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

28/30 in points allowed but 16/30 in defensive efficiency.

I know people love to pile on McHale, but given the personnel(more offensive minded players that defensive) he was working with I think 16th isn't all that bad on the defensive end.

Hopefully Morey is able to help us round out the roster and we make a jump into the top 10 in defensive efficiency next season.

 

If we sign Dwight I personally believe that would lure Chris Paul. If we do this houston gets to the finals.

 

I think having a bunch of players that can't defend has more to do with that?

- Harden doesn't try and looks lost when he does
- Lin and Parsons both gamble for steals too much
- Delfino was never, ever known for his defense
- None of our PF is known to play good NBA defense

With our only defensive player being Asik, what does anyone really expect?

 

Calm down, find an oxygen tank and grab a dose of humility. You're condescending and you act like you just made the most bulletproof argument in existence when it's anything but that. I CAN TYPE IN ALL CAPS TOO, OMGZZ....

Is allocating $8M per year (or $20M over the next two seasons) to a backup that figures to play somewhere in the 15-18 minute range really a wise strategy? And there are potential MAJOR cap ramifications next year whenever Lin and Asik's deals peak.

Your strategy seems to hinge on the idea of using Dwight's time in Houston up until the trade deadline to "assess" what sort of physical condition he's in before dealing Asik. What if Dwight is good to go, we move Asik and then Dwight blows out his knee the next night? All of that caution and half of a wasted season under-utilizing Asik means nothing at that point.

Also, [God forbid] if we sign Dwight and his body gives out, deciding when to move Asik would be the least of our problems. If your goal is to have a well-balanced roster that isn't devoting $30M+ to a single position on the depth chart, I have a hard time entertaining the thought of keeping both Dwight/Asik long-term.

 

8 Million bucks is not very much for a GREAT backup center.

 

CYBREX....I second this good questions!

 

Celtics played McHale and Parish together forever. I suspect McHale would have a few ideas about how to play two low post bigs together.

 

Not only did they play McHale/Parish together but they paired them in the frontcourt with a guy that would be considered a stretch 4 today. So you essentially had 3 bigs up front, a 4, a 4/5, and a 5.

And that, folks, is the greatest front line in NBA history.

 

Needless to say, if Dwight is acquired Asik is worth MUCH more to any other team lacking a center than he is to us. My point is that I'd rather sell high than watch him be under-utilized on this team.

By acquiring Dwight we're taking the risk that his body will hold up. In which case, you can find somebody much cheaper to do what you're asking Asik to do in that particular reserve role.

 

Can you elaborate on these major cap ramifications?

 

The bolded part is wrong, the cap hit will be same as this year, so its no different from when the contract "peaks" it has no effect on our cap. Just how much the owner pays. The cap hit for all three years will be the same every year. Why is this so hard to understand.

 

'In short: Let the Dwightmare begin. Again.'

^the only pertinent info in Berger's piece.

 

He is unaware that the cap hits are at 8 million. We are just going to be paying 15 million.

 

Someone needs to get in their face. I mean I love Harden, but to see Fisher hit a wide open three, and the next time down the court see Harden play off him 10 feet was so frustrating, expecially when all it takes to throw Fish off is to be right up on him, I was embarassed. I don't mind if you leave guy open once and he hits. That stuff is going to happen. But you don't have the heart to try and cover the guy the next time.

 

The best reason to sign Howard straight-up and not worry about a trade is avoiding Stern's veto power.

 

EXACTLY THIS!

People wanting to dump Asik just because are idiots.

The ONLY reason to trade him is to UPGRADE at PF if you can....

If you can't, you keep him.....he is outplaying his current contract and would be the best kind of insurance in the event that DH were to be a Rocket.

Play them together in certain packages depending on match-ups.....

Asik is supreme flexibility on a roster with DH.

SUPREME!

If you can't get a top shelf PF for him, develop your current assortment of PF's and/or play DH at PF when needed.

Out of TRob (a DH stan) and TJones or Motie.....ONE of those 3 has to develop into something, right?

If you let it shake out, someone will step up.

I'd put money on that.

 

That one. Or a front line of Hakeem. (period)

Now, seriously - - Parish could, and often did, step out and hit 15-18' shots. When he was on from distance he was a total beast. The really BIG Three knew how to complement each other (even if KMc's next pass out is cause for a pass-out of any ever expecting to receive the ball back from him).

 

Maybe because people absolutely refuse to learn the fact that there ARE no 'major cap ramifications when Lin & Asik's deal peak'. THERE IS NO PEAK. (That is why I use caps, so that maybe people will pay attention.. but obviously it didn't work for you). Lin's & Asik's deals are averaged out to slightly over 8mil per season for salary-cap purposes. THERE IS NO PEAK.

There is no peak.

This is the entire foundation upon which the 'poison-pill' contracts Morey used to steal Lin & Asik are based - the Rockets get to average the contracts out evenly over 3 years, while any other team either trying to sign them in trade, or trying to keep them (Bulls & Knicks) would not have that same luxury, and the entire 15mil wold hit the cap in the 3rd year.

This is common knowledge around here and has been for a long time.

It's just frustrating when people can't seem to get it through their heads.

And no, 8mil is not a bad amount to pay for a backup 5 of Asik's caliber. Don't believe me? Maybe ask the Bulls if they would have been willing to keep Asik if it only meant having to hit the cap by 8mil per season.

Bottom line, you keep Asik even if you sign Howard, at least until you know for sure you have a viable backup 5 other than Asik, and if it saves you some money, then fine, but you don't move Asik 'just cuz'. Asik's value will never not be high. Remember how much interest there was in Gortat? And he got paid. Morey will certainly utilize that asset to its fullest value, of that we can be sure.

 

The way I understand it (mind you, I haven't been able to post as much lately as I used to) is: even with the cap hits, adding to it Dwight's hypothetical max contract would put us over the $58.044 million for 2014-15. Sure, the salary cap could change for 2014-15 but it's been the same for two years. It's reasonable to think that it might stay the same or not change much.

I'm no salary cap wiz (nor will I pretend to be) but I was speaking in regard's to Nero's response about the importance of the cap and that's the way that I understood it.

And either way you slice it, you're still paying $20M over the next two years for a guy that will have a reserve role. Which, to me, is under-utilizing a very solid player at a position teams are prone to overpaying for.