Sam Smith's trade idea -- Rondo for Asik

[action781]

Obviously, there’s the Dwight Howard/Omer Asik issue in Houston. But perhaps rather than the stretch four for Asik, like New Orleans’ Ryan Anderson, as some have suggested, it seems perhaps more obvious the Rockets need a point guard. Asik to the Celtics — get him out of the conference — for Rajon Rondo, who is a free agent after next season? Despite a reasonably good start, it’s difficult to see the Celtics contending by 2015. They could easily lose Rondo for nothing and all Asik wants to do it start somewhere.

Source - http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/gasol-asik-and-turner-among-those-who-could-be-moved.html

Excuse me for a moment while I throw up.

I think this does give some perspective though to how people around the league value certain players, in this case Asik and Rondo, but moreso the positions of C and PG. 

Asik is a 7 foot, starting caliber center, which are incredibly hard to come by.  Centers who far from dominate on the court, get 4 year 40+ mil contracts thrown their way on the regular (Hibbert before the contract, Mcgee, Jordan, Nene).  Backup centers who show the potential to be a decent starting center even get contracts averaging greater than 8M per year thrown at them (asik, gortat, hawes).

Rondo is an impact point guard, which are incredibly easy to come by in the league.  Point guards who have a noticeable impact on the game (Rondo, Conley, Jennings, Lawson, Lowry, Holliday) very regularly get smaller contracts than said centers because every year point guards get injured and their backups come from nowhere and burst onto the scene like legitimate starters (Collison in NO, Lowry in Houston, Beverly now, Lin in NYK, Bledsoe last year, Reggie Jackson, Nate Robinson every single year).

I'd never trade Rondo (a legitimate game changer) for Asik (a solid piece).  But just the fact that a beat writer even mentioned this hammers home the point that these 2 positions need to be valued so vastly differently.  Because of this, Asik isn't coming here for some package of Bass/Lee/Gerald Wallace/other spare change.

[D.o.s.]

Oh the doldrums of a slow Tuesday deadline.

The Rockets are one of the many teams in the league who don't really need an upgrade at point, especially when they have an on-ball dynamo in James Harden.

[Who]

I think a Jeff Green or a Nic Batum is about where Asik's trade value is.

[Snakehead]

It's ridiculous how lowly valued Rajon Rondo is by some.

[Lucky17]

If Bill Simmons is the "Picasso of the Trade Machine," Sam Smith is probably the Salvador Dali: when he's not completely incomprehensible, he's slightly disturbing.

[Vermont Green]

Oh the doldrums of a slow Tuesday deadline.

The Rockets are one of the many teams in the league who don't really need an upgrade at point, especially when they have an on-ball dynamo in James Harden.

I actually think Rondo would be a great add to Houston to give them a "big 3" of Harden, Howard, and Rondo.  Sure, Harden can create for others but that would still seem like a very solid core for Houston.

Asik alone is not enough to get Rondo but I think the parts are there to make a deal with these two as the starting pieces.

[Celtics18]

Oh the doldrums of a slow Tuesday deadline.

The Rockets are one of the many teams in the league who don't really need an upgrade at point, especially when they have an on-ball dynamo in James Harden.

I actually think Rondo would be a great add to Houston to give them a "big 3" of Harden, Howard, and Rondo.  Sure, Harden can create for others but that would still seem like a very solid core for Houston.

Asik alone is not enough to get Rondo but I think the parts are there to make a deal with these two as the starting pieces.

I agree that Rondo would be a great addition to the Rockets.  Hopefully, though, Danny's goal isn't to help turn the Rockets into a contender. 

[chenaren]

so it means we would be able to keep Rondo with a cheap deal? that's great

[BudweiserCeltic]

I think a Jeff Green or a Nic Batum is about where Asik's trade value is.

Maybe that's where his trade value may be at, but no way I trade Green for Asik. Been a fan of his defense, but suddenly he's being way overrated around the league and the value he brings to the table.

[D.o.s.]

