Asik wants traded. Houston says "no way"

[#1BostonFan]

Can he even play the 4?

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Houston wrote in some big money over the next two years that makes moving Asik difficult, but as a Lakers fan If could get around those extra bonuses written in, he would make a decent role player for Kobe, Gasol and Nash. The Lakers really don't need a franchise player for the next year, they need a stron role player that will take orders

 

[ChrisperJ10]

What's up with the Dream/Sampson comparisons? Olajuwan had something that Howard doesn't. A post game!

 

[SoPortland]

Yes. I don't see them being worked by OKC or Memphis. I think they are the 3rd best team in the West.

1. SA

2. Clips

3. Houston

4. OKC

5. GSW

6. Memphis

I said in my post its highly unlikely they even go to the Finals.

How would OKC get worked by HOU? I mean as shitty as Perkins is... he can still play Dwight and make things tougher. Not to mention, Ibaka will be around to help out since they don't have another PF worth a shit to even draw Ibaka's attention.

Westbrook will be back and he'll be a huge mismatch for their PG's. Lin nor Beverley can handle him outside of taking out his knee again. OKC looked like shit on offense without him... but once he's back they'll be one of the best teams in the league.

Durant will continue to be Durant. I just don't see in what magical world you came to the conclusion that they're going to kill OKC.

Memphis will just punish them down low with Randolph and Gasol. Gasol will also have no problem guarding Dwight... and considering Gasol will be able to play a little more spread out, that forces Dwight out... or he's going to guard Randolph and then you go... who's going to guard Gasol? And this is just talking about the front court here.

Harden will be made to work for every fucking shot imaginable with Allen on him. In essence, they will have to win with Howard, Parsons, and Bev/Lin's offensive production. Sure, Memphis's spacing is poor, but Houston will have similar problems...

Your ranking should be:

1. OKC
2. SA
3. LAC
4/5. HOU/GSW
6. MEM
7/8. WHO THE FUCK KNOWS??? POR/NOLA/DEN

I love Dwight. But without a PF who can shoot... they're going to have some serious limitations. They can play small ball with Parsons at the 4, but they'll have issues defending and rebounding. I'm not so sure Parsons can play meaningful minutes as a stretch 4 on both ends.

They're definitely better than last season, but they have some problems that can easily be exploited depending on the matchups and the well coached teams will take advantage of these.

 

[shitsho]

How would OKC get worked by HOU? I mean as shitty as Perkins is... he can still play Dwight and make things tougher. Not to mention, Ibaka will be around to help out since they don't have another PF worth a shit to even draw Ibaka's attention.

Westbrook will be back and he'll be a huge mismatch for their PG's. Lin nor Beverley can handle him outside of taking out his knee again. OKC looked like shit on offense without him... but once he's back they'll be one of the best teams in the league.

Durant will continue to be Durant. I just don't see in what magical world you came to the conclusion that they're going to kill OKC.

Memphis will just punish them down low with Randolph and Gasol. Gasol will also have no problem guarding Dwight... and considering Gasol will be able to play a little more spread out, that forces Dwight out... or he's going to guard Randolph and then you go... who's going to guard Gasol? And this is just talking about the front court here.

Harden will be made to work for every fucking shot imaginable with Allen on him. In essence, they will have to win with Howard, Parsons, and Bev/Lin's offensive production. Sure, Memphis's spacing is poor, but Houston will have similar problems...

Your ranking should be:

1. OKC
2. SA
3. LAC
4/5. HOU/GSW
6. MEM
7/8. WHO THE FUCK KNOWS??? POR/NOLA/DEN

I love Dwight. But without a PF who can shoot... they're going to have some serious limitations. They can play small ball with Parsons at the 4, but they'll have issues defending and rebounding. I'm not so sure Parsons can play meaningful minutes as a stretch 4 on both ends.

They're definitely better than last season, but they have some problems that can easily be exploited depending on the matchups and the well coached teams will take advantage of these.

I dont recall saying they would work OKC. You have some valid points but I disagree. To correct your ranking all you have to do is adopt mine! Unless Westbrook and Durant plan on playing the whole series without a drop off in production I dont see them beating Houston unless Howard is on the bench in foul trouble. Reggie Jackson is catching my eye and may be prime time but the jury is still out. You cant guard Harden with 1 person plus with the 3 pt shooters the floor will be spaced and plenty of room for Harden to drive and kick, dump off to Howard or score. Parsons is a year older and will have to be accounted for. Beverly and Lin both will give OKC headaches. Since this is only the summertime I will finalize my standings before the season starts and thing should be much clearer then.

