Bulls Rumors: Chicago Would Be Completely Insane to Bring Omer Asik Back

Just let go.

If the Chicago Bulls match the offer sheet the Houston Rockets have agreed to with Omer Asik, they’ll regret it. Yes, Asik is a talented player, but he isn’t worth the money that H-Town is willing to pay him—not even close.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that the Bulls are indeed contemplating matching the Rockets’ offer.

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As Bulls consider match on Omer Asik's $25M Houston offer sheet, one major financial concern is rising future price of paying Taj Gibson.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 12, 2012"

According to Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times, Jeff Van Gundy is a believer in bringing Asik back. He said:

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The [offer sheet] he signed is reasonable for a player of his stature the way the NBA is. I’m really interested to see what the Bulls decide to do. They’re going to miss him if they decide not to match. It’s hard to find someone that young and capable.

"

Van Gundy is right in that the Bulls will miss Asik if they let him walk, but he’s dead wrong in his declaration that the offer sheet he signed is reasonable.

Houston offered Asik a contract that will pay him an unjustifiable $15 million in the third year of the contract. No one in their right mind would pay him that much money—Van Gundy and the Rockets aren’t thinking straight.

Sure, Asik is an elite defender, but he’s a designated defender. He’s virtually useless on the offensive end outside of hauling in rebounds and setting picks. Asik averaged just 3.1 points per game, twice as many turnovers as assists and shot 45.6 percent from the free throw line—as Bulls fans know all too well—last season.

Those that are holding out hope that Asik is capable of developing an offensive game are fooling themselves. He didn’t improve at all in his second-year as a pro in that department. What you see is what you'll get—an extremely effective one-trick pony.

But you can’t pay a one-trick pony $25 million over three years, let alone $15 million in one year. Chicago should save their money for Taj Gibson who has an expiring contract. Gibson is not only an elite defender, but he’s also not nearly the offensive liability that Asik is.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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