How many minutes can Asik play with Dwight in a game?

Fun fact: Gortat never averaged more than 13.4 minutes in Orlando.

 

I agree with this. I just want to point out if the Rockets ever did run "Twin Towers" against a big lineup (which I really don't see as a viable option even then for Two Towers) that then countered small, the Rockets would just counter with a small lineup 1-4 with Howard. I just don't see a small ball lineup as a threat to "Twin Towers" lineup as the opposing team does not want to see their small lineup versus the Rockets small lineup with Howard when the Rockets take out Asik and does not want to use a timeout to fix their lineup as they may need to save those to stop the clock.

 

He's going to get traded.

 

Completely agree.

Final fifteen man rosters must be turned in by what date? Anybody know? Morey has until then to drum up a good trade for Asik. The team should also know by then if they feel comfortable with either Donatas Motiejunas or Terrence Jones as the starting PF for a championship contender. Reasonable chance that Jeremy Lin is traded before this final roster deadline, as well.

Look for Asik to get traded to a team that believes it's a good C away from making the playoffs this season. Obvious trade partners are Portland, Minnesota (if they become frustrated with contract negotiations with Nikola Pekovic), Dallas, New Orleans, Boston, Cleveland, and Washington. My guess is that he winds up in Portland.

 

I would agree.

 

I wouldn't be too sure about that, not unless Morey thinks the asset (s) being acquired would be attractive to Portland, down the road, because I think it's safe to say that Morey wants to be in the conversation for LMA.

 

What? Really? No one thinks it'll work. Last year's front court of Asik and Smith was pretty good. Smith can't shoot to save his life and Dwight is even more athletic and capable of guarding PF's than Smith is. Offensively I could see problems as you'd want your best offensive big on the inside not too far from the bucket. I think the main reason you'd see very little of them playing together is because they'd want Dwight fresh and healthy for the playoffs.

 

Depends on the matchups and how things are rolling each game. If Howard really wants to go out on the block more, and works on that bank 15 footer, it would leave a little more room for Asik to clean up anything down low. Obviously Howard would be the PF and Asik the C, but there aren't many teams I think that would work well against.

I want to see it though, two huge defensive big men...makes me giddy just typing it.

 

Depends on the team we play and on matchups. Against a team like Memphis, I think they could play together quite a bit. Other teams, probably not at all.

 

They are going to suck together

 

NOBODY can answer that question. NOBODY will know the answer until they get in camp and see how it works in scrimmages. Asik could end up getting more time than he originally thought. Things like that just have to work themselves out on the court with time.

Morey is in the catbird seat as far as trade value on Asik. We have him for 2 more years under contract so we are not forced to move him until then. He will just wait for another team to get depserate and offer up a great deal for him.

 

6 minutes to start the first, six minutes to start the 3rd

 

Asik 2012-13 shot chart

Asik 2011-12 shot chart

Asik 2010-11 shot chart

There are a surprisingly large number of attempts and makes from 12-20 feet last year, especially along the right baseline. He isn't good, but compared to Howard he looks pretty good. Also, compared to previous seasons, its clear he's improving. FG % wise, he's approaching Josh Smith territory, though with a fraction of the shots.

Ask Asik to work on his 15 footer for the rest of the off season. He's shown improvement over the last few years, so he might be able to continue that. Set up Asik from the baseline around 12-15 feet from the basket on the right side, and run the P-n-R with Dwight on the left. Asik's defender will rotate to jam up the pick-and-roll, which should give Asik enough time to take a very deliberate wide open 15 footer. If he can hit well enough to keep that defender close, it might work for 15-20 minutes a game.

It won't be the most efficient offensive team ever, but if it is meh, then the defense will make up for it over stretches.

 

Asik>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Gortat

You put your best players on the floor, and Asik is arguably our third best player.

 

I hope that it's 0, he honestly deserves better than being a backup. There are too many teams in the NBA where he can get his playing time and grow as a center. I really hope he gets traded before the season and if not then, then before the trade deadline.

If he is somehow kept for the long run, 10-15 minutes maximum.

 

I don't think the point is to see how much Asik can play WITH Dwight, the point is to see how much we won't have to OVERWORK Dwight this year because we have Asik in there.

Once any victory is in hand, you can just finish the game off with Asik and allow Dwight to preserve himself to go full bore in the playoffs. This is why it's so crucial to keep Asik up until the trade deadline. Howard doesn't HAVE to play 35+ minutes unless it's absolutely needed for us to win a big game against a contender. Against all the also-rans we need to be coaching our team like Popovich, sitting our stars when we are able to so that we still have all the juice we can muster up come crunch time.

My personal hope is that Dwight averages 30 minutes through the first four months of the season and no more. If that's the case, then you'll truly know our team is a juggernaut and our team is headed for nearly 60 wins.

 

I agree that you should put your best five players on the floor together; fortunately, whoever we receive for an Asik-centered package will be the Rockets' third-best player.

 

who or what could be the argument? he is our third best player.

conventional wisdom says his skill set is redundant with Howard's acquisition. they're probably correct, but since he is our third best player ... more interesting to read alternate views. the often stated cons are now well known.

 

Reasonably, 15 to 20 minutes with stretches of increased playing time if we want to give D12 more rest going into the playoffs. Honestly, he's a luxury to have at his position.

 

Depends on matchup. If we're playing Z-Bo and Gasol, or West & Hibbert more than against a team that plays smaller.

Simple logic? Sometimes 10-15, sometimes less, sometimes none. I think end all, Asik will hover around the 25mpg mark, Dwight at about 33-34mpg.