The time stamp on this tweet was 10 minutes before the official start of free agency. Does that constitute tampering? But more importantly, is Asik a top-tier free agent? We all have come to learn that centers get overpaid in free agency, a truism that goes back to Jon Koncak, Jim McIlvaine, Erick Dampier, Brendan Haywood, Mikki Moore and a host of others. Asik is a nice player, but he is about the last guy (aside from Andris Biedrins) you’d want on the free throw line with a game on the line. When I covered the Turkey-Serbia semifinal in Istanbul at the 2010 World Championship, Asik was fouled on a key late possession and stayed on the ground for several minutes — even though it was clear he was faking an injury to avoid going to the line. The ploy worked, Asik was subbed out and Turkey got to pick a player from the bench to take Asik’s free throws.