[CBS Sports] Howard no lock for Lakers; interested in Rockets

Don't think the heat/humidity woul be an issue for Howard. He's from Atlanta and played the bulk of his career in Orlando.

And as for the loser sentiments, he'll be loser until he wins. Then he'll be a winner. I'm hoping he comes to win in Houston.

 

:grin:

 

We are talking about a guy that grew up in Atlanta... nicknamed Hotlanta for a reason.... well.... a few reasons.

 

Why would the Celtics give up their by-far best player for a center with awkward offensive skills and a PG that's still developing?

 

Cyberx,

I have some questions if you have the time/inclination to answer (any or all of them).

1. Not sure if you've addressed this, but there are conflicting views about whether (a) the Front Office wants to pair Dwight with Josh Smith and (b) whether Dwight himself even wants to join up with Josh Smith (who can't shoot from distance). For example, one of Dwight's mouthpieces, Jarrod Randolph, seemed to imply that maybe Dwight doesn't care to play alongside Smith.

2. Some speculate that Dwight's camp is leaking this as a way of putting pressure on the Lakers. Others argue why put pressure since he can just tell LA directly that they need to make certain changes (e.g., fire D'Antoni) or he walks. Are the leaks potentially aimed at getting LA to make moves without him having to look like the instigator of changes?

3. How strongly will LA endorsements over HOU endorsements factor into the decision? He's making less endorsements now, so clearly winning is the number 1 thing for endorsements. However, is ADIDAS really pushing hard for LA, or do they too recognize that he needs to win first and foremost?

Finally as a related point, although I don't know our chances of Dwight going to Houston, but I think Kobe's injury has helped in two ways: first, his not being around/at full strength most of next year kills next year if Dwight wants to win in the near future; second, there are now reports of Kobe wanting to prove people wrong and maybe extend after next year (i.e., no longer retire at the end of next season). If Kobe extends, Dwight will definitely NOT be the Man in LA, because as long as Kobe's there he's the MAN. That's can't be a pleasant thought for Dwight.

Appreciate all the insights you've been willing to give us!

 

Yeah, it's not as if you can just stick 2 big guys in the front court and expect good things.

Playing Howard and Asik at the same time would be redundant and would severely limit the Rockets' offensive flexibility.

 

I wouldn't mind keeping Asik if we got Dwight. I have reason to believe that one of our young PFs between T.Jones, D-Mo, and T-Rob will develop into a starting caliber player. We would avoid the MASSIVE defensive slippage that happens when our starting center sits and more importantly keep our guys fresh. Playing Dwight 33 mins and Asik 25 mins a night where they can go all out at all times should be hell for opposing offenses.

Being in the West, they could play together against the Spurs, Clippers, Memphis, Portland and maybe the Lakers depending on who replaces Dwight for them.

I'm even more excited about what these two bigs can do for each other in practice everyday. Iron sharpens iron and I can see both Dwight and Omer strides offensively if they push each other.

I know it might seem like a waste of resources, but again. If any one of our PFs becomes a solid, consistent contributor (at the moment I have T.Jones being that guy) we really wouldn't have much of any weakness at all.

I wouldn't want to move Asik for a 3 and D guy since history shows that the right coaching staff can basically build this player for you. I dont see any PG upgrades over Lin that would be available via trade, so unless. J-Smoove is a package deal with Dwight. I'd like to keep Asik around.

No matter what happens, I'm very excited about this Rockets team. I trust our management fully and I feel they have earned the benefit of the doubt in regards to their decision making. Even if we dont get Dwight we have so many assets and so many options and all of our guys project to improve with another offseason of work and another year of experience under their belt. I havent felt this optimistic since the early TMac/Yao days. I feels good.

 

Agreed. I've just seen a lot of posters open to the "twin towers" idea which, as we both know, would be a disaster and doesn't work in today's NBA.

Plus, it's one thing to move Asik right after acquiring Howard by no fault of his or our own. But it's a different story to try this "twin towers" approach, have it fail and then essentially be forced to deal Asik. In that scenario, there's no way that we would receive equal value for Asik.

 

Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett will be gone.. They will start from scratch..
A young starting Center that is improving every year + an average Point Guard would be a nice start for Celtics..

Im not saying they would do it, but i think it would be a fai trade
Rondo might not want to be a Boston after Garnett and Paul Pierce are gone..

Boston have tangled with moving Rondo before/rumor has it him and Doc Rivers are not best of friends...

 

given howard's recent injuries, i think it would be worth the $ to have a solid backup like asik

 

Lin>Alston
Harden>Lee
Parsons=Hedo
Smith>Lewis
Dwight=Dwight

Just compared to the starting five in the Championship run by Orlando and we can def get a better bench than that Orlando Roster at that time.

 

Maybe Asik will be nice enough to re-sign for $15m over 4 years as well.

 

Twin Towers might not be a good idea, but considering the beatings Howard and Asik take down low, being able to limit their minutes by playing them 30/18 minutes would greatly benefit both of them. And you'd still have the option to go Twin Towers in certain situations.

 

But you would still be paying Asik roughly $10M (if you average out his last two seasons under contract) to come off of the bench to play less than 20 minutes a game. That's unjustifiable to me. Just my two cents, though.

 

Now do you mean Josh Smith? I hope you don't mean Greg Smith because that is laughable.

 

Not to change the subject, but where will Lebron be going after 2014?

 

Same place he's been the last few years in all likelihood, slim chance of Cleveland.

 

I do not know why trading Asik, if we get Howard would even be entertained before even attempting to play them together.
Duncan and Robinson played well, no problem with the spacing and they Won some titles. You saw how we struggled to rebound against OKC. Ibaka dominated us, and he's not even that tall. Asik and Howard, would practically get every board. There is a reason why good coaches are good coaches, and McHale would have the opportunity to prove himself, by making them coexist efficiently.
No reason to trade Asik in my opinion. If anything, we can trade Dmo, and Smith and get a better PF. I also do not see why Asik can't come off the bench and relieve Howard if its an issue. But you do not trade him without meddling with it.

 

I'm trying to stayed reserved throughout this entire process. I can't help but feel the media is stretching this out of proportion to create a story. Dwight might be interested in Houston, but its not clear how great that interest is. Alex Kennedy would have you believe its Houston, then LA, then everyone else because it makes for a controversial storyline. LA fans will read it and get angry, Rocket fans will read it and share it with other fans, and NBA fans in general will read it and think of how happy they are that they aren't part of the Dwightmare and that the Lakers may actually have a bad year. All in all, it gets readers, no matter how true or false it is.

I'm really trying to see Dwight in a Rockets uniform, but the image is so cloudy to me. How does he turn away from Laker land in his prime? If he didn't want to crush Magic fans, how is he going to deal with Laker fans? Is coach McHale really that much better than SVG or D'Antoni (I say yes, but what does Dwight think)? I think Dwight's reservations in talking about all this shows he does have interests in teams outside of LA, but of course he could just be jerking us around. No matter what, I think this Rockets team isn't made or broken by picking up D12 alone. I'm excited about the possibility, but reserved about the actuality of Dwight in Rockets red...

 

Actually, Houston isn't a bad city for traffic. LA, however, is the worst.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/05/04/worst-traffic-cities/2127661/