing about Asik, is that 'hack a Asik' doesn't work on him. He nails his FT.

 

Unfortunately receiving a bounce pass is critical in tight situations. More often than not all other passes are impossible in close quarters. And that is the problem isn't it?

 

I would rather see Howard at the 5 and Asik at the 4.
If Asik fouls out, or if he needs to be benched, it's ok with me. Asik can get reserve minutes at the 5 as well.

 

Just let them do their work first and complain later. Asik would just have to learn to move with the pick-and-roll so that he'll be available for a quick drop.

 

Regular season this may not be as effective. However come playoff time having 2 defensive elite bigs will be vital.

No one will score inside and we will have all te rebounds.

We will set massive picks