[ClutchFans] What we learned from the Asik trade that wasn't

Just a side note about Pau, and you know I'm spanish and so that I do a special following with him. Current Pau is the worst ever; he's scoring 15 per game without Howard next to him, with a 44.8% (not efficient at all for a PF-C player), AND he is playing the worst defense probably since he was a rookie. He has gained weight, his legs are not responding, he basically is gettin old. Still 32, but you have to consider his agitated career, playing long playoff runs for years, and playing the most of summers for his national team (and competing hard for medals, I mean, not just going on vacances). He is 32 but has the body of an older player, right now, because his legs have played so much basketball minutes at a high level of exigency.

He remains being a very skilled big man, very talented and experienced player, and Im sure McHale would be glad to get him, but Morey is aware of all that. Gasol currently is becoming more a name than a player who actually helps you win. Similar to he latter Scola we saw in Houston.


Anyway... I wont deny it would be at the least curious to end up with Gasol and Howard on the Rockets, and contending for a championship.

Well, I think you are discarding the chance of competing for a championship this year and the next one at both of your options, since you name trading Lin for an expiring. If Morey does that, lets be honest, he is not taking too serious the team goal for that particular season.

On the other hand.... remains to be seen that Wolves GM accepts that he's going to lose Love and that he better trades him before recieving nothing in excahnge. First, he will try his best to improve the team to grow the chances of Love staying, he will try to convince the player, he probably even does a coach change before accepting that he's gonna lose Kevin Love. And by human nature.... he will think he is capable of achieving that as main responsible of the subject.

The point is that it is absolutely not a given right now that Love is gonna ask for a trade (like it was not last season netiher, with Aldridge -and this year it's been proved why-), and it is less a given that Flip Saunders recognizes at time the fact that he is losing him, and accepts to look for a trade. The Wolves have some good pieces around to still redirect the situation.

*And btw, Im not sold on the idea that the Wolves, trying to rebuild, hypotetically accept a Griffin for Love exchange. Griifin will still be gaining more than $20 million by 2017 and 2018.

 

Poison pill, poison pill, poison pill.

This is going way overboard.

Do you know how much money the Brooklyn Nets would save if they traded Deron Williams and Kevin Garnett for Asik/Lin/Jones/DMo/Brewer/Smith/first rounder? Over the next 2 seasons the Nets would SAVE over $90 million in salary and luxury taxes (based on luxury tax going up to around $75 million next season) if they made that trade.

Poison pill?

There are more than a few trades that teams could make (if they wanted to) to get a better player in Lin or Asik and move out expiring salary that would practically make those poison pill salaries FREE for them next year over the option of doing nothing or at the very least a very low net cost over keeping a couple players that aren't going to be nearly as productive as Asik or Lin.

Not being able to trade Lin and Asik doesn't have very much to do with their poison pill deals. It has to do with teams not knowing what they are doing and not knowing what they want to do. There are too many teams right now that can't pick a direction. They can't decide to unload vets and stars to go to the lottery. They can't decide to turn loose of an expiring and a pick to get better and make the playoffs. It's not the poison pill.

 

I've questioned Morey a few times. They all ended in penance.

 

What I wanted to say with those last paragraphs, is that considering all that, I doubt Morey is thinking on a trade for Kevin Love. Probably more on a FA signing. But at the same time, he will do all he can to compete for a championship this and next season (including spending the whole MLE next summer on a valid veteran player, and keeping Jeremy Lin, and TRYING to help the team inmediately with the Asik trade).

What we dont know is, how much future flexibility is he ready to sacrifice in order to improve the current team. I mean, even Lee's contract is tradeable in case you need cap space (being and expiring the next year to the 2015 FA), but Thad Young is it?

Would Morey totally sacrifice the Kevin Love option, if a situation where he gets a solid PF plus a solid center -let's say, Okafor- presents itself by the February deadline?

 

The flexibility angle in practice only applies to players that are expiring though. Lee and Bass don't really apply because the Rockets are unlikely able to structure a deal to use either at the deadline. Also, the deadline only applies to players traded in a group. We could still trade Bass at the deadline, just not with another player.

I tend to agree with CH here. Only a small subset of potential trades might we benefit from the 19th deadline. Charlotte trade, for example, if they include a couple of expirings. Hawes perhaps, although in that scenario we're more likely to keep him. But it doesn't really matter with the biggest rumored players like Young, Lee, Bass, Green, or Millsap. They all have multi-year contracts that aren't easily flippable at the deadline.

