re: Asik on the Trade Block

At some point this year, my mom asked me to tell her (again) what value Asik brings to the table. I started explaining and then thought, "What the hell am I doing? I don't even believe this anymore."

Chicago Asik had value. Houston Asik had value. But this version of Asik has none.

Gentry compared him to Bogut at the beginning of the year because Asik is a good defender and can screen well, but there are major differences:

1) Bogut can pass
2) Bogut can set high screens, flare screens for GS's shooters, all of which require his man to help or force you to watch GS bomb you into oblivion.

Omer cannot pass and is setting screens for people who opposing teams are not afraid to leave open. Throw in Gee/Cunningham/guys who teams aren't afraid to leave to double, and you have the recipe for catastrophe. There's very often no shooting on the weak side of the floor and it's not like our players are adept skip passers anyway. So there's literally nothing holding weakside defenders at bay, which makes it easier for them to double and also easier for them to rebound (see our OReb rate, which is certainly not just a function of "transition defense").

There is a way to construct an offense where Asik isn't such a gigantic liability. But we don't have anything close to the personnel and does Asik really give enough to make designing a specific way worth it? I don't think so.

Overall, there is a serious lack of passing ability, length/athleticism at the wing, and it just looks so damn ugly.

This team has fallen so far short of national/local expectations and it's so depressing.