Has Omer Asik played his last game as a Rocket already?

LOL

I hate the way this has all come down (with Asik). but I'll admit it. I still love the big guy as a player, and seeing him out there made my heart glad.

even though I know it likely can't last - that he will probably be traded, that this was just showcasing.. etc. -- it reminded me what a big part of the team he was last year, what a brick wall he is on screens, and how much he could still contribute if he was not traded.

 

Asik has an ego. The only real thing injured was his pride. He made an impact last night despite being out of game shape. If he was fully willing to come off bench, this would be a noticeably different team with a win record closer to 40.

 

You know, this is getting pretty silly. You've got to have some pretty big blinders on to not be able to see what's going on. You think the Rockets/Morey would never lie, players don't throw tantrums and refuse to play, teams aren't terribly interested in treating injured players, Asik apparently isn't terribly interested in being traded, and that the trade deadline has absolutely nothing to do with his "recovery". You've got to really stretch plausibility to get to where you apparently are on this. But the most ridiculous part about it is that you appear to be incapable of considering that you might be wrong here - that there's no possible way that Asik was BSing.

You *really* think that Asik coming back right before the trade deadline has *nothing* to do with that trade deadline? Really?!? And that anyone who thinks there might be a link is wearing tin foil?

If so, then you are clueless.

 

@treeman: What I don't get about all the people believing that the injury was fake and everything was just a plot: Why would the Rockets organization do that? Why would they allow an important player to sit out because he doesn't want to play, why would they diminish their chances to win games by supporting a guy's unwillingness to do what he has to do because he's payed for it? That doesn't make any sense to me.

 

I agree,the reason he prolly did not played was because he could get a serious injury and there would be no trade,if he plays 100% now,there is a good chance he could get out of Houston.

 

Your scenario is plausible. It's just much more likely that Asik was actually injured. He was out of game shape last night, which is consistent with a knee injury.

Your only "evidence" seems to be the timing of Asik's return. Of course, no matter when he had returned you could have interpreted it as "right before the trade deadline" in an attempt to bolster your claim. Why did Asik return now, then? Why not a week ago? That's one more week to showcase himself to other teams. Hell, why fake an injury at all, if the whole point of his coming back is to get traded? That's where your theory falls apart; the very evidence you cite reveals the absurdity of your position.

 

Not only that , why would they push for an injury when that drops his trade value way more than a bad attitude? The F.O would have to be r****ded.

 

Already explained several times. They want to trade him, have been trying to trade him. What choice do they have? He's no Lebron or Dwight, he doesn't have the stock to publicly throw tantrums and demand a trade. The organization's choices at that point are to 1) keep it quiet and continue to try and shop him, or 2) let it all out in the open, which bmd seems to think would be the only option, and have him be known as a pouty diva who throws tantrums when he doesn't get what he wants.

They're much better off just pretending it's not happening and continuing to try to find a good trade. Call it de-emphasizing the truth if you want, but it's not at all implausible. More plausible than a mystery injury that miraculously heals right before the trade deadline, I think.

 

I'm not saying that people like Morey never lie. I'm saying a respectable organization would not go to these lengths to lie about Omer Asik's status. And for what? To cover up Asik's moping? So a mysterious knee injury that is taking months to heal is preferable to an unhappy player wanting to be traded?

I never said that or even implied it. Players are unhappy all the time.

Were you there with Omer Asik for those 2 months that he was injured? How do you know who he saw or what tests and treatments were done? I'll answer it for you. You have no idea.

Of course Asik wants to be traded. I never said anything to the contrary. But you are correct in me saying that his recovery has nothing to do with the trade deadline.

I'm the one stretching plausibility? I'm not the guy claiming there is a mass conspiracy within the Rockets organization where they are lying about a player being injured to fool other GM's into thinking he's only sitting out because he's injured, not because he's unhappy with his role. (Even though he already played 7 games between his benching and his injury).

I'm not saying it's impossible. I'm saying I can say with confidence that you are wrong because the premise you came up with is so unbelievably stupid and outside the realm of logical thought.

I'm saying I believe what the coaches have been saying. Is Omer 100%? I don't know. Could the upcoming trade deadline mean Asik decided to come back before he was 100%? I don't know. It's possible. But do I think Asik has been healthy for a long time and he's just been biding his time to come back right before the trade deadline? No.

If Asik's motivation for coming back is the trade deadline, then it would lead me to believe that he possibly came back before his knee is 100%. But it could also be just coincidence that he is 100% 4 games from the deadline.

