Camby Signs With Houston

I don't know how I missed this headline.

Ok, so now Houston has D12, Omer Asik, Camby, 6'10", 250# Greg Smith and 7'0" 260# Donatas Motiejunas (who?) at center.

Asik has been unsettled since the Howard signing.  They are talking about playing them together, but they have similar games:  back-to-the-basket, low post, no mid-range offense.  5th Avenue NYC at rush hour will look like the Indy 500 with those two in the paint at the same time.  Saying that Howard will play power forward is just stupid.  You call him anything you want, he plays the same game.  Do these morons think he's suddenly going to sprout a baseline jumper?  Besides, I don't think Howard is smart enough to learn a new position.  He's an overgrown man-child, like the way Shawn Kemp was.  He's still raw at the position he's played all his life and they think he's going to suddenly turn into a basketball savant?

The problem with Asik, from a purely financial perspective, is that while he is making a very cap-friendly $5.225M this year, he balloons out to $14.9M next year (and that's the last year of his contract).  If we trade for him now, we give up a mid-priced player (Bass?  Lee?) and get Asik.  If we can send them Hump plus some or all of our trade exemption, that'd be fantastic.

Then again, there's the "Howard Risk".  Do we do what the Lakers did with Howard and get Asik and hope he'll re-up with us for a reasonable amount in 2015?  Neither Houston nor Boston will have Bird rights to him.

Statistically, his rebounding looks great, a great fg%, HORRIBLE ft shooter.  He's supposed to be a great defender, deflecting and/or intimidating a lot of shots.  

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/asikom01.html


bob


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The Celtics could do worse than trading for Asik. Having no center, for example.

would a sign and trade deal be a possibility here? Seems like the best way to make it, lock up Asik for 3 more years at a good payday for him and better cap fit for the C's but CK or Wallace has to be included, IMO

mulcogi

So... who's on the trade block, then?


KJ

KJ,

The shorter list is who isn't -- Rondo, Green, and Olynyk. I don't see anyone else who is untouchable, though Bradley and Sullinger are on the "we'd like to keep them" list.

Outside,

The funny thing is that Rondo's name appears in more trade-bait columns than any player I've seen in recent memory.


KJ

KJ,

Yeah, but I don't know how much of that means anything to the current situation. I don't put much stock in most of that talk anyway, since my opinion is that most of that was idle media Stephen A. Smith-quality conjecture or rumors floated by someone with an agenda (Rondo's agent, for all I know).

Now that KG, Pierce, and Ray are gone, Rondo is the logical block to build a young, athletic team around. And don't discount the coaching change -- Rondo and Doc had a love/hate relationship, and the coaching change to Stevens and makeover of the roster is almost like switching teams for Rondo, except he doesn't have to sell his house or change his locker. It's a fresh start, and potentially just what he needs. I'd be surprised if those Rondo trade rumors persist going forward.

Hi,
Assuming HOU wants to get rid of Asik, who are they looking for and BOS can provide?
I didn't know about his ballooned salary. Hoopsworld shows $8.374M for '13-'14 and '14-'15? What season this balloon is for?

AK

sinus007 wrote:Hi,
Assuming HOU wants to get rid of Asik, who are they looking for and BOS can provide?
I didn't know about his ballooned salary. Hoopsworld shows $8.374M for '13-'14 and '14-'15? What season this balloon is for?

AK

sinus,


http://hoopshype.com/salaries/houston.htm


They look like they could use some 4s. Really. So Bass, Hump would work.


bob


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Bob,
Thanks.
I wonder if it'd be wise to get that much of a salary at the time they could pick a really nice FA?

AK

bob,

HoopsHype has got it wrong.  The original salary structure of Asik (with the poison pill at the end) would only play out like that IF Chicago (the original team) had matched Houston's offer sheet a couple years ago.  There is a totally strange exception that allows the new team (Houston) to make an offer to an restricted free agent and if it is not matched, the new team can average the entire contract cost across the number of years of the contract.

Sounds confusing, don't it?

It is called the Gilbert Arenas provision.  See footnote #4.  Here is the link:

http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm#Q45

Asik's contract can be found (correctly) at the ShamSports site:

http://data.shamsports.com/content/pages/data/salaries/rockets.jsp

Asik's salary is $8,374,646 this season and the same next season.  See also Jeremy Lin's contract numbers on both sites.  He was offered the same contract by Houston.

IMO, the original team gets screwed when a new team makes this kind of offer.

gyso

bob,

Another thing.  At the end of Asik's contract, total Bird rights will be in affect, with Houston or any team that he gets traded to.

http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm#Q33

When a player is traded, his new team inherits his Bird rights. For example, if a player signs a three-year contract, plays two and a half seasons with that team, and is traded at the trade deadline in the third season, then his new team has full Bird rights following the third season.

gyso

As I said, Asik's salary is $8,374,646 this season.  We can get a starting 5 by trading:

1. Bass and Crawford  ($6,450,000 +  $2,162,419)  This can happen anytime.
2. Bass and Brooks  ($6,450,000 + $1,210,080)  This can happen after two days.
and maybe
3. Bass and Greene  ($6,450,000 + $1,027,424)  This can happen after a couple more months.

#1 above works great because it leaves us with less salary and one less player.  The salary difference would leave us under the luxury tax level.  Because it could have happened any time this summer (and didn't) perhaps it won't.

#2 above works (but not as great as #1) because it leaves us with more salary and one less player.  The salary difference would leave us above the luxury tax level.  Because it could not happen until after September 12th, perhaps it will.

#3 above works, but waiting that long for a starting 5 could kill many fans (LOL)

gyso

Gyso to the rescue!

Now, if only Danny could convince them to do Asik for Wallace straight up.

I'd still take any of your ideas in a NY second.


bob


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BobH,

Trading Wallace would be nice, but they have SF Chandler Parsons who gets 15 ppg on the books for $926K/year, much better than $10M/year. Seems doubtful that they'd take on Wallace's big contract.


KJ

gyso,

Thanks for the details on how that works.

I'm not sure there are many people who could explain it. Some of the media covering the NBA sure can't.

Regards

k_j_88 wrote:BobH,

Trading Wallace would be nice, but they have SF Chandler Parsons who gets 15 ppg on the books for $926K/year, much better than $10M/year. Seems doubtful that they'd take on Wallace's big contract.


KJ

KJ,

I didn't say it would have been easy. :-)


bob


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Bob,

I don't think anyone thinks that Asik and Howard are going to play extensive time together even though Houston is trying to sell that story. There are teams that need a starting center and they are looking for a stretch 4 most likely. I do not think Bass/Lee gets it done, not just for how they perform on the court, but because they have somewhat non-attractive contracts.

If Asik gets traded to Boston, I am pretty sure Avery Bradley would HAVE to be in that trade.
Avery could replace Lin for defensive purposes at the end of games. Jeremy Lin and Steve Nash are probably the worst defensive pgs in the NBA. Avery would be a great fit for Houston.

I'd rather they didn't trade Avery.

KJ