Omer Asik to Houston for 3-Years, $25 Million After Chicago Doesn’t Match Offer Sheet
Omer Asik will be joining Jeremy Lin in Houston. The Bulls declined to match the Rockets’ 3-year, $25 million offer sheet, and the 7-footer will shift from a reserve role in Chicago to starting in Houston.
Rockets fans who think the team overpaid for Jeremy Lin last week surely must be distraught Houston is sinking $8 million a year into a guy who averaged 3.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in just 14 minutes a game last season.
I’m not quite sure what Daryl Morey is doing in Houston, but his three highest paid players (as of this moment) are Kevin Martin ($12 million, expiring deal), Omer Asik, and Jeremy Lin. Sure, the Rockets had a terrific draft (arguably the best in the NBA), snagging Jeremy Lamb, Terrence Jones and Royce White, but as we said earlier, they’re far too young to contend for the playoffs.
Taking another gander at Houston’s rotation (remember, they traded away Courtney Lee to Boston last week for former Purdue players JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore):
C – Asik/Motiejunas (R)/Johnson/Harrellson
PF – White (R)/Jones (R)/Morris
SF – Parsons/Patterson
SG – Martin/Lamb (R)/Moore
PG – Lin/Livingston/Douglas
It’s anyone’s guess who might make up spots 10-15. The four starters and the four rookies are locks to make the team, and it seems unlikely they’ll bail on Morris, who was a 2011 1st round pick, or Patrick Patterson, who was a decent reserve last year (7.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg in 23 minutes a night).
As for Chicago … it was wise to save the money. Can we wait to talk about the Bulls when Derrick Rose gets back on the court? See you in March, Bulls fans!
Previously: Jeremy Lin to Houston as Knicks Won’t Match
Previously: Jeremy Lin & the Houston Rockets Are Way Too Young For Anyone to Talk Playoffs

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60 Responses to “Omer Asik to Houston for 3-Years, $25 Million After Chicago Doesn’t Match Offer Sheet”
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July 24th, 2012 at 9:50 AM
Is this a trick post?
/doesn’t follow the NBA
July 24th, 2012 at 9:51 AM
At least acknowledge the advanced defensive metrics with the guy…and the fact that in today’s NBA, a center that can either switch out or hard hedge a guard in the PnR is at worst a must and at best incredibly valuable.
July 24th, 2012 at 9:54 AM
If I set the Rockets win total at 32, would you take the over or under?
July 24th, 2012 at 9:54 AM
Signing Belinelli and Hinrich, the progression of Butler, and drafting Teague seems like a decent save after money forced them to lose Watson, Lucas, Brewer, Korver.
July 24th, 2012 at 9:55 AM
Can we stop reusing the same boring nicknames, at least in the span of ten years? KMart should be reserved for Kenyon.
July 24th, 2012 at 9:56 AM
yawn..
Am I the only one who thinks DMac will be a complete fantasy beast this year? I’m considering reaching for him at 5 over Matthews, MJD, and Megatron (assuming Rodgers goes 4th). I know he’s an injury risk, but damnit if he could put together a complete season!!! Also like the fact that his hand-cuff will be much cheaper than his hand-cuff last season.
July 24th, 2012 at 9:56 AM
Definitely take the over on the Rockets. They will get to 41. With direction pointing upwards. I get the feeling this could be an OKC type thing from 3 years ago.
July 24th, 2012 at 9:58 AM
so many new parts, questions about where the offense comes from … 32 seems just about right. That’s a no play for me. I’d lean under … and then get screwed when Morey trades for Dwight Howard midseason
July 24th, 2012 at 10:00 AM
Ugh. 41 puts them right back where they’ve been for years, draft-wise. (other than the Raptors pick)
July 24th, 2012 at 10:01 AM
Also, take a look around the NBA and see that an NBA center that can play at anything above a replacement level is worth exactly that (Javale-$11/yr, Kaman-$8/yr, Hawes-$6.5/yr).
July 24th, 2012 at 10:03 AM
Omer Asik gets a post. Why not!
July 24th, 2012 at 10:07 AM
I’m pretty sure this deal had the same poison pill in it that the Lin deal did which means that it would have cost the Bulls something like $14 million in year 3. That’s a big hit for somebody like Asik.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:07 AM
How many times can we expect you to tell us the Rockets are too young?
July 24th, 2012 at 10:08 AM
Correct
July 24th, 2012 at 10:09 AM
Apparently SEO is not quite dead yet.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:10 AM
Unless 2 of the 3 #1 picks are absolute studs this year, that’s one of the worst 2-3 rosters in the NBA.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:12 AM
Can’t wait for Houston fans to find out that their new signing can’t catch a basketball
July 24th, 2012 at 10:13 AM
Moore was waived I think. And, by all accounts Lamb had a good summer league and you already demoted him from the starting lineup?
July 24th, 2012 at 10:16 AM
Scalia – I love Lamb. You should know that if you read the site. But there’s no way they’re not starting Martin.
Pure guess: Rockets play the rookies A LOT early to drive up trade value. then, at the All-Star break, they deal a few of them plus the #1 pick from Toronto to Orlando for Howard.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:16 AM
The Bucks had two, TWO!, Summer League All-Stars. What time’s the post for that?
July 24th, 2012 at 10:17 AM
I’m glad they didn’t match, but I don’t see the direction this team is going in. I guess they are going young and cheap this year and then hope to start building around Rose again. I just don’t know where the talent for that rebuild is coming from.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:17 AM
Asik as a signing works if you have a strong offensive presence next to him: an Aldridge or a Bosh. Then he can just clean up and focus on being a defensive force.
