LOS ANGELES -- New Orleans Pelicans center Omer Asik has a bacterial infection that he may have contracted while in Mexico over All-Star break, according to coach Alvin Gentry.
Asik has missed the Pelicans' past six games and lost a significant amount of weight as a result of the illness, Gentry said.
While Gentry said Asik is "struggling," he also said the Pelicans center is getting better and doesn't consider the infection a long-term concern.
"We're just trying to get him healthy, really," Gentry said. "That's the main thing."
A consistent starter his first two seasons in New Orleans, Asik has appeared in just 31 of the Pelicans' 62 games this season, including 19 starts.