OK, so the NBA's rules and pay structure obviously have something to do with the symmetrical numbers. But it's still a little interesting that, just after nabbing Jeremy Lin from the Knicks when New York declined to match, the Rockets may be picking up another player whose former team won't match those exact figures.
Center Omer Asik is headed to Houston, with the Bulls declining to match his offer sheet, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports. Instead, Chicago will look to keep Kirk Hinrich with a two-year, $8 million deal.
Asik's offer was structured in much of the same way as Lin's, making it difficult for Chicago to commit due to salary restrictions in future years.
Asik, a 7-foot, 255-pound center from Turkey, averaged 2.9 points and 4.4 rebounds a game in two seasons with the Bulls. He was picked by the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round of the 2008 draft and sent to Chicago in a three-team deal.