Houston doesn’t have that (yet). And at that price, I don’t know where they’re going to make the move to get one.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:17 AM
Lamb did have a really good summer league, but despite Martin’s bad year last year I don’t think it’s a given that Lamb starts. Not sure Patterson is really a 3 though. The Rockets are cornering the market on 4′s.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:19 AM
Who were they?
July 24th, 2012 at 10:20 AM
Last week you had him starting at the 3, which I thought was odd.
They need to get rid of the logjam at the 4. Jones, White, Morris, Patterson, and Johnson (already asked for a trade) are all pretty much limited to playing PF.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:20 AM
They’re probably considering this a lost year.
Next year, Nikola Mirotic is coming over. He’s supposed to to be legit.
Rose-Noah-Mirotic
July 24th, 2012 at 10:22 AM
Johnny Flynn was a summer league MVP, so tell me how much relevance there is to summer league success and applying it to the NBA?
July 24th, 2012 at 10:22 AM
Tobias Harris and John Henson.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:22 AM
So you’re saying the Bulls are gunning for a 7-seed in the playoffs?
July 24th, 2012 at 10:24 AM
And Adam Morrison received M-V-P chants….seriously
July 24th, 2012 at 10:24 AM
It was sarcasm. The first after-Roundup post is about a guy who averaged 3pts and 5rebs last year. I figured at this rate, we’d be talking about the Bucks by 3pm ET.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:25 AM
That’s fine with me. Hell, I hope they tank it completely and get a lottery pick
That doesn’t look like a championship nucleus to me but I don’t claim to know how good Mirotic is/will be. I’ve heard people talking about a bumper crop of FAs in 2014, but the big names of the bunch aren’t leaving where they are and the other guys aren’t all that special.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:27 AM
Seems like they realized last year was the real opportunity since they were markedly better than the previous season but Rose’s injury destroyed the whole thing so it doesn’t make sense to keep that core together when recovering from an injury of that magnitude isn’t a one-year thing…the goal is to beat Miami and they weren’t doing it next year anyhow so might as well get some youth in there (and letting the guys go that they did ups the odds of re-signing Gibson when he comes due)
July 24th, 2012 at 10:28 AM
They were a #1 seed with a worse roster than that.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:28 AM
TBL posts on the Rockets are high comedy. Guy couldn’t be more clueless.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:30 AM
Rodney – Glad you’re a fan. Thanks for checking in and commenting.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:32 AM
Am I crazy to think he is pretty overrated? I feel like Bulls fans love him because he dunked on D-Wade…
July 24th, 2012 at 10:34 AM
I’m here for exchanges like #s 35 & 36.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:35 AM
He is average offensively. But, defensively he is legitimately elite. Especially in an aggressive defensive scheme with a lot of switches.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:38 AM
YAYYYYYY! GOODBTE ASIK! YAYYYYYY!
July 24th, 2012 at 10:39 AM
I think a guy like him can start for a championship team if properly constructed elsewhere
July 24th, 2012 at 10:39 AM
Average offensively? Ahahahahha ok. Terrible is the word I would use.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:40 AM
Will Taj be a restricted free agent? If not, I can see another team offer him ridiculous money.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:42 AM
Yeah, I think he is a decent role player, but I feel like he is going to get big time bucks.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:45 AM
MU – look forward to reading about them on your site.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:46 AM
He’s talking about Taj Gibson.
He’s only been in the league 3 years, but he’s actually old as hell. He’s probably peaked as a player.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:46 AM
when i come up for air, i aim to please you, Mr. C
July 24th, 2012 at 10:48 AM
League average TS%, below league average TO%, above league average ORR, above league average PER, above league average in FTR, above league average in FG% on shots at the rim and 3-9ft, and just under league average on 10-15ft….so yeah, average offensively
July 24th, 2012 at 10:49 AM
Taj is getting huge money.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:50 AM
fair enough
July 24th, 2012 at 10:50 AM
four centers?
July 24th, 2012 at 10:50 AM
Yes, will be restricted. But, that could mean a high offer anyway. As this summer showed, teams will offer high knowing A) the team will match anyway or B) it will take an overpay to pry him away.
July 24th, 2012 at 10:55 AM
The feerthedeer.com domain name is available, I’ll provide capital so long as the first post is a retrospective of Jon Leuer’s magical career there
July 24th, 2012 at 11:01 AM
Clippers signed Ryan Hollins to a one year vet minimum deal. He’s not even worth that. Boston and Cleveland laugh at the Clips
July 24th, 2012 at 11:06 AM
Livingston & Douglas playing ahead of Machado? No.
July 24th, 2012 at 11:08 AM
Glad to see someone else watched Iona basketball.
July 24th, 2012 at 11:14 AM
I know how much you love him, but the kid has to make the team first:
July 24th, 2012 at 11:18 AM
Something to do while walking down North Avenue, I guess.
July 24th, 2012 at 11:18 AM
Scalia…I feel like there’s no way he’s not making the team if he just plays even decently during preseason. If he doesn’t make the team, they will be making an even dumber mistake than letting Lin go last year.
At some point I will shut up about the kid, but I’m still amazed he wasn’t drafted.
July 24th, 2012 at 11:25 AM
We shouldn’t be amazed. Teams like to use the 2nd round picks on euros who they can stash in europe for a couple years just to save money.