New Orleans Pelicans: Appreciate each strong Omer Asik performance like it’s the last
By Andrew Huff
A common scapegoat for New Orleans Pelicans fans, Omer Asik tallies as many botched layups as he does great moments. We should still appreciate him when we can.
Cherish these games from New Orleans Pelicans center Omer Asik. They are far and few in-between.
During Thanksgiving all of the Pelican Debrief writers contributed a section to a piece titled, “What we’re thankful for this Thanksgiving”. I more-than-half-jokingly threw Omer Asik’s name in there.
My section from that roundtable:
"“I am thankful for Omer Asik; he saves our precious Anthony Davis from beatings, he fumbles easy dump downs, he has the highest DRB % on the team and he flubs dunks. I might have made this up but I read somewhere that 100% of his made dunks don’t quite clear the rim. Watching him match minutes with Dwight Howard should have been a reminder to all of us that he has an important role on the Pelicans. There is never a better day than “Turkey Day” to be thankful for the Pelicans’ bumbling Turkish center.”"
There is a lot to cringe about when Omer Asik’s name is brought up as a member of the Pelicans, and I broke a couple down below to balance out my Thanksgiving Day exuberance:
Draft Capital
The first-round pick conveyed in the 2014 trade with the Houston Rockets eventually turned into a forward from the University of Wisconsin named Sam Dekker. The players it also could have been include Bobby Portis, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and Larry Nance Jr. All of these players at worst look like players the Pelicans wouldn’t mind having in the rotation.
Reminder that hindsight is 20/20, but this front office doesn’t have the luxury of receiving any benefit of the doubt.
Related Story: Omer Asik Player Breakdown
Cap Space
Currently Omer is signed through the 2019-2020 season on a 5-year, $58 million contract with a team option on the fifth year the Pelicans will most certainly decline.
Lately, I’ve seen a meme circulating with Omer’s face crudely photo shopped on Michael K. Williams’ character in The Wire. Omar Devon Little was a stick-up man in The Wire, arguably one of the best crime dramas ever. Whenever “Omar’s coming yo! Omar’s coming!” was yelled by the local drug dealers in The Wire, it was followed by mayhem, lost cash and pointed fingers.
Omer Asik doesn’t have the same allure Omar Little has on The Wire, but he still brings with him a sense of uneasiness and lost capital, be it draft capital or cap space.
Occasionally, Omer Asik is a fine NBA player. During this week’s game against the Lakers, he showed us what that can look like. Asik pulled down 11 boards to go along with 10 points, and finished with an ORtg of 153 and a DRtg of 90. (According to Basketball-Reference.com)
Plus, This!
As much evidence as there is against it (on Twitter, mostly), Asik does look improved from a season ago. His hands are better, his feet move quicker and he has been challenging shots at the rim with greater success. Opponents are shooting 44.7% at the rim when Omer Asik defends – good for 10th best in the NBA. (According to NBA.com)
Unfortunately, because of the draft capital used to get him, coupled with his contract, he will always leave the Pelicans strapped for cash and be met by more pointed fingers than celebratory, in-the-air fingers.
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He has a role on the Pelicans, and until they can find a way to move him or find a more suitable frontcourt partner (other than Terrence Jones, who has his own weaknesses as well), games like the one he had against the Lakers should be cherished.
There isn’t much else we can do.