Carlos Boozer: “I’d love to be a part of the Chicago Bulls”
It doesn’t take an NBA reporting sleuth to tell you Carlos Boozer most likely won’t start — and definitely won’t finish — this upcoming season with the Utah Jazz.
So when Booz spoke to a Chicago radio station earlier today, he wasn’t breaking any news by saying a trade is coming soon. From the Deseret News in Utah:
According to a transcript from WMVP 1000-AM, the ESPN affiliate in Chicago, Boozer — who has not spoken to Utah media since the Jazz’s season ended in late April — said this when asked if he thought he’d be dealt: “Yeah I do. I had a talk with the Jazz. The Jazz told me they want to go in a different direction and I respect their decision. We mutually agreed to work out a trade that was beneficial for them and beneficial for my family and me. So with that being said, I’m gonna be traded relatively soon or in good time.”
The Bulls, Knicks, Pistons and Heat are among those expected to pursue Boozer. Detroit can offer the package that’s probably most attractive to the Jazz (Rip Hamilton and/or Tayshaun Prince), but Chicago is also a front-runner.
“We’ll see what happens,” Boozer said when asked by the radio station if Chicago is his favored destination.
“I mean I’d love to be a part of the Chicago Bulls,” he added. “A lot of that lays in the Utah Jazz hands, but we’ll see what they wanna do and hopefully I’ll do what’s best for me as well. If it happens I’ll be very happy.”
I’m not surprised by the announcement, but more by the reaction by a lot of Utah fans. In the comments section of the article, they were laying into Boozer as if he’s never done anything positive for the team, like he wasn’t a 20-10 staple and a perennial All-Star and a Team USA member. A sampling:
“He needs to go. He’s consistently injured and he’s inconsistent when he’s healthy. He’s a liability and has been lucky to get the contracts he did.”
“Chicago would be a great fit for you Carlos – your game is all Bull.”
“He was just a useless pick up for us only poisoned the water.”
“It’s always been about what’s best for you, and not your team. You lied to the Cavaliers when they tried to do you a favor. You lied to the Jazz about opting out. Now you’re turning your back on the franchise. Good riddance, get lost you bum. You’ll probably pull a hammy when the door hits your backside on the way out.”
To be fair, there were a good number of readers that presented fair arguments, and some who even defended Boozer. And I get that when a player is gone or on the way out, it’s easy for fans to turn on him. But it’s not just Utah. For whatever reason, Boozer has been able to provoke fan bases more than the standard “You left us so we’re booing you” level. They don’t just boo Boozer in Cleveland; they HATE him. And when Booz plays his first game in Utah with whoever his next team is, I’m sure the reception won’t be remotely appreciative. Maybe it’s just the Duke thing.
Personally, I’ve had a hard time understanding it because, in my time working with Boozer, he’s one of the nicest guys in the NBA I’ve ever met. Is he the type to greatly sacrifice personal finance in the name of team loyalty? Is he the type to come back from an injury before it’s all the way healed and risk getting hurt again? Probably not. But when it comes to a man’s career and family — plus the short window athletes have to capitalize on their skills — wouldn’t you also look out for yourself first?
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July 14th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Chilirey says:
Bring him to the Lakers….
July 14th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
hahns says:
im not getting why the entire league is lookin at this guy like a pariah- hes a 20 10 workhorse and BEASTED yao and the warriors in the playoffs…the guy produces. why all of a sudden does no one want him? is paul milsap that much better? no.
July 14th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
SayItAintSo says:
Important news for Knicks fans or fans of over achieving little people: Nate Rob is looking in to playing in Greece… He’s been working out overseas quite a bit and discussing his options with his old ballin buddy Tre Simmons.
STRAIGHT FROM MOMMA NATE-ROB’S MOUTH!
July 14th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Brado says:
I am a huge UT fan and hope to see Boozer go. Boozer is a great player and puts up consistent numbers (when he’s not injured which was 1/3 of his time in UT). But he lacks the heart of a champion. If a small market team like UT is to have a chance to win a championship they need players who are in it to win it, such as D-Will. Carlos is good, but he’ll never be a franchise player on a championship team. Another reason a lot of UT fans are happy to see him leave is because his D sucks ass! And y’all know UT is a physical team, Booze is just to soft.
July 14th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Arrogant says:
I wouldnt mind my bulls with pick and rolls with boozer….for a year…Then wade 2010!
July 14th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Steve A says:
Boozer is better than Millsap. The Jazz act as if their goal is the 2nd round of the playoffs every year….
July 14th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
mess says:
I’m also a huge Jazz fan. It seems like the Jazz were kind of cornered into trading Booz. When questioned last winter, Boozer could easily have said “We’ll just have to see what the summer brings.” Instead, he alienated himself by saying he was opting out no matter what. Then, when he had to go to at least two or three doctors before someone would perform surgery to remove “particles” from his knee that wouldn’t heal, it reminded us of the “foot injury” and the never-healing-hamstring injury from previous years.
