He has a player option for the 2nd year? That's a good point then. I'd like to find a way to beef up the 5 spot a bit though. If the Blazers continue rolling, I can see Neil sacrificing CJ to make the team even better in the short term.
Before Paul hired Olshey to be GM he said he was looking for someone who had the Golden Gut. So that's Olshey, he's the guy with the Golden Gut. Do what does that mean to you? To me it means a risk taker, Someone that isn't afraid and goes against the grain. A little like Bob Wittsitt.
Yeah right now he is making about the same as cJ. He is about to turn 31 and will want/deserve a bump in pay. But I see no reason why he wouldn't sign a new two year contract. (3-4 Mil per year)
Another team might offer him a starting job. Obviously depends how this season plays out. If he disappoints we might not even want him back. If Mo plays real good as a reserve, which I expect, he might want the full $5+ million MLE. If CJ has good stretches this year we might not want to commit that much salary to a backup. Especially with Lopez, Aldridge, Wes becoming free agents the following summer.
Asik is one of those guys who has been built up by our fanbase. If we ever did acquire him, I suspect people would be extremely underwhelmed.
I just don't think much of his game, given his contract. It's one of the cost analysis things where I think he's overpaid, and that Lopez brings more in that cost analysis.
Asik is leaving the Rockets to escape sharing a spot with Howard. Yet some in this thread envision us having both him and Lopez. He wouldn't come here then. You'd have to trade Lopez for Asik, and not keep Lopez.
he's built up by about 3 or 4 fans, who seems to always think they're more knowledgeable than the rest of the fans (yet, their track record kind of says otherwise).
Actually Lillard has proved much more then all of them (save Nowitzki's championship) None of them have been unanimous rookie of the year. You said earlier how he was a "shit defender". Well you never see him get beat like Harden did on that play. Lillard is at least always there and giving an effort. Lillard also regularly back cuts Westbrook like that. You never see him get back cut and beaten like Harden does a lot.
I agree. Asik is not a good fit in my mind. Lopez has the stats that are on par with Asik in my opinion, and then you consider the cultural gap of a Turkish born guy vs a guy that went to Stanford. You know what hasn't been talked about at all this season. Maybe the Blazers are just a smarter basketball team. Intelligence and basketball? I know, it's quite a stretch to suggest there's any coordination to intelligence and success. I read a lot of fans regurgitating crap like "trade wes... Blazer should go after Asik... Blazers defense sucks... Blazer are a 41 win team... Blazers are going to miss the play-offs..." since the pre-season. It parallels almost verbatim what appears on blazer's edge blogs. It would be nice to hear from voices that have an understanding of the game beyond an inaccurate Pelton spread sheet. Any jackass can predict 38 - 45 wins, while also giving themselves latitude to change that "prediction" from week to week, and say "the Blazers either make the playoffs, or they don't." Pure delicate genius. /sarcasm
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...push-portland-trail-blazers-over-playoff-hump Would Omer Asik Trade Push Portland Trail Blazers over Playoff Hump? The Trail Blazers are off to one of their best starts in years, but they’re not kidding themselves. They know they’ve taken advantage of a pillow-soft schedule and have surprised themselves with their shooting (45%). So they’re quietly looking to improve, talking to the Rockets about trading for Omer Asik. They can send back Robin Lopez in a deal, but don’t have the “stretch four’’ the Houston is looking for as it searches for a home for its disgruntled backup center. The Rockets want a power forward who can shoot threes to pair next to Dwight Howard. Therein lies the rub—Portland’s depth chart doesn't easily fit into Houston’s wish list. Still, the Blazers do seem genuinely interested and could always package players with future draft picks or pursue a three-team trade. Landing Asik would give Portland the kind of defensive presence that LaMarcus Aldridge really hasn’t had before, and when it comes to the playoffs, defense matters—it really matters. Houston's current backup center gives you that and more—he can block, rebound and score the ball. Check out 22 points and 18 boards against the Orlando Magic on April Fool’s Day, 2013. There’s no hidden meaning intended—Asik averaged a double-double last season. It’s been a spell since Portland made it out of the first round—all the way back to the heartbreak of 2000 against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. The NBA Finals are even further in the distance—the Blazers lost to the Chicago Bulls back in 1992. And then comes the very top of the mountain—the Blazers have been there just once. 1977 was the year they won the championship, powered by Bill Walton. Can the Blazers dare to dream that big again? They can and they should—but they could use an extra helping of size in the paint. This isn't to say they’re exactly lacking now—Aldridge is having a remarkable season at the power forward position, leading the Blazers in points, rebounds and steals. On Saturday night against the Golden State Warriors, he propelled the team to its 10th straight win with 30 points and 21 boards. As for the rest of the starters, second-year point guard Damian Lillard is playing to the tune of nearly 20 points and 6.1 assists in 14 starts, while Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum are each meshing well at the shooting guard and small forward positions, respectively. And then there's Lopez, chipping in with eight points and eight rebounds per game. With that, we come full circle to the notion that Portland’s dangling Lopez while Houston wants stretch 4s. That’s a bit of a wall to climb over—the Blazers’ utility bigs don't really fit that profile. Would Portland consider trading away a different major chip than Lopez—say Matthews or Batum? There’s a delicate balance in play here. Portland’s 12-2 record has happened for a reason. The starters are clicking and key bench players like Mo Williams and Thomas Robinson are also making a difference. Still, Asik is too intriguing an addition to ignore. And what if you could somehow manage to keep Lopez as well? You’d have both a starter and backup who can protect the rim, plus Asik’s scoring punch. It’s still early in the season of course, but there’s no time like the present to act, especially when you’re running hot and looking to make it 11 in a row—the Blazers host the New York Knicks Monday night. They’re looking way beyond that of course, to the deep end of the playoffs when battles under the basket reign supreme, when size and strength truly matter. Opposing centers have done well with a 20.7 PER against Portland this season, according to 82games.com. There’s a lot of guys in the West who will get in their way, like Andrew Bogut and Kevin Love, Serge Ibaka and the Gasol brothers, young tag-teamers like Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, or old crafty veterans like Tim Duncan. And then there’s No. 12 for Houston—Dwight Howard himself. Asik isn’t satisfied playing backup to the top big man in the league. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see him battle Howard one-on-one as part of a true playoff threat instead?
Didn't work? Freeland/Leonard/Barton for Asik. It wasn't meant to be serious, but it worked on there.
Well, there's no way we're parting with our starters, and the other bench players that see regular minutes....very doubtful.
