paul is staying in L.A. like i posted in another thread, he gets to pick his black coach and he will still get to do that even without doc. he likes LA. and he know the clippers will make a huge push for a sign-n-trade for howard if he wants it and that's all he can really ask for. it's obvious that to the clippers, keeping all their "real" assets for a big trade later on is much more important than getting doc and KG. where else is he going to go with a better situation than he is in now? he might come to houston but that will depend on howard and no way LA is doing a sign and trade with houston for howard and take up their 2014 cap space with asik and lin. and atlanta? if howard doesn't want to go there, what's the point of cp3 going there? for cp3, worst case scenario is he will have the same team as last year but with a new black coach, which is not a bad thing. best case scenario - add howard.
CP3 is almost as good on offense as prime Nash and as good on defense as prime Jason Kidd. His only weakness is that he can't control the paint. Paul's ideal supporting cast are great defensive bigs who know how to roll and finish. IMO, Chandler/West were actually a better fit for him in NO than Griffin/Jordan are now. But the perfect complement to him is Howard.
Considering how CP3 turned David West into an all-star, you can only imagine what he would turn Asik into.
The concept of having Asik start at center and Howard start at power forward is very unlikely for a number of reasons. For one, it simply does not fit the Rockets offensive system at all. The Rockets system requires a power forward that can handle the ball and shoot from the outside. Howard can do neither of those at PF. The Rockets offense would suffer greatly. There would be no respect for the penetration and little success on the kick out that the Rockets rely on. Further, the other team would have a great deal of success fouling Howard and Asik inside, as neither is a good free throw shooter. Therefore there would be very limited opportunities to have both Asik and Howard on the floor at the same time in the modern NBA. Asik could be kept as a super reserve center, but it would be a waste of his skill set. As for Lin, having him swing between the 1 and 2 is not perfect (unless his 3 point % increase is legit), however he has the size and speed and offensive acumen to play extended minutes as "the swing" guard. If the Rockets get Howard I expect the Rockets to look hard to move Asik and capitalize on his very high value. The Rockets would still have areas where they needed an upgrade. Obviously they would not just give him away. If the Rockets get Howard and not Paul, I suspect Lin sticks around until an upgrade is made available. The Rockets would love to package Asik and Lin for a near max level player.
Being on a team that lost in the first round last year with a new coach is not really as good as signing with the Rockets or Spurs. Even without Howard I would argue Paul/Harden/Parsons/Asik/Lin is better than the Clippers. Do you really think that Paul is feeling all warm and fuzzy about the Clippers after throwing him under the bus twice and thus far failing to execute a deal to get KG and Rivers because it cost too much money? Also, there is no guarantee that the Clippers would deal Griffin for Howard, nor that the Lakers would want Griffin when they want cap space to go after James next summer. I am sure the Lakers have no desire to make the Clippers the hot ticket in Los Angeles. If the Rockets want to move Asik and Lin for cap space they can do so if it gets Paul to sign. Chris Paul may very well resign with the Clippers, but they have done nothing thus far to make me believe he is more confident in the Clippers than he was 6 months ago.
Seeing as how you are neither the Rockets coach nor GM, I highly doubt that your 'conclusive' statements are actually indicative of reality when so many in the GARM have been talking for months about the possibility of Asik and Howard playing alongside each other. As this debate has never been completely settled, I somehow doubt that you are the one to do it for us I think it is much more likely Morey gives it a shot and keeps Asik around until the trade deadline. If it works well, great. If not, move him then; I doubt his value has dropped much in the interim (if at all). There are weaknesses to pairing the two together on the offensive end, but GSmith and Asik worked fairly well -- a much better version of that does not necessarily mean it will fair horribly. And it does not mean they HAVE to ALWAYS be on the court together. The idea is to stagger their minutes so that they share some minutes together on the floor depending on the lineup, but always have one of the two playing throughout the 48 minutes. If we need to stretch the defense out more, put TJones or DMo in, depending on the matchups. It is great flexibility that allows us to abuse certain matchups. And I am not even saying Asik guaranteed won't be moved this summer if we sign Dwight -- Morey might. And here you yourself admit to a weakness in your own argument. Getting Dwight allows us to move Asik; capitalize on his value. We can move Asik for a quality PF; maybe in a SnT for JSmith (if we have to throw in TJones or something to get it done, then so be it). Lin is not nearly as valuable on the trade market as Asik is, which in turn makes the acquisition of Paul even more burdensome than an acquisition of Howard. Paul's not maximizing the value efficiently.
