Lin's stats in 4 games w/o Harden, when he was the focal point of the offense, did not have a SG on KMart's Tier to pass to (61%TS), and 3 of those times he played against a top 10 defense, which certainly had scouting reports on him: 21.5pt/7.3ass/60.3 TS%, 2-2 Record (should have been 3-1 if McHale didn't screw up the rotations against the Spurs (up by double digits in the 3rd quarter, pulled Lin for no apparent reason)
I think now its time for the Rockets to not rush into any FA acquisitions. Why is everyone so willing to mess with the chemistry of the youngest team in the league??? They made the playoffs, and took the best team in the west (ok arguably without Westbrook) to the ropes. Also, Asik REALLY impressed me in the playoffs. He played hurt in the beginning, then took over a leadership role both on the court in terms of his aggressiveness and also becoming incredibly vocal in defending his teammates. That was a gutsy performance by him in Game 5 too...I hate how people just want to 'flip' him if we get Dwight like his contributions shouldn't matter. Dwight didnt get the Lakers past the first round so why is everyone so convinced he'll take the Rockets to the finals???? I say keep the core in tact of Harden-Parsons-Asik and go for a stud PF, or even wait a year for a better FA and let the youth grow up (with some key bench acquisitions who doesn't think the Rockets won't be alot better next year, EVEN if they do 'almost' nothing???) I really like Lin but he's the more replaceable player (and our PFs) than say Asik--stud 7ft centers dont grow on trees and the guy is a double-double machine. Howard could wreck our chemistry not to mention hack-a-Asik DON"T FLY. So hold your horses, and lets see what this young core can do. THEY WILL BE BETTER! let the stud FAs come to us and beg to play on our team. Stop babying up dwight and massaging his ego. There is a new team in town. They are young, fun and play TEAM BALL. Not Dwight Drama ball--no thanks.
I understand your sentiment, but there are numerous reasons why I disagree. First I will say that as much as I think Asik is wonderful and has a great work ethic, he is not on the same level as Dwight Howard and never will be. That's simply fact. His good nights are meh nights for Dwight, even counting this season, where Dwight was playing hurt for so much of it and was out of sync with LAL until recently. Second, the way the salary cap works, and just how our team is structured, we essentially lose the benefit of having the space if we don't utilize it this or next summer. Holding it for next summer is a fine strategy (I'm personally on the 'rent Pau Gasol for a yr if he's amnestied or comes cheap in a trade' bandwagon as well), but I actually find it more likely that we can get D12 or CP3 this offseason than a star next offseason (as they are people like Paul George, LBJ, Bosh, DWade, Nowitzki, Kobe, etc. -- people who probably aren't leaving their team or coming here to do it). It isn't that I would want to mess with the chemistry, but this is one of the only two offseasons where we can take advantage of an asset that we have (the salary cap) before it essentially "disappears" in a way. And again, as much as I like Asik as a person and a player, if you have a shot at Dwight, you take it and figure out details later. Asik is at an all time high in value -- Morey loves selling high, and Asik can easily play a part in us getting someone like Millsap. Do you think Millsap + Asik is > Millsap + Howard? Come now...I get being sentimental irl, but from the owner's or GM's perspective, you do have to see them as assets. As fans, we can be sentimental, but we're also talking about what the owner and the GM will do. They aren't all Dolan, willing to succumb to their emotions. Finally, I see Asik getting a lot of credit for his great Game 5 FT performance. I thought it was great as well, but let's not get carried away. He was 8/12 over those fouls, and he's a 56% FT shooter for the season. He was 1 point away from being at his season average, and was 66% instead. It wasn't that unfathomably shocking, though lesser mortals would have caved under the pressure maybe. He didn't, so kudos to him. Howard though doesn't necessarily cave either. There's a much larger sample pool so there are times where hacking him failed, and times where it worked, but you have to take it all into consideration. Asik had critical misses when he played in Serbia in a crucial game, and also Game 6 for the Bulls. Fair is fair.
All of this is why a Chris Paul acquisition (along with a scorer or defender off the bench -- Tyreke, OJ, Tony Allen) would catapult us to contender status.