If Bill Simmons is the "Picasso of the Trade Machine," Sam Smith is probably the Salvador Dali: when he's not completely incomprehensible, he's slightly disturbing.

Dali's art is far from completely incomprehensible.

His mustache, though...

[timobusa]

Why would you want Asik on your team if you don't have a Rondo type player to play him with.. That's just dumb.

Plus it doesn't even make sense, the Rockets have 4 point guards, J Lin, Aaron Brooks, Patrick Beverly, Isiah Canaan.

They have to move at least 2 or 3 of those players too.
Some of these "sports writer" just like to make up stuff.
I'm happy some of these writers are only writers and not actual GMs, cause if so, they're gonna get fired immediately.

[Lucky17]

If Bill Simmons is the "Picasso of the Trade Machine," Sam Smith is probably the Salvador Dali: when he's not completely incomprehensible, he's slightly disturbing.

Dali's art is far from completely incomprehensible.

His mustache, though...

Not all of it. The Lugubrious Game?

I could dig the Constructivists and the Suprematists, even the Dadaists. Some of what the Surrealists did just seemed to me to be a bit forced, a bit contrived. Dali just struck me as being weird for weird's sake.

Except Duchamp. I like him more than I thought I would.

[LarBrd33]

If Bill Simmons is the "Picasso of the Trade Machine," Sam Smith is probably the Salvador Dali: when he's not completely incomprehensible, he's slightly disturbing.

FWIW, here's what Simmons guessed we could get for Rondo:

Bill Simmons ‏@BillSimmons 29 Jun

FYI: Celts aren't moving Rondo unless they can dump multiple contracts in the trade. They want to fully bottom out while creating cap space.

Bill Simmons ‏@BillSimmons 29 Jun

I'm intrigued by these Mavs-Celts rumors. Would Dallas take on the Wallace/Lee/Bass contracts with Rondo for Larkin + Marion/VC expirings?

In other words... while Asik might sound like a weak return for a borderline all-star... Simmons thinks Rondo's only worth expiring contracts and a mid 1st round pick.

[Lucky17]

I'd rather hear something more recent from Simmons if we're relying on him to determine Rondo's value.

[D.o.s.]

If Bill Simmons is the "Picasso of the Trade Machine," Sam Smith is probably the Salvador Dali: when he's not completely incomprehensible, he's slightly disturbing.

Dali's art is far from completely incomprehensible.

His mustache, though...

Not all of it. The Lugubrious Game?

I could dig the Constructivists and the Suprematists, even the Dadaists. Some of what the Surrealists did just seemed to me to be a bit forced, a bit contrived. Dali just struck me as being weird for weird's sake.

Except Duchamp. I like him more than I thought I would.

Right--I can see that.  I think a lot of the post-war art doesn't translate very well into the modern era because the immediacy and the newness of it is lost. So much has been assimilated into pop culture that it's hard to look at something like, per your example, found art and not be like "...so?"

Same thing with literature. It's hard to take Chaucer's fart jokes more seriously than one from Louis CK or whomever just because The Canterbury Tales are from the 14th century. I see where you're coming from.

If Bill Simmons is the "Picasso of the Trade Machine," Sam Smith is probably the Salvador Dali: when he's not completely incomprehensible, he's slightly disturbing.

FWIW, here's what Simmons guessed we could get for Rondo:

Bill Simmons ‏@BillSimmons 29 Jun

FYI: Celts aren't moving Rondo unless they can dump multiple contracts in the trade. They want to fully bottom out while creating cap space.

Bill Simmons ‏@BillSimmons 29 Jun

I'm intrigued by these Mavs-Celts rumors. Would Dallas take on the Wallace/Lee/Bass contracts with Rondo for Larkin + Marion/VC expirings?

In other words... while Asik might sound like a weak return for a borderline all-star... Simmons thinks Rondo's only worth expiring contracts and a mid 1st round pick.

I would be much more interested to get Steve Kerr's perspective on it. Does he have Twitter? Does anyone here have Twitter? I don't, but someone should hit him up--especially since the C's aren't going to be a national presence, so he won't have the opportunity to talk about us much.