 

And however it is, very likely the Rockets will be competing for a championship the next season, more clearly than this one. And I highly doubt that Morey is by then thinking in possible trades to improve Rockets position to get Love. I guess he will very prefer to have the contractual situation already prepared before season starts, let the team be 100% focus on the season, and when its all gone and done... focus on Kevin Love if he's still available.

And I would be very dissapionted if he's not facing the situation like that. As he himself said, once you have Harden and Howard, two of the best 10 players in the NBA, your focus must be 100% on present. It's appropiated to have the future on a side of your mind and be prepared for a positive change, but never interfering on present plans, which should be 100% focused on championhip while you have Harden, Howard, Parsons.

 

Asik has decided to be out of game for the rest of season?

 

A couple things to add but I'll keep them brief as I'm on my phone.

I don't think Morey expected a finals contender this season. As mentioned in the team goals were to get home court advantage. I think that you need to build a contender not just buy one overnight (the Celtics in 08 maybe the exception). Once you get your stars then you need proper role players that compliment the stars. Add some good coaching and some luck and you have a chance at a championship. We have 2 stars but the question is do we need another or are role players all that's required?

Another thing that Morey has said is that he doesn't just want to contend for a small window but for a long while. So how do you get Dwight to resign after he opts out in 3 years? Still have a promising team. If you put Love or Aldridge with Harden/ Parsons and Dwight then if you want Dwight back, you pretty much have him locked up. Perhaps you could get him cheaper too.

 

After reading The Cat's article, I was going to point out that Houston's refusal to accept Boston's lousy offer DOES NOT constitute an unwillingness by DM to go "all in," since a) this same lousy offer remains on the table right up to Feb 20 and b) DM suspects better offers will appear between now and Feb 20. But you beat me to it, CH.

Courtney Lee and Brandon Bass are exactly the sorts of overpaid mediocre veteran "role players" that well-managed teams avoid. You can find comparable players out there who you can acquire very easily, and you don't have to pay them $20 mil in guaranteed money. This clogs the payroll and negatively impacts what is called 'cap flexibility."

I suspect that Morey would have accepted Danny Ainge's offer if Morey were able to identify a team or two willing to absorb the contracts of Lee and Bass in exchange for expiring contracts. But Morey was unable to find any such team. Think about that. All teams value expiring contracts of lousy players who rot at the end of benches (e.g., Andris Biedrins) more than Courtney Lee (with his contract) and Brandon Bass (with his contract). When you are worth less than $0, like Lee and Bass, you possess what is called "negative trade value." Again: Daryl Morey avoids such players/contracts like the plague!

 

The problem with this is that Prokhorov doesn't care about losing money. He pays more in luxury taxes than most NBA teams pay in actual payroll. And it's likely that he's not really LOSING money anyway, since he'll probably make it all back and more when he eventually sells the team.

 

Clearly Morey is cool with taking Ls this year while Asik sulks and/or doesn't play. I guess people are okay with the Rockets potentially taking a 1st round exit during one of Howard's past-his-prime years as long as we preserve that precious 'flexibility'. I guess if the owner is fine with this as well, there's really nothing else we can do. No choice but to accept it.

 

No doubt the window of opportunity will be wasting away - but we won't win with McHale as coach anyway.

DD

 

The rockets did a great job at get Dwight but it seems that they don't understand how a basketball team is built. They are taking trash and trying to turn it into treasure.

It is not that hard...this team has hard a stretch 4 problem since 2PAT left.

Morey is good, but he has a tendency to overplay his hand as well. I'm pretty sure he knew Asik wanted out this summer and should have obliged then.

 

So what is up with Asik. Any ETA on his return from injury?

 

no update. heard he had his knee drained. We REALLY could have used Asik tonight. Plus some good shooting guards

 

Morey should have told McHale, "Do you want Dwight insurance more than locker room cancer? Or vice versa?"

This is McHale's m.o. (Besides sucking.) He was gonna take Luther Head and the #8 pick, thinking Foye would fall that far.

Just looooooooooooooooves small ball.

I fear we've started a Golden State-like slide toward the back of the playoff standings.

Hopefully the injuries and the unresolved lineup won't sink us and we can have it together as a team come playoff time.

 

This.

While the season is still early, Morey should do everything in his capacity to improve the team ASAP.

I understand the contracts of Lee and Bass were onerous, but they would definitely improve our team, especially Lee with his perimeter D. That is one example.

Morey has said he wants to win NOW. Do you believe him or is he waiting for another year because this team has got some serious holes.

 

I'm so over Asik's "thigh contusion" bull**** at this point. Is he actually injured or is he just not playing out of spite.

 

either ways don't matter, he want out . and Morey should try his best to get more from the trade.

 

Yep,trade him,makes no Sense to keep him