12th Man

Posted by Johnathan Kendrick on August 18, 2008

Bench Warmer (Nathaniel S. Butler NBAE/Getty Images)

If you have been watching the Olympics you know that Carlos Boozer is essentially the 12th man on the Team USA roster. He gets 5-10 minutes a game. The last “warmup game” before the Olympics he didn’t even see the court.

According to public reports and questioning – Boozer is fine with his role. He is there to do whatever the coach asks and help win a gold medal. It’s a great answer, and he is probably 100% sincere. After all 12th man on a Gold Medal winning team of All-Stars isn’t that bad. Just ask Christian Laettner.

But I hope Booz is ticked off. I hope he is angry and bent. I hope Coach Krzyzewski sets him down and tells him his defense is so bad it forces him to play small ball. I hope Carmelo calls him a scrub and Kobe asks Boozer to carry his bag. I hope Texas A&M contacts his agent asking for the rights to turn the famous “12th Man” to the “Boozer.” When he gets back to camp I hope everyone asks him about his Olympic playing time.

Basically I hope there is a chip on his shoulder and everyone continues to feed it. We have all seen the focus D-Will has had after being snubbed or overlooked in the past few years. Here is to hoping it work for Boozer. Coupled with the Laker series – Boozer might just be a beast waiting to be unleashed.

5 Comments

Chris on August 19, 2008 said:

I hope he comes to play,or the Jazz will be in the same spot, next year.

J R Stewart on August 19, 2008 said:

I hope you’re right!

Jazzaholic

CC on August 19, 2008 said:

Not to look at the other side of the coin …but what if Carlos Boozer just doesn’t care if he plays more minutes on the Olympic court or the pre game practice in China. What if Carlos Boozer doesn’t care that the Utah Jazz fans are not seeing him put forth the effort as otherJazz team mates have in the past. I have to wonder what if…….what if he just isn’t wanting to be a Jazz player and wants to be somewhere else ???
Everyone is capable of saying one thing but deep inside wishing for something else, and as that wish becomes more intense it begins to show through our behavior and actions.
You have to wonder …what if !!!

Johnathan Kendrick on August 19, 2008 said:

Boozer does care - and there is no way he won’t give his all next year (especially if he wants out of Utah) - it’s a contract year.

brandon berrett on August 20, 2008 said:

why would he want out of utah? after all the trouble he went through to get here. Boozer is a compsed guy. Even when he shows in fire for the game, he is pretty mellow about it. I really doubt he wants to leave utah, he is playing with arguably the best point guard in the leage and an excellent supporting cast in the team he is on. This time now probably represents the best opportunity he will have to win a championship. if he does want to leave, then he must be a fool.