Dwight is 6'10.25" in shoes. This is the same bullsh** people always do when trying to make a point and it gets on my nerves. NBA players are listed going by their height in shoes, almost always. Stick with the standard, don't spin things and twist things to service your desired argument.
If I had to bet we will likely go to war as constructed and hopefully with big minutes one of Jones or DMo shows enough to be traded along with Asik for a LMA, Love, etc. There's just no one out there available today worth cashing in Asik for. The fact that the josh smith deal didn't go down despite it seeming to a perfect fit for Asik speaks volumes. Think about the fact that Morey knows he only has a three year window but seems to still be willing to go with inexperience at the 4 rather than make a hasty move with a perhaps redundant asset in Asik. He'll cash him in but not until be gets top dollar.
Unless a deal comes along for Asik that is stupid crazy to say no to, I am moving toward keeping Asik. He is too valuable to let go for anything less. Not only does he allow us a 48 minute anchor, but he can extend Dwight's career by not overplaying him. I think we could see some overlap but I suspect that would be minimal. I would like to see an upgrade at the 4 as Jones needs to develop an attitude and I'm not sure about DMo yet but not at the cost of Asik.
Asik is not elite. Dude can't create his own shot in the post. Still has a lot of work to do in that regard. I hope he keeps working on his game. Needs better hands too. Having Asik and Howard should help both players get better. What better player to practice against everyday? I think McHale convinces Asik that he is still a very valuable piece of this team. He will still get his minutes. If Manu can come off the bench Asik sure in hell can. Stop getting caught up in being a starter. Once Howard shows him a few things in practice he will understand why we got him and why he is not better than Howard.
I remember the day when DMo taunted Dwight like it was yesterday. "Hey Dwight! Catch me if you can!" Lol. Now they might play together. Awkward.
Asik and Greg Smith did fine together. There wasn't as much spacing as when it was Asik/Patterson though. Play Howard play as PF with Asik for 12 minutes a game and then at center another 22. That allows Asik to pick up 26 minutes a game. We have the luxury of being able to take some time to see what we have and how it works. Commit minutes to Tjones+Dmo.
got no problem running the twin towers... Love Asik, but he'll be on the next plane if LMA or KLove is on the way in... and I'd find a third, fourth or fifth team if needed to make it work...
Many of you are reaching too much on all the new "we need this PF, we need that PF". What you all are still failing to realize is that we already have all the help we need at that position on the team. Not just Jones, but D-Mo too. I am sure he has made progress as well.
Does anyone know when Dmo will be playing for the Lithuanian national team? I am looking forward to watching him play.
You guys should have patience with the development of Jones and Dmo. It's not like they struggled big time on their first year in the league. They showed some flashes of what they can do and both will only get better.
Mark my words. If Jones or D-Mo improve with increased minutes this year they will be packaged with Asik for LMA or Love. Morey isn't going to stop player development. #assets
Why is everyone so down on DMo and Jones. They showed flashes last reason. Why don't give them half season to show what they can do playing along D12. If it doesn't work out, there is always Asik to trade away, and get an above PF.
Think out of the box man. Elite production is not just limited to scoring. Scoring is not the only thing that wins you games. Ben Wallace was hardly a scorer but there is no doubt that his production was elite. Being a very effective defensive anchor and monster rebounding production qualifies Asik into elite territory. Simpistic and idiotic FACT: An opponent can't beat you if they can't score. Another idiotic translation: You will always win against an opponent that your team can effectively prevent from scoring. This is the value of "defensive anchors" and "lock down defenders". The "OUTSCORING" aspect of the game of basketball has 2 faces. 1. You have to score the points (offense) 2. You have to PREVENT the other team from scoring the points. (defense) Most people think basketball is just number 1 and forget about or take number 2 lightly. This is the very reason why it's so valuable to have both Asik and D12 on the same team. Just imagine the defensive impact that duo will have, combined with the perimeter defense talents of Parson, Beverly, Garcia, etc. Houston already has a team and the pieces capable of preventing the other team from scoring a win. Asik is extremely valuable in this regard. In addition, another simplistic and idiotic fact: Possession is the best defense. Why? Because your opponent can't score if they don't have the ball. Again sounds simplistically idiotic but absolutely true. This is where rebounding's value comes in. When you dominate rebounding, you dominate possession and limit your opponents scoring chances. (Corollary to that is your own team needs it's scoring opportunities so you better empower it or equip it with guys who can get the ball) Again this aspect of Asik's game merits his consideration into elite status. How many night's has Asik single handedly get us the ball with monster rebounding nights? 22 rebs, 19 rebs, 18 rebs, 17 rebs, 16 rebs anyone? Pardon that long explanation. I couldn't condense it to a shorter one with everything on my mind. So there you go, there goes my argument as to why Asik could be considered elite. As one poster had already put, Asik is a double-double machine with monster rebounding ability and elite rim protection capability as defensive anchor. (not to mention excellent passing ability for a big man and being a high character guy) Asik is elite. Free your mind. Scoring is not the only thing that qualifies a player's production as elite. Think Ben Wallace, Jason Kidd, Dennis Rodman, etc. Again simplistically idiotic: it's a smart move to keep Asik.
Keeping Dwight healthy We seriously need to consider moving Dwight to PF and let Asik play C if we want to keep Dwight healthy and on the floor. I believe that by moving Dwight to PF, you save him from the extreme physical demands and the wear and tear that playing center brings. We all know that it is such a physically tough position to play that most centers find it very difficult to stay healthy and avoid getting injured. Injured or injury prone centers are quite common, no need to mention names. Durable centers are rare. Again here is where the wisdom to move Dwight to PF and let Asik play C comes in. If we do not want Dwight to be sitting on the pine or out of commission for extended lengths of time, I think it would be wise to spare him from the physical demands of playing center. Help him to stay healthy. Let him dominate as a PF. If the Spurs can be a winning team with a very skilled 7 footer in Tim Duncan not play center and then pair him with mediocre frontcourt partners such as Nesterovic, Oberto and Mohammed and play those guys at C instead, I see no reason why we can't succeed with the 2 productive giants, D12 and Omer on the floor at the same time with D12 moved to PF.
Dmo had some trouble on his feet, can't guard the SF and quick PF's. I hope he improves that or we can can start T.Jones..
