Omer Asikdoesn't want to play for the Rockets next season.
Shortly after Houston signed Dwight Howard late last week, Asik reached out to the team and let them know that, rather than accept a reduced role with the team, he would like to be traded. But even though the Rockets could probably get some value in return for Asik, they are already letting it be known that they are not interested in trading him. They've turned down trade offers and, according to Rockets head coach Kevin McHale, they expect Asik to be back with the team this fall.
"With Omer, he had a great year for us last year and really became one of the top centers in the league," McHale said at the Orlando Summer League yesterday. "It's just when you have an opportunity to get Dwight, it's hard not to. I'm sure Omer right now is a little down in the dumps, but we'll pick him up."
McHale also said that he plans to play Howard and Asik at the same time to make the most of their size.
"You do play two bigs," he said. "You have to get spacing and your small guys have got to make sure they keep the court spaced."
Good idea. But will Howard buy into playing alongside a fellow big?! The Rockets need to be careful here. If Asik is unhappy and truly doesn't want to play with Howard, the Rockets could run into problems next season. So, at the very least, they should listen to what they might be able to get for Asik now before they run into trouble later.
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[via ESPN]
