Also KG will have no trade value in his last year. Asik is the level of talent that gets the Rockets into any conversation when a star is shopped.
The same could be said of other players on the Rockets some are so ready to discard. Robinson may yet turn into a valuable 4 in a rotation, possibly a starter. Jeremy is still young and developing, but is often blown off as hopelessly inadequate as a starter by some. I still believe Donuts will be a force. It's just going to take time. As for Garnett, it's a crap shoot. He's missed an average of 17 games per season over the last 5 years. However, he's still very much an impact player, when healthy. So if he's healthy entering the playoffs, you'll have a guy who can give you 8 boards, 15 points, 2-3 assists, a steal, a block, .50% from the field, and 80% from the line. That's not too shabby. And after next season, we could let him go and save $12 million in salary, if we wish. His last year isn't guaranteed. http://data.shamsports.com/content/pages/data/salaries/celtics.jsp I've never enjoyed watching him play against the Rocks, so it would be very weird having him here. However, if he's healthy, he's better than anyone we had at the 4 this past season... by a mile. (I hated writing that last bit)
Win now mode is a better term for a team nearing cap hell or with aged superstars. Dwight is 27 and Harden is 23. They would have several years to contend. Renting KG for a year or two at the expense of Asik leaves us with a significantly worse team after KG retires, with several years of expected high performance of Harden and Howard the victim.
sorry, but Asik has more value than a washed up KG and I think the Rockets organization knows this and would never entertain such a deal. it makes sense for the Celtics and KG but NOT for the Rockets. I was shocked when I saw Clutch wrote that.
No, because we would still have a big hole at the PG spot with that lineup (if the goal is to win a championship) and KG can only give you limited and declining minutes of quality play. By the time we fill the gap at the PG spot, KG will be on adult diapers.
I agree that it would be a weird feeling seeing him in a Rockets jersey, but I still want him. Guys like him do not grow on trees. Even at 37-38yo, he is a true 7fter with the length to play amazing defense still and grab a good amount of boards. Compound that with his leadership, work ethic, and skill level (crazy good shot for someone with his body type) and that is exactly the kind of player you want to have on your team to contend for a title. He on the Rockets would be so much more valuable than say Ed Reed on the Texans. Also, big men in NBA history are surprisingly resilient. They either flame out really early--like Ralph Sampson, like Greg Oden, like Bill Walton, even like Yao Ming--or they pass the test of time with flying colors. Dikembe Mutombo and Kareem Abdul Jabbar are the paragons of longevity, but also look at where Tim Duncan is at now, where Karl Malone was (scoring 20ppg until age 40), where Robert Parish was (effective defensive stalwart until age 40). Sure, guys like Shaq and Barkley ate themselves out of the league, and Hakeem relied so much on his quickness that a sharp decline was inevitable. Garnett is a more prototypical type. At this stage of his career he relies on length, smarts, and being an all-around punk. You NEED a guy or two like that.
Throw in Pierce an we got a deal (Doesn't have to be via trade, maybe he gets bought out and sees us as a contender plus he's buddies with KG. Voila, Pierce signs for 3-6 million.)
