Asik / LMA

[Lucky17]

Only way to defend Alridge better would be to deny him the ball very aggressively. I don't think either Howard/Asik is up for that.

I did notice one series where Asik worked hard to front LMA some 18 feet out from the basket. But I don't recall seeing it more than once.

Having watched this series, I'm even more bullish on getting Asik. I don't think anyone on Houston could be doing a better job guarding Aldridge. Aldridge is just making incredible shots.

[celticmania]

Asik's defense was never really that good. Now-a-days some players just get the reputation of being a good defensive player for some reason.. Rondo is kinda the same. People that never even watch the celtics play always say Rondo is good defensively. He was a good defender but now he is absolutely terrible. He just has the reputation so as soon as someone says a player is a good defender, thats it....hes officially a good defensive player

[D.o.s.]

Aldridge was ridiculous last night but most of his makes on Asik were 12-15 foot fallaways with a hand in his face.  Not like he was beasting Asik down low or taking him off the dribble.  Very tough shots to defend better than Asik did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMFV7WFtHm0

Right, ideally you don't want Asik more than 2-3 feet away from the rim on defense, but he's the only guy they have who can guard LA in the post, so...

[LooseCannon]

My problem with Asik is he's limited offensively and would prefer a big who can score like Greg Monroe.

I really don't like the shape of Monroe's game.  He offers zero rim protection and he has no ability to spread the opponent's defense.  I 100% think Asik is a much better center than Greg Monroe.

[indeedproceed]

Asik's defense was never really that good. Now-a-days some players just get the reputation of being a good defensive player for some reason.. Rondo is kinda the same. People that never even watch the celtics play always say Rondo is good defensively. He was a good defender but now he is absolutely terrible. He just has the reputation so as soon as someone says a player is a good defender, thats it....hes officially a good defensive player

Or, people write articles about them, look at metrics, watch games, and have an informed, detailed picture about a player in their mind when they say he's an elite defender. I mean that or your thing, it's probably somewhere in there.

[PhoSita]

Asik's defense was never really that good. Now-a-days some players just get the reputation of being a good defensive player for some reason.. Rondo is kinda the same. People that never even watch the celtics play always say Rondo is good defensively. He was a good defender but now he is absolutely terrible. He just has the reputation so as soon as someone says a player is a good defender, thats it....hes officially a good defensive player

Or, people write articles about them, look at metrics, watch games, and have an informed, detailed picture about a player in their mind when they say he's an elite defender. I mean that or your thing, it's probably somewhere in there.

Yup.  Epic eye roll is the best response to all the Asik hate.   

[Fafnir]

Only way to defend Alridge better would be to deny him the ball very aggressively. I don't think either Howard/Asik is up for that.

I did notice one series where Asik worked hard to front LMA some 18 feet out from the basket. But I don't recall seeing it more than once.

Having watched this series, I'm even more bullish on getting Asik. I don't think anyone on Houston could be doing a better job guarding Aldridge. Aldridge is just making incredible shots.

Yeah Asik doesn't have the energy or quickness to do that all game. Howard doesn't anymore with his injury and decline.

I watch LMA destroy them and just think what younger KG would have done (I remember him doing it to Yao Ming and others in 07-08 and 08-09), only a long energy defender who can front effectively had a chance against LMA last night.

[celticmania]

Asik's defense was never really that good. Now-a-days some players just get the reputation of being a good defensive player for some reason.. Rondo is kinda the same. People that never even watch the celtics play always say Rondo is good defensively. He was a good defender but now he is absolutely terrible. He just has the reputation so as soon as someone says a player is a good defender, thats it....hes officially a good defensive player

Or, people write articles about them, look at metrics, watch games, and have an informed, detailed picture about a player in their mind when they say he's an elite defender. I mean that or your thing, it's probably somewhere in there.

No, it's what i said

[D.o.s.]

Asik's defense was never really that good. Now-a-days some players just get the reputation of being a good defensive player for some reason.. Rondo is kinda the same. People that never even watch the celtics play always say Rondo is good defensively. He was a good defender but now he is absolutely terrible. He just has the reputation so as soon as someone says a player is a good defender, thats it....hes officially a good defensive player

Or, people write articles about them, look at metrics, watch games, and have an informed, detailed picture about a player in their mind when they say he's an elite defender. I mean that or your thing, it's probably somewhere in there.

No, it's what i said

[PhoSita]

My problem with Asik is he's limited offensively and would prefer a big who can score like Greg Monroe.

I really don't like the shape of Monroe's game.  He offers zero rim protection and he has no ability to spread the opponent's defense.  I 100% think Asik is a much better center than Greg Monroe.

I think Greg Monroe is a move valuable player all-around, but for a team that needs a defensive anchor, Asik is more useful.

I think if Greg Monroe improved his jump shot so that he could stretch the defense more (e.g. as Nene has done versus Chicago) he'd be much harder to handle, though.

[Monkhouse]

Asik's defense was never really that good. Now-a-days some players just get the reputation of being a good defensive player for some reason.. Rondo is kinda the same. People that never even watch the celtics play always say Rondo is good defensively. He was a good defender but now he is absolutely terrible. He just has the reputation so as soon as someone says a player is a good defender, thats it....hes officially a good defensive player

Or, people write articles about them, look at metrics, watch games, and have an informed, detailed picture about a player in their mind when they say he's an elite defender. I mean that or your thing, it's probably somewhere in there.

No, it's what i said

Or....

Maybe what your writing is your own personal opinion, and doesn't hold any basis/statistical data or proof that Asik isn't 'elite,' at defending the rim?

