Is the Jrue Holiday situation somewhat akin to the Asik situation?

Well, Jrue doesn't currently have AIDS, so I think we are ahead on that!

There's a huge difference in the situation in that even before resigning Asik it was known that he had no long term future with the team. Right after it was signed MM told us that they Loomised the contract and made it with stretching after 3 years in mind.

I think the situation with Holiday is closer to Ryno with the Rockets. Ryno at $20 million is an overpay in most people's eyes, but would the Rockets really be better off with that $20 million spent another way? He's not the key to what they do, Harden is, but he's unlocked the key.

I really think Holiday's ability to guard 1-4 is a big key to the defense. Could you replace him with Rubio and a decent SG? Maybe, but if I had a choice I think I'd rather trade for Dragic and have Dragic/Holiday. There have been times where we really needed a 20-30 point game from one of the guards in addition to the 60+ AD/DC give us. I don't think you get that with a Rubio + Crabbe/Bazemore type, but I think you can with Dragic/Holiday.

Jrue is a major priority, but he is not the ONLY option and that gives us at least a modicum of negotiating power. Jrue is also much more talented and tradeable even with a bad contract. So it is different.

Dell left himself with no alternatives going into negotiations with Asik. I always said re-signing Asik was a terrible idea and we should have signed Bioymbo from the start and moved on.

We are in a bind with Jrue because I believe that resigning him is important to keeping AD happy and encouraging DC to reup. We also cannot really replace Jrue with similar talent and we always have to overpay for free agents. People need to accept that we are going to overpay Jrue, but at least we know what we are getting.

The good thing is that really we should be operating over the cap anyhow. So the difference between $25M per year and $30M per year does not matter as much.

Gentry personally asked for both Asik and Ajinca to be re-signed because he thought it was important to keep continuity from a playoff team going.

They only became liabilities when Gentry couldn't figure out how to win with them and destroyed their trade value by benching them permanently.

Unless Gentry returns next year and keeps losing and decides Jrue should be his fall guy for him being a bad coach, I don't think the analogy fits.

Jrue looked like shite after the Cousins trade 13/7 on 42% shooting and 30% from 3. Combined that with the fact that he's missed an average of 30 games a season since coming to NO and hasn't played 70+ games in a season since 2012-2013. Any team that signs Jrue Holiday for $25M+ a season will be in salary cap hell. Any GM that gives him $30M a year should be fired on the spot.