 

[SoPortland]

I dont recall saying they would work OKC. You have some valid points but I disagree. To correct your ranking all you have to do is adopt mine! Unless Westbrook and Durant plan on playing the whole series without a drop off in production I dont see them beating Houston unless Howard is on the bench in foul trouble. Reggie Jackson is catching my eye and may be prime time but the jury is still out. You cant guard Harden with 1 person plus with the 3 pt shooters the floor will be spaced and plenty of room for Harden to drive and kick, dump off to Howard or score. Parsons is a year older and will have to be accounted for. Beverly and Lin both will give OKC headaches. Since this is only the summertime I will finalize my standings before the season starts and thing should be much clearer then.

who are these 3 point shooters? (Parsons and maybe Garcia? That's it.) And again... the lanes will be clogged because you won't have to respect the 4's shooting ability. Unless of course it's Parsons... but then you'll just have to punish them on the other end where they'll be a defensive mismatch. How will Beverley and Lin give them headaches? You do understand that Westbrook is one of the best defensive PG's in the game, if not the best. Quit being ridiculous.

Your points make absolutely no sense. The Houston Rockets will have horrible spacing unless they play small ball. And if they roll with a small lineup + Howard, they're going to have issues on the other end with the bigger teams.

 

[jayviabay]

I think Garcia is no longer in the picture, delfino signed with the bucks, so I dont see any real threat to space the floor in houston other than parsons and harden when they are in rhythm.

 

[wildturkey]

I just skimmed some of the posts so maybe its already been brought up but I think Houston ideally would like Terrence Jones to be able to slip into the 4 slot. He's still pretty raw but has shown flashes. If he can develop a Brandon Bass type game, especially the nifty 18 footer Bass has, that would help a lot.

But I agree about those who said Houston has some impending spacing issues. Parsons and Garcia are really the only ones that can hit spot ups consistently. Harden only shoots in the mid 30s. His offensive efficiency is more based on slashing. Lin is a piss poor 3 point shooter as well, shooting in the upper 20s to low 30s. Beverely shot well last year but its hard to gauge since he played for like half a season and in limited minutes. So I disagree with a lot of analysts I've been hearing saying Howard's Rockets are basically the 09 Magic with better players. They don't have the personnel to do that. Howard isn't enough of a post threat to command double teams nor do they have the shooters to knock down open looks off doubles.

That's why I've said Houston's best chance at success is to still base their offense around James Harden, despite having Howard. Use Harden's playmaking strengths in a serious of layered screens with Howard as the main screener. If Howard is healthy and committed (a big if these last 3 years), he's a huge threat rolling to the basket. But so is Harden driving to the basket. Now the defense has some complicated decisions to make on switches and rotations. Do you crash down to prevent the roll and thus leave Parsons or Garcia open for 3? Tough choice. And its further complicated if you run Lin/Howard PNR as a diversion to set up another PNR involving Harden on the weakside of the floor. See, there's so many ways to take advantage of this talent. But it will be a big mistake if you just dump it into Howard for post ups and hope 1) He develops a post move and 2)Guys hit shots.

 

[Tubbs1518]

I just skimmed some of the posts so maybe its already been brought up but I think Houston ideally would like Terrence Jones to be able to slip into the 4 slot. He's still pretty raw but has shown flashes. If he can develop a Brandon Bass type game, especially the nifty 18 footer Bass has, that would help a lot.

But I agree about those who said Houston has some impending spacing issues. Parsons and Garcia are really the only ones that can hit spot ups consistently. Harden only shoots in the mid 30s. His offensive efficiency is more based on slashing. Lin is a piss poor 3 point shooter as well, shooting in the upper 20s to low 30s. Beverely shot well last year but its hard to gauge since he played for like half a season and in limited minutes. So I disagree with a lot of analysts I've been hearing saying Howard's Rockets are basically the 09 Magic with better players. They don't have the personnel to do that. Howard isn't enough of a post threat to command double teams nor do they have the shooters to knock down open looks off doubles.