Dwight Howard. That's the answer. I would keep Asik under any other circumstance- there is literally no other center in the NBA I would trade him for based on his upside- in his worst year, Dwight gives you 18 points a game, #1 rebounder, #3 shot blocker, and #5 in field goal percentage. Liability? Free throws. LA won 3 championships with Shaq, and Orlando went to the Finals with a much-lesser cast than we had. If Dwight looks at Miami as a blueprint, he knows he has Harden as a legitimate All-Star to pair with, and a potential 3rd in Parsons. Dwight's best option is Houston, and Houston's best option is Dwight. And I would so hate for Asik to have to go because of this, but for Howard, I'd have to do it. Add a decent-scoring PF like a Millsap or someone younger, maybe even Terrence Jones becomes that guy, and we're set. Oh, and 3 good bench components- Beverly, Delfino, and another. Lin can be your starting PG on a team with Howard, Harden, and Parsons. Kenny Smith was the starting PG on a championship team, and despite a few record-setting performances in the playoffs, he was a very average point guard who averaged no more than Lin did (and Lin actually plays better defense than Kenny). Lin is only going to get better, and as long as he cuts down on his turnovers, he's a solid, level-headed PG to have on your team. Beverly is great, too- but he's better as a backup.
Starting PGs on championship teams: Miami Heat- Mario Chalmers Dallas Mavericks- Jason Kidd Boston Celtics- Rondo Lakers- Fisher Spurs- Parker Bulls- Harper (Ron) Rockets- Smith (kenny) Pistons- Billups Sort of a hit-or-miss. Do you need a great PG to win? Not necessarily. I think the main blueprint is that you have to have at least 1 game-changing superstar (except the 2004 Pistons), and preferably 2 (except the 1994 Rockets and 2003 Spurs). 3 doesn't hurt, either. You also need a good bench and a mix of youth and veterans. Not an exact formula, but in the ballpark.
Look at the salary of those players. If you aren't great, you need to have a good salary to justify it and to not restrict the rest of the team's roster. Kenny got paid like 2 million. Chalmers gets paid like 3 million. Fisher got paid like 3 million. I'm guessing Harper got paid like 3 million. The point of not having great players in every position is fundamentally so you can have the salary cap to HAVE great players.
I must need to work on my reading fundamental skills. I read and read that article and nowhere can I see where it says Lin would have played much worse without Harden. I do see where the author says Lin would have been the focus of other team's defenses, but nowhere does it describe how he would have fared against those defenses. Hard to argue with the point that Other team's defenses would have focused on stopping Lin.
The guys who really win Championships: Shaq, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Chris Bosh, Dirk Nowitzki ... yes that's right, all 7-foot tall post players who can score the ball in the paint.
I really hope the Rockets stay away from Josh Smith. He is looking for a max deal and he is not worthy. A great deal of the Atlanta fan base wants him gone, and there have got to be reasons for that. I still remember how Phillies fans laughed at the Astros when the Astros hired Ed Wade. I strongly believe that if the Rockets sign Josh Smith. Atlanta fans will be laughing, and Smith's impact for us will be underwhelming.
Well, it is hard to argue against Lin being underwhelming, especially considering the "hoopla" surrounding his signing.
i think everyone agrees that dwight is #1 option. move Trob for a future pick or something to get the max contract offer for him. i think we are 50/50 on josh smith. some see the immediate help that he would give the team. he helps our defense, fills a hole at the 4, fits with the fast break system. however, he's 28 (in his peak / won't get any better) may become a bad contract if/when his skills decline. the answer to the josh smith problem is get him for the right price. he's not worth the max. OR, best case scenario, I'd give him the max on a front loaded deal that decreases over the next 4 years. he gets the money he wants right now, but continues to become more and more affordable as he declines. At the end of the day, cap space doesn't have a long shelf life, parson's will want to get paid, so will beverley, etc... we have the chance to add talent to our roster this summer and must take advantage of that. start with the blue chip guys like dwight and paul and work your way down. if we land smith for the right price, they he will be another asset that we can use in the future when the next james harden deal comes around. or, he may just help us win. either way its a win-win as long as you don't overpay him.
And very good FT shooters. I will take the aging Timmy and KG over Howard any day of the way. They are not like Q4 liability like Howard. Howard could easily cost a 20 points lead in by end of Q4 and last the game. What this team need is 2 more piece: A PF (prefer a star) and backup center. I don't recall in my recent memory that any team able to win with just 1 star. If LBJ cannot do, no one can. I don't even recall there is a championship won by 2 stars which both of them are guards.
Going through this thread I know I am alone in this, maybe it stems from my hate of "super teams" but I'm pulling for the rockets to go after Josh Smith (not a max contract though) and add some solid role players. Lin, Harden, Parsons, Smith and Asik has the potential to be an efficient team on both ends of the floor, I'd really like to see what they would be capable of.
