After being diagnosed with a bacterial infection during the All-Star break in February, Omer Asik made his first public appearance on Sunday, before the start of the game between the visiting Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Pelicans.

To the home crowd's surprise, the 30-year-old Turkish international appeared to have lost a lot of weight and does not look in basketball shape. If not for his height, it would've been even more difficult to recognize him.

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Asik reportedly suffered the sickness when he was on vacation in Mexico last month. Although only limited information was released about his condition, he was unable to fully recover from it and now seems like he will miss the remainder of the season.

The 7-foot center last played for the Pelicans on December 21 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He has had difficulty adjusting to the team's system and with the addition of DeMarcus Cousins, as he becomes a strong candidate to be traded in the offseason.

The problem New Orleans may face though is finding a taker for his services as he has not been able to showcase his talents the past year. Another potential issue is his salary as he is still owed $21.9 million over the next two seasons. Once a promising young center with good defensive acumen, Asik has been plagued by injuries over the past three years and has not lived up to expectations after signing a lucrative contract with the Pelicans in 2015.