Daryl Morey and the Houston Rockets didn't waste any time agreeing to a three-year, $25 million offer sheet with the Chicago Bulls center Omer Asik on the first day of NBA free agency, but Houston sure is taking the scenic route in actually making the offer official. As virtually every decent free agent has now signed elsewhere, the Bulls remain in a holding pattern. Chicago really hasn't given much indication on whether or not they'll match Houston's "poison pill" to retain their backup center, only saying they need to look at the finalized deal before making a decision.
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While NBA contracts are certainly intricate and layered, the basic framework of the deal has already been reported. If the Bulls really are going to let Asik walk -- as about 70 percent of the fans prefer -- wouldn't they have tried to make another move, or perhaps at least publicly considered using the $5 million exception instead of the $3 million tax payer exception they already gave to guard Kirk Hinrich?
Houston's offer sheet to Asik is reportedly waiting on the other "poison pill" Morey dished out to New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin. As New York waits to make its decision, the Bulls are left to do nothing but sit on their hands. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reported that the offer sheet could go official on Wednesday. Once that happens, the Bulls will have three days to match.
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Johnson also pitches Chicago native Nazr Mohammed as a potential Asik replacement, but he's already received interest from the Brooklyn Nets. Who would you rather play for: Hov or Jerry Reinsdorf?
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