Don’t get me wrong, the guy can produce when healthy, but things kept adding up, forcing the Jazz to move in another direction.
It’s kind of sad because with this being a contract year and all, I have a feeling Boozer will be healthy this year and have a good season.
July 14th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Kobeef says:
Miami could really use him and has the pieces to make it happen with Udonis Haslem and James Jones.
Here’s a scary idea though: The magic are probably the best fit for this trade – they have a $7 million trade exception from the Hedo trade and could give Utah that and someone like Redick for Boozer…which would lighten Utah’s payroll and give them a SG which is a position of need….or possibly Gortat (I don’t know if they could trade him now..?)
July 14th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
matt says:
I’m a lifelong jazz fan of twenty years, and yes, boozer is good on offense, but it seems like half the time he doesn’t even try to play defense. In the west where there are powerforwards such as pau gasol, amare, aldridge, and others, defense is needed. Furthermore, it seemed to the fans here in utah that he waited over a month and a half before he decided to have surgery on his knee, and then took another few months to recover, when he should of had surgery immediately, and then while injured he said that he was going to opt out of his commitment to the the team. yes, he was looking for more money, but I truly believe that he hasn’t earned it, seeing as how at one point he was injured for over 85 straight games over two seasons.
As for Millsap being this miracle saviour for the team? I’m not buying it. Yes, the kid is good, and can play defense, but lacks the size to be a great power forward. True, I want boozer gone as he hasn’t endeared himself to the fans, but I don’t want to depend on Millsap in the low post, seeing as how our center lives beyond the three.
July 14th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
JAZZ 1ST says:
He should go to miami
July 14th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
sh!tfaced says:
boozer is a workhorse and a beast and one of the nicest guys. but he will and always be a contract whore, going where the money is best for him…
July 14th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
foolio_iglesias says:
But what part? The ass-end?
July 14th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
ahoapap says:
I don’t get these over paid athletes. They are paid to PLAY a GAME.
Get over yourself. Jesus H Mother fucking christ on a fucking stick.
July 15th, 2009 at 12:16 am
jzsmoove says:
Its looking like Boozer is becoming the Larry Brown of NBA players. He gets tossed out of town and the townsfolk burn the bridges just to make sure he doesnt come back. Boozer is a loser.
July 15th, 2009 at 1:55 am
MR. 2012 says:
Trade him for Shaq!!!
July 15th, 2009 at 3:37 am
Yucca Man says:
Here’s the deal with Boozer and Millsap:
Honestly, Boozer is one of the most talented players I’ve ever watched. He’s ambidextrous within 10 feet of the basket. He’s got post moves, jump shots to 16 feet out, nice fadeaways, etc. He’s also a pretty decent passer from the post.
BUT …
He’s also one of the worst defensive player I’ve ever seen. Possibly the ABSOLUTE worst help defender I’ve ever seen in my life. Seriously, when somebody gets to the hole Boozer’s defense consists of … get ready for this … turning his head and watching the guy go in for a layup. It’s awful.
Then we have to deal with his injuries. 30 games for a strained foot. Not a sprain, not a break … a strained foot. 50 games for a strained hamstring. 40 games for a knee strain. He won’t start training until he’s felt 110% for two weeks. He won’t do a full practice until he’s felt 110% doing training for another two weeks. Then he won’t play a game until he’s had 2-3 practices under his belt. So by the time he finally gets back in the game, he’s missed an additional month even though he’s felt 100% fine the whole time.
Then you’ve got his attitude. A couple seasons ago, the Jazz beat the Pistons in Detroit. Boozer had 30+ points and a dozen rebounds and D-Will had something like 25 and 13. After the game Boozer had an interview and all he could talk about was how he and D-Will and the Jazz were going to be pulling off games like that the whole season. Next day they got beat by the Knicks, who were in their Isaiah-era glory. It was a disgusting game.
This kind of thing happened a lot. Two years ago the Jazz had a losing record on the road. No surprise, right? But the crazy thing was they had a winning record against teams .500 or better. They beat the Celtics in Boston. Their record on the road against losing teams? 7-14.
Finally, Boozer has no loyalty to his team and he never had any intention of sticking with Utah for the long term. None. So the Jazz planned for Millsap to take over. Not as good on offense, but 1000% better on defense, and 1000% more hustle. Starting last year, Millsap averaged about 16 and 10. They didn’t miss Boozer a bit. Acutally the only thing they missed were the 11 and 7 Millsap-off-the-bench gave.