That's why I've said Houston's best chance at success is to still base their offense around James Harden, despite having Howard. Use Harden's playmaking strengths in a serious of layered screens with Howard as the main screener. If Howard is healthy and committed (a big if these last 3 years), he's a huge threat rolling to the basket. But so is Harden driving to the basket. Now the defense has some complicated decisions to make on switches and rotations. Do you crash down to prevent the roll and thus leave Parsons or Garcia open for 3? Tough choice. And its further complicated if you run Lin/Howard PNR as a diversion to set up another PNR involving Harden on the weakside of the floor. See, there's so many ways to take advantage of this talent. But it will be a big mistake if you just dump it into Howard for post ups and hope 1) He develops a post move and 2)Guys hit shots.

I mentioned Terrance Jones and every one ignored me.

 

[SoPortland]

I mentioned Terrance Jones and every one ignored me.

He's still raw and a tweener. Expecting him to play 30 mpg out of the gate can be foolish.

He's also not a great 3 point shooter. So from a spacing standpoint... he doesn't really help out much more than anyone else on the roster.

 

[Tubbs1518]

He's still raw and a tweener. Expecting him to play 30 mpg out of the gate can be foolish.

He's also not a great 3 point shooter. So from a spacing standpoint... he doesn't really help out much more than anyone else on the roster.

He shoots very good from 18 foot though which is plenty enough spacing.

 

[SoPortland]

He shoots very good from 18 foot though which is plenty enough spacing.

wat

NBA Stats

I mean holy shit dude. Put down the pipe.

 

[valiant_thor]

Asik is no superstar, but he is solid. Me thinks his issue with splitting time with Dwight is that he perceives his value to be much higher than it actually is and could hurt his chances of a big pay day.

 

[SoPortland]

Asik is no superstar, but he is solid. Me thinks his issue with splitting time with Dwight is that he perceives his value to be much higher than it actually is and could hurt his chances of a big pay day.

his big payday is most certainly on its way. he's more than worth his contract and he'll get another one just like it if not bigger after it's done. He was honestly devalued last season due to his lack of playing time. You have to realize the center position right now is at an all time low and he is definitely one of the better defensive/rebounding centers in the league. Obviously, he's not an offensive gem.

What people aren't getting from the Howard signing is that the gain is really only going to be on the offensive end. Defensively, Howard is not vastly superior to Asik, if at all.

If you do manage to bunch both of these players together, you do have one of the best defensive center pairing in the league though... which is a plus. Just don't put them together... ever.

 

[jayviabay]

his big payday is most certainly on its way. he's more than worth his contract and he'll get another one just like it if not bigger after it's done. He was honestly devalued last season due to his lack of playing time. You have to realize the center position right now is at an all time low and he is definitely one of the better defensive/rebounding centers in the league. Obviously, he's not an offensive gem.

What people aren't getting from the Howard signing is that the gain is really only going to be on the offensive end. Defensively, Howard is not vastly superior to Asik, if at all.

If you do manage to bunch both of these players together, you do have one of the best defensive center pairing in the league though... which is a plus. Just don't put them together... ever.

I think the only gain thats added is athleticism.

Like KAJ stated:
When Abdul-Jabbar was asked about teaching Howard the sky hook, he said, “At least he'd have an offensive move.”

“He gets the ball on offense, oh my God, he doesn't know what to do. It's usually a turnover, people come and take the ball from him or tie his arms up. Offensively, he doesn't get it. Hasn't made any progress. We (the Lakers, when Abdul-Jabbar was a special assistant coach) played them in '09, and when I saw him this past season, he was the same player.”

 

[SoPortland]

I think the only gain thats added is athleticism.

Like KAJ stated:
When Abdul-Jabbar was asked about teaching Howard the sky hook, he said, “At least he'd have an offensive move.”

“He gets the ball on offense, oh my God, he doesn't know what to do. It's usually a turnover, people come and take the ball from him or tie his arms up. Offensively, he doesn't get it. Hasn't made any progress. We (the Lakers, when Abdul-Jabbar was a special assistant coach) played them in '09, and when I saw him this past season, he was the same player.”

He's a substantially better play on offense than Asik. He's not the best offensive center in the league... but he is much much better than Asik. That's all I'm referring to. He has moves, but they're not any different than a couple years ago.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

It's pretty funny how Houston fans sound just like us, "Oh Hakeem will teach him, imagine the possibility!".

 

[hockey878]

Donatas Motiejunas! You'd have to imagine he is gonna get most of the minutes the way the team is currently structured