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New York Knicks: Omer Asik Should Be A Target

By Owen Sanborn

Feb 21, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Omer Asik (3) at the free throw line against the Miami Heat during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 21, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Omer Asik (3) at the free throw line against the Miami Heat during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Knicks have plenty of needs.

A competent owner would be a great start. Perhaps a point guard that is capable of going toe to toe with the league’s best. Maybe a couple of big men that aren’t more known for their beard or their ponytail than their ability to play basketball.

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That is where Omer Asik — otherwise known as the Turkish big man who plays for the New Orleans Pelicans — comes in. Everyone is so focused on the bigger names that will be hitting the free agent market this summer (Rajon Rondo, Kevin Love, Marc Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge) that his name is slipping significantly under the radar. I feel like the Knicks are in position to potentially profit from this.

The chances of Phil Jackson luring a big fish to the Big Apple has to be minute at this point. It would be wise of him to ignore the temptation of flirting with a bigger name (unless someone like Love or Gasol is genuinely interested) and go all in on the lumbering, sweaty big man before any other team knows what hit them.

Free agency usually entails a mad rush for all of the biggest names at the beginning, then the dust will settle and leave numerous teams with plenty of cap space to spend. This is where players get overpaid.

Asik seems like a prime candidate to be one of those players that gets a few extra million per season because teams simply have no where else to spend their money and will eventually talk themselves into signing him. Oh, he’s 7 feet tall? Sure, what the hell!

The Knicks would be wise to throw a respectable offer at Asik and sweeping him off his feet before any other team has the opportunity to. Something around the $13 million per season that Marcin Gortat got from the Washington Wizards this offseason is a good place to start.

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    • Phil Jackson was quoted talking about how a defensive anchor is essential to the team’s rebuild in a recent ESPN article.

    “Gotta have a defender,” Jackson said. “… That’s a good starting point — a guy like Tyson Chandler is the defensive backup that we have to have. In this day and age in our game, there are so many screen and rolls, so many 3-point shooters, so many things that a player of size has to (do). Not only cover the paint and protect the basket but he has to be able to step out defensively and play a guard. And do some defensive work on the extreme part of the floor so it’s very important that that player have defensive capabilities.”

    I find it pretty comical that he referenced to Tyson Chandler, whom he decided to part ways with this summer for Jose Calderon and Samuel Dalembert. And yet, for some reason, that trade continues to go unnoticed. You already had the defensive anchor, Phil! You just let him get away for essentially nothing.

    Asik doesn’t move as smoothly or nimbly as Chandler, but he is still a solid defender that knows how to protect the basket at a respectable level. He stands at 7 feet tall and is capable of deterring opposing players away from having opening driving lanes. He is a beast on the boards, and most importantly, he does not have a ponytail. So there’s a plus.

    I believe Asik would be a smart signing for any team in need of big man help and could really fly under the radar during the summer. The Knicks could easily be a potential suitor, only question is whether or not they will be distracted by the other stars that may shine brighter.

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