The Rockets allowed 103.95 points per 100 possessions, but the numbers get even worse... That number increases up to a staggering 7.91 difference of points per Basketball-reference.

Watch this video, and see how much of a difference Asik makes on the defensive end..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-RHqapbOGA

Asik was never considered a bad defender.... I have never heard that before. He was considered expendable the moment Dwight Howard, who is a better shot blocker, and is one of the best Centers came into the team.

Omer Asik is brilliant when defending the pick-and-roll, he can guard a perimeter player for a few seconds before quickly switching back to the roll man like few can in the NBA. Perhaps Asik could block more shots–he has only blocked 1.1 per game–but instead of attempting to, he simply jumps straight in the air to keep himself out of foul trouble. This is understandable as he is just so vital to this Rockets team.

[GreenWarrior]

I wasn't saying Asik wasn't doing his best against Aldridge. when I said it should be Dwight's responsibility to defend Aldridge, it should be. Aldridge is insane to begin with but in this series you'd think someone on Houston kicked his grandma. So you'd think the guy who has won the defensive player of the yr. award would and should be up for the challenge?

personally I think Dwight is a twit who will never get it(esp. at this point). he's the ultimate garbage man and he should have embraced that a long time ago. instead, before gm 2 he comes out and says "gimme the ball!!!". the game was over right there. he should have said "I got Aldridge!!!". everything kobe believed about Dwight is true.

[jambr380]

Asik's defense was never really that good. Now-a-days some players just get the reputation of being a good defensive player for some reason.. Rondo is kinda the same. People that never even watch the celtics play always say Rondo is good defensively. He was a good defender but now he is absolutely terrible. He just has the reputation so as soon as someone says a player is a good defender, thats it....hes officially a good defensive player

Or, people write articles about them, look at metrics, watch games, and have an informed, detailed picture about a player in their mind when they say he's an elite defender. I mean that or your thing, it's probably somewhere in there.

Yup.  Epic eye roll is the best response to all the Asik hate.   

It's not Asik hate (okay, well there are some who absolutely loathe the idea of him on our team), it's just that he's only received major minutes in one season of his career. I get that the numbers back him up, but it's almost like he's the poster boy for how advanced metrics are the only thing that matter in the future of the NBA. I don't doubt that he can be a very effective player and I definitely believe in advanced statistics, but his body of work is still very limited. For somebody who has no room to grow athletically, that is concerning to me.

Now, on a one year deal, I would take a waiver and hope for the best. I need at least one more full season of 30+ minutes of very effective play to put him in the 'elite' category of defenders that everybody seems sure about.

[Monkhouse]

I wasn't saying Asik wasn't doing his best against Aldridge. when I said it should be Dwight's responsibility to defend Aldridge, it should be. Aldridge is insane to begin with but in this series you'd think someone on Houston kicked his grandma. So you'd think the guy who has won the defensive player of the yr. award would and should be up for the challenge?

personally I think Dwight is a twit who will never get it(esp. at this point). he's the ultimate garbage man and he should have embraced that a long time ago. instead, before gm 2 he comes out and says "gimme the ball!!!". the game was over right there. he should have said "I got Aldridge!!!". everything kobe believed about Dwight is true.

Agreed. Howard is a little more mobile, and quicker. He should have guarded or helped double team LMA.

Asik defended LMA as well as he could. LMA just absolutely went nuts. I saw him make a contested fade away shot from 19 feet, and it just went swish!

Asik's defense was never really that good. Now-a-days some players just get the reputation of being a good defensive player for some reason.. Rondo is kinda the same. People that never even watch the celtics play always say Rondo is good defensively. He was a good defender but now he is absolutely terrible. He just has the reputation so as soon as someone says a player is a good defender, thats it....hes officially a good defensive player

Or, people write articles about them, look at metrics, watch games, and have an informed, detailed picture about a player in their mind when they say he's an elite defender. I mean that or your thing, it's probably somewhere in there.

Yup.  Epic eye roll is the best response to all the Asik hate.   

It's not Asik hate (okay, well there are some who absolutely loathe the idea of him on our team), it's just that he's only received major minutes in one season of his career. I get that the numbers back him up, but it's almost like he's the poster boy for how advanced metrics are the only thing that matter in the future of the NBA. I don't doubt that he can be a very effective player and I definitely believe in advanced statistics, but his body of work is still very limited. For somebody who has no room to grow athletically, that is concerning to me.

Now, on a one year deal, I would take a waiver and hope for the best. I need at least one more full season of 30+ minutes of very effective play to put him in the 'elite' category of defenders that everybody seems sure about.

I understand the fact its a small sample size considering he has only played 1 year starting minutes. I just find it impressive that despite how bad the Rockets defense was last year, Asik was still a huge contributor of anchoring their defense. I'm pretty sure Howard could have had similar or better numbers. But I'm really hating Howard now. He just seems like a big baby, and complains about everything.

[jambr380]

I wasn't saying Asik wasn't doing his best against Aldridge. when I said it should be Dwight's responsibility to defend Aldridge, it should be. Aldridge is insane to begin with but in this series you'd think someone on Houston kicked his grandma. So you'd think the guy who has won the defensive player of the yr. award would and should be up for the challenge?

personally I think Dwight is a twit who will never get it(esp. at this point). he's the ultimate garbage man and he should have embraced that a long time ago. instead, before gm 2 he comes out and says "gimme the ball!!!". the game was over right there. he should have said "I got Aldridge!!!". everything kobe believed about Dwight is true.

I don't disagree with anything that you said, but I would still be through the moon if we ever were able to get Dwight to the Celtics...I guess I'm a total sell-out