Chicago Bulls Rumors: Why Omer Asik is Not a Part of Any Trade Deal for a SG

One of the figures that has become somewhat polarizing among Bulls fans of late is Omer Asik. There are those who argue he could be used in trade talks for a shooting guard, and there are those who argue he should not be. 

The argument is essentially moot—the Bulls aren't going to be trading him. The reason they don't want to trade him is solid, though. The question here really is why are the Bulls so high on a player who had 2.8 points and 3.7 rebounds last year?

There are several reasons that simply looking at his whole numbers is short-sighted. First, it was his rookie year, and second he was only playing 12.1 minutes per game. If you project those numbers to 40 minutes per game, they come out 9.3 points and 12.4 boards to go with 2.4 blocks per game. 

If you look at his rates, he was right there with the best in the league. His rebound percentage was 18.1, 16th best in the NBA among players with at least 800 minutes played, and his offensive rebound percentage he was sixth in the NBA with 13.7 percent. 

Furthermore, Asik was a rookie and his growth through the season was evident. If you look at his stats before and after the All-Star Game, it's obvious. His scoring went up 11 percent, his rebounds went up 20 percent. His field goal percentage went form .516 to .630. He also saw his minutes increase from 11.5 minutes to 13.1. 

In March he averaged 14.6 minutes, 5.0 rebounds and 4.2 points. That's growth, and when you're looking at a 24-year-old rookie big man from Europe, you aren't looking for a finished project—you're looking for growth. 

In fact, the amount of progress Asik showed was nothing short of prodigious, and while all of those numbers alone are enough to justify that he has the potential to be a starter down the road, they are nothing compared to what his defense showed. 

His synergy numbers are remarkable, particularly for a rookie. He gave up just .84 points per play overall. Against the roll man in the pick and roll he gave up just .81 points per play. Against the spot-up he surrendered only .73 points per play, ninth best of all players in the NBA, starting or bench. 

The one area he "struggled" and by "struggled" I mean he was merely average, was against the post up, where surrendered 1.0 points per play. 

By comparison, Andrew Bogut gave up .82 points per play, .87 against the roll man in the pick and roll, .92 against the spot-up and .81 in the post. 

Andrew Bynum gave up .86 points per play, .92 against the roll man, 1.1 against the spot-up and .74 in the post. 

In other words, two of the best defensive centers in the league were inferior to Asik in everything but the post. 

I'm not going to argue that makes him a better defensive player, but I will say as a barometer of his progress for a rookie, that's pretty darned impressive. 

However, where he's most impressive is in his advanced stats. While he was on the court the Bulls gave up just 92.69 points per game. That's the lowest defensive rating of any player in the NBA with at least 100 minutes played. The next best number was C.J. Watson at 95.17. The next best number was Ronnie Brewer's 95.83.

While Watson and Brewer certainly deserve credit, it's no mystery who the anchor of the "Bench Mob" was. It was the help defense of Asik. 

It's not until we get to Kevin Garnett's 97.84, over five points worse than Asik's number, that we get to an NBA player who did better. 

Yes, there is the fact that Asik is a backup and going against backups. Again, I'm not trying to suggest that these numbers are somehow definitive. They are a barometer though, and they show without question that Asik has a ton of promise.

That's why when the Bulls are looking at potentially trading the now 25-year-old center for a 31-year-old shooting guard like Jamal Crawford in a sign-and-trade, they aren't even going to consider it.

Even trading him for a younger shooting guard like Arron Afflalo or Courtney Lee isn't going to happen because, frankly, finding a center you can anchor a defense around is  a lot harder to find than an above-average shooting guard. 

Certainly with Asik there are a number of things that can be worked on offensively. There are some things that are borderline infuriating, like the way he grabs an offensive rebound and brings the ball all the way down to his waist before going back up with it. 

He needs more assertiveness and confidence in going to the rim. He needs to work on his free-throw shooting. The offense is definitely a work in progress. 

Having said that, once again, he was a 24-year-old rookie. 

Asik is not a finished project right now. With another year or two of development, the Bulls will be the envy of the league with not one, but two of the best defensive centers in the NBA. That's what you can build a championship around.