I don't think Asik was faking and I don't think the Rockets coaches, trainers, doctors, and management have been lying.

 

Anyone who hasn't played in two months - injury or no injury - is not going to be conditioned for it when they return. As for the injury, I have said repeatedly that there probably was a bruise and some swelling at some point, but no one's seen it in two months, and the episode's unfolding has been... odd, to say the least.

No, other evidence is the not-so-secret regular demands for trades, the benching for refusing to play that preceded the injury (lots of people somehow forgot how the TT experiment actually ended...). Coupled with the timing of the return it is a tad bit suspicious to anyone who has a brain.

As for the timing of the return... If he comes back in say, mid-January I don't think we're talking about this, because that's certainly not "right before the trade deadline". If he comes back in early March we probably aren't quite as suspicious, either. But you must admit that the timing of his return is convenient. Just enough time to let other GMs know that he's no longer injured and can safely anchor their defenses.

That's a good question. And if the reports I posted earlier from November are to be believed (no reason not to believe them, either) Asik was pretty devastated about losing his starting spot and was essentially judged unfit to play due to his mental state. He was seriously half-a$$ing it when he was out there, and it showed - that's why he was benched. Perhaps his decision-making ability at the time wasn't up to snuff?

This is not "absurd", it fits with reports from the time period in question. Asik - possibly not the brightest guy in the world in the first place - appears to have let his ego get in the way and made some poor choices. That's not "absurd", that's real life sometimes.

 

Asik was upset he lost his starting spot. Asked for a trade. Was benched for not giving effort and having a bad attitude. His teammates talked to him. He came back and played 7 games and then got injured.

How is that evidence for your whole premise of him faking an injury for 2 months and the Rockets parroting a lie?

 

We are about to start repeating ourselves here, bmd. Do I REALLY need to say this again? Re-read my earlier posts a few times if you don't get it.

Neither do you. In fact, nobody seems to know what went on, because unlike most injuries we didn't seem to get much in the way of progress reports. You don't find that odd? (Don't answer that, of course you don't)

I am beginning to think that you are simply not a curious person. You find nothing coincidental about that timing? Really? If not, I don't know what else to say.

Standard tactic to try to win an argument against logic and evidence - ridicule it. You keep throwing out the word "conspiracy", as if I am trying to paint the organization in a sinister light. That is absurd. The organization simply does what is in its best interests. If Asik puts them into a bad position they are going to do what they have to do to minimize the damage - both to himself and to the organization.

Yes you are.

Yes, it's so unbelievably stupid and outside the realm of logical thought that at least half of the board agrees with it.

It fits the facts, whether you like it or not. Fact: no one has seen his injury for two months, and status updates have been nonexistent to vague. Fact: he is coming back right before the trade deadline. Fact: Asik wants to be traded. Fact: before the injury he was benched for several games for refusing to play to his pay, and he was clearly not motivated when he was on the court. Fact: he switched agents during the episode - why? You have to ignore quite a few facts to think things unfolded as you apparently do.

Yes, pure coincidence. What else could it be?

Yes, I know that. And you are free to believe what you want. I don't buy it, alot of other people here don't either, and no matter how much you try and ridicule that position, it's not going to change. I understand that you may not be a very curious person and want to believe that everything is on the up-and-up. That is your prerogative.

I don't think we're going to agree on this. And it's not an argument that either side can "win" at this point, anyway.

 

LOCK THIS THREAD. THE ANSWER TO THE TITLE IS A NO!

 

the thread has evolved. you should to sir.

 

you're right, lock this thread. we need a new thread, for example: Do you think Asik will still a Rocket after the trade deadline?

 

Don't you mean it went off-topic?

 

This perfectly sums up why your position is non-sense.

Yes, what you posted are facts. But in order for your premise to work, you have to take it upon yourself to make several leaps to fill in any blanks.

 

Asik isn't going anywhere unless Morey gets what he wants which is a very good player coming back along with a 1st rd pick...so yes, the Rockets would trade Asik, but only for Morey's price.

 

Sigh. The Rockets organization is not the NSA. Leaks are not prosecuted in the justice system. If Asik was actually faking an injury it would have leaked to one of the major sports networks. Since it has not been reported Asik must not be faking. Christ! His trade demand came out readily enough. Case closed conspiracy theorists!

 

I don't think there's another team in the nba who believes his injury is legit, heck the milwaukee commentators made it into a running joke.