After the acquisition of Dwight Howard there were rumors that the Rockets would trade Jeremy Lin to create more cap space and that Omer Asik didn’t want to stay and be a backup. Now it appears both will remain in Houston. Read more after the jump.
According to the Houston Chronicle, it’s because Dwight and James Harden are demanding those two guys stay in H-Town: “General manager Daryl Morey insists he is not looking to deal guard Jeremy Lin and center Omer Asik in the wake of signing Dwight Howard. He has cited Lin’s ability as an attacking guard as a good fit with Howard. He has talked about the value of Asik’s defense off the bench. On Saturday, he added another reason. ‘The reality is James (Harden) and Dwight (Howard) want to play with Jeremy and Omer,’ Morey said. ‘I’ve been kicked down to assistant GM. They’re going to be here. With Howard to supplant Asik as starting center, Morey was more specific about what Asik can bring. ‘When we didn’t have Omer out there last year, we (stunk),’ Morey said. ‘I mean, we were terrible. That was where we lost games. When we had Omer out there, we were a top-10 defensive team. Now we have a defensive player of the year and Omer. That position is so important if you’re going to have a solid defense. Now we have two of the best in the league. I’m very excited.’”
h/t SLAM
