The Houston Rockets finally traded Omer Asik this summer—to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for a protected first-round pick in the 2015 draft. Now, they've got to replace his considerable value.
The Turkish big man was long known to be unhappy as a backup, as he fled the Chicago Bulls to get out of Joakim Noah's shadow, only to end up in Dwight Howard's. Asik is one of the very best defensive centers in the league, and it took some pretty unusual circumstances for him to find himself on the bench with two different teams—Howard is a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, and Noah won the award this season.
Put Asik virtually anywhere else, and he's a true-blue starter. He certainly will be in New Orleans, where his pairing with Anthony Davis should make for one of the more watchable frontcourts in the league. Asik's penchant for the dirty work of rebounding and banging bodies near the rim should unleash Davis for some freelancing, and the prodigious young Brow can continue his evolution into one of the most unique players in the game. It's a nearly perfect union for both big men.
But ...
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Article written by John Wilmes
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July 8th, 2014 by John Wilmes Leave a reply »
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