HoopsHype.com Rumors

Bulls guard C.J. Watson received no less than seven death threats on his Twitter account after passing to Omer Asik, who missed two free throws with seven seconds left and opened the door for the 76ers to steal a series-clinching 79-78 win. SheridanHoops

Chicago Bulls, Omer Asik, CJ Watson 

Though tempting, please don't dwell on asking what might have been if officials had swallowed their whistles with 2.2 seconds left instead of calling a foul on Omer Asik as he attempted to block Andre Iguodala's layup. Iguodala hit the two most clutch free throws of the Doug Collins era in Philadelphia, but to blame the end of the season on a bad call would be wrong. Good for Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau that he resisted that temptation, albeit reluctantly. "It looked like Omer had the ball, but I don't want to put it on the officials," Thibodeau said. "We didn't do what we should have done." Chicago Tribune

Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers, Andre Iguodala, Tom Thibodeau, Omer Asik, Referees 

Jason Lloyd: Anyone watching #Cavs game in between Browns picks, keep an eye on Bulls center Omer Asik. Cavs like him, will be restricted FA this summer Twitter

Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Omer Asik 

Jason Lloyd: Anyone watching #Cavs game in between Browns picks, keep an eye on Bulls center Omer Asik. Cavs like him, will be restricted FA this summer Twitter

Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Free Agency, Omer Asik 

Magic executives are said to be unimpressed with the assets Howard's three preferred teams could provide in a trade, prompting them to engage in a calculated campaign to expand the field of potential suitors beyond the Nets, Mavericks and Lakers. But the team that can make the strongest case for Orlando to depart from its risky strategy of holding onto Howard are the Bulls, who could offer 7-footer Omer Asik, Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer for Howard and Hedo Turkoglu, sources said. The Bulls also could offer a valuable first-round pick from Charlotte -- top-14 protected in this year's draft but but unprotected by 2016. CBSSports.com

Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic, Trade, Hidayet Turkoglu, Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng, Omer Asik, Dwight Howard 

Better to notice the work of their replacements, Omer Asik and Taj Gibson, and characterize that as half-full. Rare is the NBA coach who can shuffle through four quality big men the way Thibodeau can, a luxury for a guy who puts so much emphasis on protecting the paint and helping defensively. "Omer would start for a lot of teams in the NBA," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said before the Bulls' victory over the Raptors on Saturday at United Center. "He's an effective big man. Length, size, strength, he knows how to play. He's experienced from playing over in Europe. And Taj would start on a lot of teams also. So [Thibodeau has] two pretty good players in those two guys who can step in and play. Both those guys are very effective." NBA.com

Chicago Bulls, Omer Asik 

Laurent Sallard: Omer Asik and Kevin Durant could be headed to Fenerbahçe (Hurriyet) http://ow.ly/7tR0p Twitter

Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Durant, Omer Asik, Lockout, Turkey, Fenerbahce Ulker 

”I hope my good friends Omer Asik and Hedo [ Hidayet Turkoglu] will shover me with presents. May be they stuff my fridge with Turkish food or buy me a new car ” the humble NBA star joked in a post-game interview with the Turkish broadcaster and took photos with many grateful Turkish fans, who along with Turkey Basketball Team could hardly believe their luck as several hundred were roaring for the British against Poland in the closing stages of the gripping contest. National Turk

Chicago Bulls, New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Hidayet Turkoglu, Omer Asik, Deron Williams, Lockout, Turkey, Besiktas 

Fernando Martin: After Great Britain's win, effusive meeting between Deng and Omer Asik. Luol has won for his Bull teammate. Twitter

Chicago Bulls, Luol Deng, Omer Asik, FIBA, Great Britain, Turkey 

Asik, who fractured his left fibula in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals May 22, has already begun conditioning drills and hopes to return to full strength in July. The injury, which the team originally estimated would sideline Asik six weeks, didn't require surgery. Just over four weeks later, Asik remains on track in his recovery. Chicago Tribune

