Sam Smith: Rockets "quietly sending out signals they’d trade Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin"

can we trade fans?

 

Agree. I think Utah and Dallas are willing to take Lin if Rockets wants to trade Lin, probably three teams will involve to make a deal. Most Lin fans think Houston is not a good fit for Lin. Lets wait and see.

 

You're right about players not walking away from money.

But you are forgetting big money comes with winning big. With the new CBA and now with states like California shooting themselves in the foot with their income tax rates, the only difference in real money between a contract in good old Texas and California is pennies and the extra season. Well, guess what, these guys (Paul and Howard) are going to get a player option after 3 seasons anyways. Don't kid yourself. They aren't going to tie themselves down to either organization without having the ability to get out if things go to hell in a handbasket. They are superstars and they will have as much control as possible.

So, the extra year, how do you deal with that? Really, it's a small, small risk. GMs like Morey, really probably any GM in the case of Paul and Howard will give them that extra year with a promise, an unqualified promise to give them their fifth year, no matter what their health. Yes, it's unofficial. But that's as good as official. Morey isn't going to take the risk with these agents of getting a bad reputation. If he says he'll give them the fifth year, he'll extend them, etc., that means he'll do it. So, really the fifth year is immaterial for all practical purposes. Howard (even with his back situation) and Paul are the kind of players you gamble on with that sort of thing.

So contract money is a NON-ISSUE!

The real issue is WINNING BIG! Because winning big means HUGE $$$$$ for these players. Multiple rings, repeat championships, beating Lebron. That is HUGE, HUGE $$$$$$$$$. And as Lebron and Co. have demonstrated, it doesn't have to be in a major market.

I am not predicting that Paul and Howard are going to sign here. I am predicting Morey goes after them hard. And I am saying that guys like you that are already poo-pooing the idea of them coming here and predicting they won't come here should pull your horns in. There is a definite chance that they will both want to come here and form a Big 3 with Harden. Not to mention Harden being on the new max scale which gives us a significant advantage over Miami in adding pieces around our Big 3, simply because our Big 3 will be making around $5 million less than their Big 3. Now, look down the road a year after that. We clear out the cap to get both these guys, convert TJones, TRob, Royce into future draft picks, keep DMO and develop him along with other minimum salary guys. Do you think somebody else may want to come here and play with our Big 3? With the difference being we could put together a legitimate trade to get them in here with DMo, draft picks, and minimum salary expiring deals.

There is plenty of opportunity for Morey to sell our situation to Paul and Dwight. Look, the odds are Miami is going to repeat this year. Clippers are most likely going to get punked out in the SECOND ROUND.

Once the Clips re-sign Paul, they are sitting at $63 million in guaranteed salary next season. They're not trading Blake. So they got Paul and Blake with their trade pieces being Deandre, Bledsoe, Butler, and Crawford. Gimme a break man. The only piece worth anything on the trade market is Bledsoe. The only thing the other guys are going to bring back is a longer term underperforming contract. So, with the Clips probably slightly over the cap with the Paul re-signing, they've got their MLE to use again and wind up at the hard cap number. The Clips are going to be bring back the same bunch next year. Paul is looking at another season just like this one. And then after that...what? If you were Paul would you have confidence that Sterling is going to spend big money to put a championship contender together year after year? Let's be real. If they don't get it done this year...which they won't....how are they going to significantly improve that group? The answer is THEY CAN'T. They signed Deandre to a big money deal that he is not worth. And they filled out the roster with older vets not on minimum salary deals. They are landlocked until 14/15 when they could possibly add a third player and actually compete for a championship with Miami. And once again, it's an organization that has proven themselves over and over to be totally inept at building a winner. Chris Paul is that whole organization right now.

Now, do you think Morey is going to remind Paul of all those things and contrast that situation with our own???? YOU BET HE WILL!

Now, peel back the Lakers. Dude, they are trying to convince Dwight to hang around so they can build around him in 14/15. After this season they've got another year of mediocre uncertainty facing them. ARE THEY GOING TO PLOP OUT $90 MILLION OF LUXURY TAX NEXT SEASON FOR THE CHANCE TO FINISH 5TH IN THE WEST? The odds are the Lakers are going to be scrambling to UNLOAD Pau for nothing but future draft picks and maybe one or two young players. They can't do a S&T with ATL for Josh Smith. The Lakers only hope for next season is that Minnesota bites off on a Pau for Love swap. That's their one shot. And Dwight's team is smart enough to see the lay of the land. If the Lakers can't convince Minny to flip Love to them for Pau, Dwight's team knows they have NO CHANCE to win anything next season. The only thing that changes that is if the Lakers pull off the miracle of the ages and come out of the West from the 7th or 8th seed this season.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Morey is dangling Harden, Parsons, DMo, and max contracts in front of Paul and Howard with a clean roster clear of long-term contracts that can be built out with players that fit around that big 3. The opportunity for Paul and Howard to play together with ..... James Harden and Chandler Parsons and DMo. The real opportunity to take on Miami in the Finals.....not down the road somewhere...but next season.

If you don't think that Morey has a chance here, you'd better think again. He may not get it done. But if those two players re-sign with their current teams, they are facing a more uncertain future and they know that they are going to have to beat each other to even get to Miami in the Finals. And they know that their window for winning a championship is much narrower and a little further down the road than the immediacy of our situation in Houston.

This thing is going to flip and spin and roll like a crazy roller coaster ride from now until they make their decisions in the offseason.

DO NOT WRITE OFF PAUL AND HOWARD COMING HERE!

 

You write it better than I ever could. We'll find out before next season starts whether Dwight and CP are 'rational' or not.

 

a more realistic option, if the Rockets decide to trade Asik/Lin would be Deron Williams....salaries work. Brooklyn might listen, Williams hasn't been great this year due to injuries. Lin would be a marketing bonanza in NY again. And for the Rockets, Williams could be a draw for Dwight.

 

so says a KMart fan???

 

Ok, lets clear this up. I worked for Kmart a decade ago. Not because I was a fan of Kmart.

 

Lmao. ... that's where your name comes from !?

 

Does anybody know Dallas and Utah's forums? I have to register first before Lin's trade. :grin:

 

Based on Les' track record, I won't be surprised if he do that. He'd be paying only 5mil/yr for Asik/Lin's service. Smart way to save money...for himself.

 

Same old, same, year by year, no big name want to play in Houston. Morey can try his best, but I am more realistic. His best is finding another James Harden, another rising young star. In order to build a championship team, Houston should look hard at the Thunders, just copy their model.

 

This.

 

Fantasy and hope. Not going to happen.

 

Could you have predicted Lebron and Bosh going to Miami while taking less money to sign there 3 years ago?

 

I dont know how they can sell their tickets if Lin is not in the team. Probably Taiwannese will boycott the game.

 

A more ideal option would be to trade Asik and Lin and TJones and Royce White for as much future value draft picks as possible and sign both Dwight and Paul outright.

 

A more ideal option would be to trade Harden,Asik and Lin and TJones and Royce White for as much future value draft picks as possible and sign both LBJ(KD),Dwight and Paul outright.[/

 

Different situation. That was pre-major-punitive-new-CBA. And Bosh and LeBron were both spinning their wheels in their respective cold-weather locales.

DH12 and CP3 are each on a major market Los Angeles team that will do everything to keep them. We might, MIGHT, get one of them. But not both.

And for those saying we'd trade Asik and whomever for a non-center? Pshaw! Only if DH12 is sitting in Toyota Center, ready to sign the contract.

 

LMAO! this is sig worthy hahahahahaha. i'd rep if i could.