So that’s the situation. You lose a bit on offense with Millsap instead of Boozer, but you gain defense, hustle, a work-hard-all-the-time attitude, and a guy who will play even if he bumps a foot on a chair. And after 5 years of Boozer (who, remember, was an All-Star just twice in those 5 years … it’s not like he’s Duncan or Garnett), Millsap seemed like a wonderful change. The anti-Boozer. And the Jazz weren’t going to win it all with Boozer anyway. That became clear last year. So why not see what just changing Boozer to the anti-Boozer will do for the team? But if Boozer stays, all progress, any new direction has to be put off for another year. Of course changing Millsap for Boozer won’t propel the Jazz to a guaranteed championship next year. But is the first step to building a new kind of team around D-Will. And with Millsap’s contract smaller than the Cav’s will be paying Varajao (and just slightly more than Orlando’s going to pay Gorat) … with the Jazz owning the Knick’s #1 pick this year … with Kirilenko’s contract coming off the books in 2 years … and with Kirilenko likely to get a few more opportunities to score without Boozer (and a happy Kirilenko is a 15-7-5-3-2 guy instead of a 11-4-3-1-1 guy) … there’s a whole lot to be reasonably optimistic about the Jazz if they can just get rid of Boozer.
And that’s why the thought of losing Millsap and enduring another year of Boozer has Jazz fans screaming up and down the Wasatch Mountains.
July 15th, 2009 at 7:29 am
moni says:
a lot of people have already said what i wanted to say, so just a few more things:
boozer is no doubt talented, and possibly more ambidexterous than anyone in the league. however, when he is healthy (which is less often than not), i lose track of what is going on in games because i’m so busy yelling at him to play D. his brand of defense consists entirely of yelling at memo “get it memo!” “block it memo!” he has no desire to win or compete. as long as he gets his stats, he thinks everything is peachy.
and that’s just on the court. off the court, he is constantly talking out of his ass and creating drama and division in the locker room. and he seems completely oblivious to the fact that he is doing that. he is all about himself, never about the team. he flat-out refused to come off the bench, and talked about getting a raise while injured.
and that’s why i can’t wait for him to get his ass out of utah.
p.s. he’s closer to a 16-10 guy than a 20-10 guy.
July 15th, 2009 at 9:18 am
Chicagorilla says:
Send his ass anywhere but Chicago. I know Jerry Sloan and the Utah management may still be a little pissed over the back to back beat downs MJ and the Bulls gave them, plus the heartbreaker MJ hit the last game, but don’t take things so personal. Don’t steal from us and beat us over the head by sending us Boozer and taking Tyrus. That’s just not fair. Man i hate Boozer, not because he scores 16ppg (which he did last year, not 20ppg), but more so because he gives up 25ppg to Pf’s who are avg. He also does not score in the post unless its a drive and finsh past someone who is bigger/slower than him. Hell Tyrus can do that same shyt. He prefers to sit at the top of the key off the pick-n-roll and shoot jumpers. With all the injuries over the past few years, expect him to do more jump shooting than ever before. Send him to New York, they deserve it. Plus they don’t play defense anyway, he’d fit in perfect.
July 15th, 2009 at 9:35 am
karizmatic says:
Boozer gets hated on because he treats basketball as a job more than something that he loves. I’m not hating on him I’m just calling it as I see it. If you do somwthing well never do it for free…and Boozer doesn’t. He is loyal to no one in the league but himself he looks at basketball as a job and his skills are going to go to the highest bidder period. It doesn’t endear him to the fans much, but he is a shrewd businessman. So I give him props for that. He’ll make Chicago much better, finally give them the presence in the post they’ve been looking for.
Furthermore, how can you hate on the man, he did what every free agent with an opt out clause should have done. He knows the team wants Milsap instead of him and he knows whatever he was getting for Utah, he wasn’t getting that amount on the market so he opted in to keep the money and worked out a trade. People can’t act like Utah isn’t getting something out of this. If Booz would have opted out they would get nothing in return for him. Now they have a chance to work out a good trade for him. In addition Booz is not being a malcontent about it so it doesn’t look like Utah’s hand is being forced which would put them in a weak bargaining position.
July 15th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Mike says:
I hope he comes 2 Chi-Town so we have more salary cap room 4 D-Wade next year
July 15th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Chris From LB CALI says:
BOOZER SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!! all DUKE PLAYERS SUCK@
July 17th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
nosmelone says:
Yucca man put it perfectly, and I can appreciate Chicagorilla’s opinion! In boozers defense if I remember correctly his wife was his agent and she negotiated his contracts if I recall. I know that they are going or recently went through a divorce so I think that his mind may not have been soley focused on his basketball career this last year. These are just a few random observations that my have played into his decision making and recent actions.
With that said I live in SLC,UT and am a big jazz fan and hope that we do get rid of Boozer. I think he handled himself very professionally with that Chicago interview, so no hard feelings. With that said I still think that Utah is stupid for passing on D. Blair in the draft he’s a real beast.
July 21st, 2009 at 4:03 am
JohnLy says:
Send him the the Magic they sure wont be contending next year
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:35 pm
Pepe says:
Wade and D Rose won’t work in Chicago. They both demand the ball to play great. Bulls don’t need another SG when John Salmons is playing his ass off. Now Boozer and D Rose? This sounds like they can make it happen…