Chicago Bulls, Omer Asik, Injuries 

Thibodeau said he will be seeking offensive improvement from Asik once the rookie center recovers. Asik had a tendency in his otherwise strong rookie season to fumble passes and get balls stripped as he rose for shots. "Offensively, he has worked very hard and he's developing," Thibodeau said. "He has to get that to carry over to the games. We see it in practice. Offensively, he's a great screener and rebounder. He's a very willing passer." Thibodeau said he isn't sure if Asik's injury would affect his Turkish national team commitments. "He's disappointed," Thibodeau said. "But he has had a great year for us. He's only going to get better. We just want him to get healthy. "When we saw him in the summer, we saw his makeup, how quickly he picked things up. With the international play, we were very impressed. That gave him a great advantage. He wasn't a typical rookie in that he had played in a lot of big games and he had played against a lot of NBA players." Chicago Tribune

Chicago Bulls, Omer Asik 

In a measure of how important the playoffs are, Omer Asik tried to play in Game 4 but came out after playing less than two minutes. It’s no wonder. The rookie center suffered a fractured left fibula in Game 3, the Bulls announced Wednesday. Asik will not play again this spring. “Omer’s out. It’s a lower-leg injury,’’ coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He’s going to need some time to recover.’’ Exactly why Asik was cleared to play with a fractured left fibula wasn’t explained. “He really tried to play,’’ forward Luol Deng said. “We could all tell before the game that he was hurt pretty bad. But he wants it just as bad as everyone. He tried to go out there, but he really couldn’t.’’ Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Bulls, Omer Asik, Injuries 

KC Johnson: Bulls officially announce Asik's fractured left fibula with this addition. It was fractured in Game 3 and he tried to play on it last nite. Twitter

Chicago Bulls, Omer Asik, Injuries 

Tom Ziller: Omer Asik done, reports @ismailsenol; could impact Eurobasket Twitter

Chicago Bulls, Omer Asik, Injuries, Turkey 

Chicago Bulls center Omer Asik missed shootaround Tuesday morning with a muscle strain in his left leg, and he is a game-time call for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat. ESPN.com

Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Omer Asik, Injuries 

Chicago Bulls center Omer Asik is day to day with a muscle strain in his left leg. He suffered the injury in the third quarter of Game 3 Sunday night and did not return. "We're hopeful," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said after his team's Monday afternoon film session. "I talked to [athletic trainer] Fred [Tedsechi] earlier and he said he's day to day. He'll get treatment [Tuesday]. Fred will take him onto the court to see if he's having any problems and hopefully he'll be ready to go." ESPN.com

Chicago Bulls, Omer Asik, Injuries 

Steve Aschburner: Bulls backup C Omer Asik pointed out the muscle strain in his left calf, said in postgame locker room it was too soon to know status for G4. Twitter

Chicago Bulls, Omer Asik, Injuries 

More often than not, Brian Scalabrine and Omer Asik will be locked into a sweaty game of one-on-one following a practice at the Berto Center or long before a game at the United Center. While the sight might be common, the friendship is not, an unlikely pairing of a veteran NBA role player from Seattle and a rookie center from Turkey who often claims he can't speak English well enough to conduct interviews. "He says that," Scalabrine says, his voice rising and a smile forming, "but he's been talking smack since Day One. "I got a bad haircut one time. And he was like, 'Hey, Scal, where'd you get your haircut?' I was like, 'Oh, my guy hooked me up.' He was like, 'Let me give you some advice. You shouldn't go back there anymore.' I was like, 'Dude, you only been here for like four weeks. You don't even say anything all day and that's what you're coming to me with?' He knows a lot more than he leads people to believe." Chicago Tribune

Chicago Bulls, Brian Scalabrine, Omer Asik 

When asked about Omer Asik's progress, Thibodeau mentioned the rookie center's intelligence, and Asik certainly is sharp when it comes to avoiding rookie hazing this late in the season. "We tried to get him to sing "Happy Birthday" the other day to Keith (Bogans), and he said he didn't know it in English," Deng said. "He said they don't do it in Turkey. I know he's lying." Chicago Tribune

Chicago Bulls, Omer Asik 

While Rose has become more confident in himself, he also continues to develop more trust in his teammates, including rookie center Omer Asik. The 7-foot native of Turkey rang up 11 points and a career-high 16 rebounds in the Nets win, leading his peers to gush about his ongoing progress. “That’s almost every game with him," Rose praised. "To come in, get that many rebounds, get to the free-throw line, dunk a lot of balls, block shots, play defense. That’s what we need from him. He works hard, listens. That’s the biggest thing. To be a rookie, he’s doing everything Coach wants him to do, especially to be a big and we need him on this team.” CSN Chicago

Chicago Bulls, Omer Asik