Yeah, I def wouldn't mind keeping both, but I think it's more likely that Asik is shipped out somewhere. If Asik develops a solid/consistent mid-range jumper, then omg, we have our Gasol.
The case for keeping Asik: -great insurance policy as best backup center in nba for reasonable price. -the upgrade at the 4 for this years' crop would not justify losing out on that kind of luxury -no pressure on howard in terms of minutes or hurrying back from injury For trading: -maximize value as his stock will not be higher -package to get that third star Honestly, i say keep the guy.
If Asik develops a solid jumper, it would have been a waste of money to bring in Howard. That would be $16 million dollars on two back up players (assuming Bev overtakes Lin or at least eats into his minutes) and teams that win championships don't do that.
Asik's highest value is now because he's just coming off his first year starting. If he's delegated to the bench _ his value will drop. Plus we will be hurting his earning potential for his next free agent contract. Why screw the man over when he left his heart out on the court for us to make the playoffs. But if he wants to stay and ride the bench, different story.
I like Asik and Lin a lot. They developed very good chemistry in the last season. Asik deserves a starting job. I hope he can stay but looks like he will be gone. So far nobody knows whether Lin will be traded or not. Actually Lin is a perfect fit to Howard when playing PnR games. I like to see Howard dunk be Lin's pass. Lin did great job when playing with Tyson Chandler. Rockets really needs a good PF and some good SGs. We need Garcia back.
Forget to tell Morey: if you want to trade Lin in the future, please let him play his linsanity style of game and make him look good. Otherwise he can not be traded. If you did that last season, Many teams will want him now. I just don't understand--why you signed him with that big contract if you don't want him to succeed as a star. Lin could have had much better stats if he was not limited.
I'm with you, ATW whether they stay or are disappeared, both will find their way to prominence before they reach nba adulthood. I would love to keep them both. Some like to cry that the pg isn't worth the contract but want to turn around and give 14 million to J smith . To me, 14 million should get you at least a double double. Asik/dwight &dwight/asik can and will work.
In the end, everything depends on the alternative. Asik for someone like Millsap level? I'll keep Asik. Asik for Josh Smith? I'll take Smith. Lin for capspace? Who do we sign? Brandon Jennings? No. Jarrett Jack? Worth thinking through. I have the utmost confidence Morey can maximize the talent available. If they happen to be Asik and Lin, I'm quite cool with that. If it means making changes? I'm fine with that too.
The cap space is only $8.3 million, but when the GM goes to the owner to sign off on whatever trade involving Lin or Asik's final year, they are asking the owner to give $15 million for a $8.3 million expiring contract. IMO Lin and Asik's contracts aren't going to work very well as expirers.
This is the main reason you would keep Asik and Howard together to start the season, or even through the season. You've done a ton of work to get Howard-Harden. You don't want to force the last pieces if they don't work as well as possible, just for the sake of moving quickly. Taking a look at Jones-Montejunas for in year 2 could also give us an answer at the 4, or increase their value in a upgrade at the 4. Asik-Howard wouldn't play much time at all on the court together, but you would have 48 minutes of great D at the rim, which worked great for the Bulls in the regular season with Asik. It's not the final answer, but it would work fine in the regular season if you want to give yourself some more time to explore options.
Feigen's article a couple weeks back indicated that the Rockets have big plans to upgrade the rest of the roster should we get Dwight. Gotta think either Omer or Jeremy have to be moved to get any sort of big contract here.
Someone mentioned Asik for Ilyasova and Udoh which would be amazing if a deal like that could get worked out.
I'm actually feeling pretty good about our roster if we all stay healthy. I hope we see a big step up in Lin's game from last year. Less TOs, better shooting %s across the board. I like Lin's D and his ability to create.
I'd love for the Rockets to keep Asik. The 1-2 combo at the center spot would be phenomenal. Lin I would say is the greater luxury, though I wouldn't mind if Morey found a way to keep him while upgrading the rest of the roster.
Excellent post! I completely agree. There is no reason to rush into trading Asik. There's a real chance that one of Smith, Jones, or DMo will take the next step at the 4; but in any case, they're all likely to be improved, which increases their value. Lin will definitely be better, which will increase his value. The only thing that i am worried about is tht we lost our best two pure shooters in Delfino and Garcia. We really need to find a way to add another shooter, but we don't have the cap space to do it without moving Asik or Lin's contract. Still, I agree that going into the regular season with Lin and Asik on the roster is not a bad thing. In fact, I honestly think we should hold onto Asik as long as we can, as the Twin Towers would give us a huge advantage over teams like OKC, Miami, and Golden State.
