Ok maybe I'm a total homer but I think Asik a top three defensive center at worst. I would only take Lopez, Noah, Howard, Duncan, Gasol and barely Ibaka and Hibbert over Asik. Then I would argue he is just as valuable as Jefferson or Horford.
Your an idiot if you think this is a bad trade. Wesley Mathews is by FAR the best player in this trade. You lose Dmo & Casspi, but they are easily repalceable. Wesley Mathews can potentially be another guy that can help us win a playoff series. You guys GROSSLY overvalue our players sometimes.
Not a homer man, Asik is a beast defensively. I am sure other teams know it but they are just iffy on that balloon payment.
why is everyone focused on leonard? the key player in this trade is Matthews, who would fit perfectly on our team. As Haberstroh said, he's a great outside shooter and known for his defense (even if he has been a little off this season). He'd allow Harden to rest, he would D up on the opposing team's best perimeter players (probably won't shut anyone down, but at least slightly better than Harden has been), and give Howard a better perimeter shooter to kick the ball out to than anyone currently on the team. He's signed through next year, but he's in his prime and would be very tradeable if the rockets go a different way in the offseason. As for Leonard, I think he's clearly a future stiff and best case scenario he's a passable backup for Howard. He is clearly not the focal point of this trade. That being said, I wonder if Portland front office would be ready to part with him and admit he was a mistake.
It isn't really a bad trade suggestion. The Rockets get the wing shooter/defender they want that will fit in seemlessly and could be the difference between a first round exit and the Western Conference Finals. However, the fact is a "top 5 rim protector" is more valuable even if it means that the Rockets only use him 15 minutes a game. Having 48 minutes of top 5 rim protection cannot be under estimated. The issue is, will Asik play for the Rockets after the deadline and give effort? If he will, then I do not make the move. Also, the author touched on the fact that Matthews has not been defending well this season. The dirty secret is that in a league as competitive as the NBA, it is very hard to be a two way player. Often times those players labeled as two way players have let their defense suffer to augment their offense (Kobe Bryant) or their offense takes a dip if they keep playing defense (Paul George)..... guys like Battier, Christie and Cooper can concentrate on defense........ Gary Payton, Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan are the EXCEPTION...... With Matthews are you REALLY solving your problems if you are getting a swing that doesn't defend if he is hitting 3's?
Something for you to consider.... "A growing body of psychology research shows that incompetence deprives people of the ability to recognize their own incompetence. To put it bluntly, dumb people are too dumb to know it. "
I was one of them. I wanted Henson before him but I never thought Henson would drop and I wanted Meyers before Lamb. I admit he hasn't turned out the way I thought. But you got to remember bigs take longer to develop and this kid and he really does still look like a kid is 21 and a definite big. He shoots very well and could easily turn into a stretch 5 and he does provide some rim protection. He will never be a starting center on any decent team but 7 footers don't gro on trees and he is 7'1". So go ahead and mock my mock but at least I am owning up to my opinion. It was a sucky draft and I thought he might drop to the 14 and he didn't. I clearly had Henson above him but Henson was the one to drop and not Leonard. I still think he is a high character kid who will work hard to improve and I expect he'll have a long journeyman career in this league like Jason Collins. Still I wouldn't do this trade for him I would consider it for Wesley Mathews. I would consider it without DMo. And the only thing that stops me from considering it more seriously is I think we make the Blazers better than we get.
Btw this isn't a bad trade this is just another case of you guys over valuing asik. I wouldn't do it because he's going to a West contender, but I doubt Portland would do it as well. Wes is a huge part of their team
No way. This trade sucks. So Matthew have a great season and all of sudden he's better than Asik?? C'mon. If you compare Matthew to last year's Asik...there is no comparison. Asik is too valuable and does more. Beside, this team need Asik more than Matthews.
I definitely think a trade proposal centered around Asik and Matthews could reach the level where neither team is happy with the deal...a.k.a. a fair deal. I do think Portland would need to include something more.
We should want no part of Batum's contract. He has a habit of disappearing for games at a time, and we should be able to sign Parsons- a better and more consistent player- for less than what batum is making. Asik is exactly what the Blazers need. he's twice the defender Lopez is and if he scores 10 a game like he did last year, then he will match Lopez on offense. The Blazers most pressing issue is defense and Asik will have an immediate impact for them. I agree that we don't want to give a team that we might have to face a player that can end up hurting us in the playoffs. Matthews is a slightly above average 2 guard. he can't play the 1, but can sometimes slide to the 3. His defense is overated. When the Blazers need to move Lillard off guarding the 1, they more often use Batum instead of Matthews. I don't see whose minutes Matthews is getting. It would have to be Lin's or Beverley's when. I think Lin does more for our offense and Beverly does more for our defense than Matthews. This deal really makes no sense at all from the Rockets perspective. I think the Blazers would do it.
Sorry, but you do not EVER leave this team without a safety net for Howard, should something suddenly jump up and bite him in the back, and he goes down for an extended time. This is why Asik is still here, and most likely will be until well into NEXT season. Asik and Lin both become extremely valuable next year as expirings, and Asik is an absolutely critical piece to this team, because Howard NEEDS insurance, and there is none better then Asik for that role.
A thank god your not making GM decisions. Wesley Mathews is great young role player either starting or coming off the bench. He can give you 20 plus points on any given night and brings much needed energy to this team. If you think we're getting a superstar for Asik then I should prolly not waste my time even talking to you based on how stupid that is
Disagree,we Need a Wing player who can take over some Minutes of Parsons and Harden so they can Rest more,both of them were dealing with injuries because they are playing too much.
