Now that the Houston Rockets have seemingly overpaid for Chicago Bulls big man Omer Asik, the front office has some big decisions to make on whether they should match the offer sheet.
Outside of Derrick Rose, the Bulls' biggest advantage the past two seasons has been their big-man depth. The front office has said all along that they intend to match any offer Asik receives, but no one could have imagined a team like the Rockets would throw so much money at him.
The final year of the deal will pay Asik $15 million. That seems way too much for a player who is solid on the defensive end but who contributes virtually nothing on the offensive end of the floor. Of course, some say Omer could be a much better player than what he's shown in Chicago if given a chance and more minutes.
With Rose set to miss over half the season in 2012-2013, next year is basically a wash.
The Bulls would be best served in letting Omer walk while trying to find a cheaper replacement for him in free agency. But their problems don't end there as the team likely will face this same scenario next summer when Taj Gibson -- who undoubtedly will receive an offer significantly higher than Asik's -- becomes a free agent.
As the harsher luxury tax penalties looming for the 2013-2014 season, and if the front office holds to their intentions, this all but guarantees that highly-paid players like Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and maybe even Joakim Noah won't be wearing Chicago Bulls uniforms for very long as the organization has famously and consistently avoided paying the luxury tax at all costs.
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