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The Chicago Bulls never doubted center Omer Asik's skills, but they got a first hand look at just how well the 26-year-old has adjusted to his new team on Christmas Day. Now starting for the Houston Rockets, Asik dominated the post in the Bulls' 120-97 loss on Tuesday night.
After spending two years as the back-up to Bulls center Joakim Noah, Asik signed a three-year, $25 million deal with the Rockets during the offseason. As a restricted free agent, Chicago had the right to match any offer Asik agreed to, but the Bulls ultimately opted not to match Houston's offer sheet.
On Tuesday, the Bulls got a pretty strong glimpse of the player that they let go. Playing 35 minutes against his former teammates, Asik dominated on both ends of the floor, putting up 20 points on 9 of 13 shooting in addition to grabbing 18 rebounds and blocking three shots.
Before the game, Asik admitted that it was a tad weird being at the United Center again, but he clearly was quite comfortable playing in front of the same fans that grew to love him over his first two years in the league.