I would imagine most in the GARM agree that CP3 > Dwight in a vacuum. Let's put this into numbers. If CP3 is valued at 9 for our team, and Dwight is valued at 7, obviously we should pick CP3. However, the overlap of Harden's skills and CP3's, given their roles and positions, diminish CP3's value to us a bit. I don't think it diminishes it too much...they are both amazing players and can figure out how to work together...but it is definitely not the most efficient use of their talents (look at the arguments of Lin and Harden this season). So subtract 1. Now it is 8 vs. 7. But also don't forget that w/ Dwight, we can move Asik, which is valued at something as well. Whatever that something is, it is greater than the value of the ability to move Lin. That means we're at +1 for Dwight. Now it is 8 vs. 8. Finally, take into account that Dwight fills our need at the 4 one way or another...either w/ him at the 4 or someone else we move Asik for at the 4. The 4 is our greatest position of need. CP3's acquisition does not do this as easily. Maybe this is worth 0.5, so now CP3 8 vs. Dwight 8.5. Obviously my above assigned numbers are completely arbitrary, and different people could assign different values, but you see where people are coming from. This is ignoring the fact that plying Dwight from LA is seemingly MUCH easier than plying CP3 away, so playing the odds and use of resources makes more sense for Dwight than CP3.
My statements are no more authoritative in tone than others on this board. If the Rockets get Paul they keep Asik at center, where he is a very good starter and not a weakness. So there is no weakness in my position, as Asik > Lin as a starter. Paul is the better player, he is clearly better than Dwight Howard. Asik and Howard would be a disaster in my opinion. However we will see...... I will be happy with either player, and Howard is the more likely player to join the Rockets, but if the Rockets can get Paul they should do everything in their power to do so.
The main reason I would like to see CP3 in Houston is because he would take the ball off Harden's hands. CP3 has the reputation to be the one making decisions down the stretch and wouldn't just go across the halfcourt, pass it to Harden then just stand back and watch..
I don't much care how others speak; I can only speak for myself. That being said, of course if Rockets get CP3 they will keep Asik. That was not my point. I meant if you view them all as assets, you're not capitalizing in the most efficient manner. If we get Howard, we GET to move Asik, who is valued at an all time high, netting us back another favorable asset. If we get CP3, we're likely stuck w/ Lin on the bench, which is worth LESS than whatever Asik could have netted us in the Howard scenario. This means we are losing value in this way, and the only way to make up for it is through how much more valuable CP3 might inherently be compared to Dwight, which is however diminished by the overlapping skills/roles of Harden and CP3. No one is arguing CP3 is not a better player than Dwight, so you needn't continually reiterate that point.
Paul is one of the few NBA players who should have the ball in his hands as much as possible. Third in the league in PER this season; 2nd in the season before. His career AST/TO ratio is a godly 4:1, while his TS% rivals Harden's. He's also an ace defender. Dwight's had a career just as amazing and we'd be blessed to have either one. Given the choice between the two I would narrowly pick Paul. First reason, he'll make a little less money. Secondly, I think Asik is already a defensive beast and will improve. Why not keep him around? If we could convince Paul to sign here and package Lin and Robinson for a complementary PF, we'd be unstoppable.
Just to reiterate it, CP3 is a better option the Dwight Howard. Most people know this but fear he will stay with the Clippers while Dwight Howard is like a dog and easily drawn in by shining objects. There are a few that think Howard is better but they really don't matter since they just buy into hype and would follow any big name with enough media luster rather then on the court achievements.
FIFY Also, Howard would fit our team better. Fewer overlapping skills, and Asik is a much more moveable/valuable asset than Lin.
