The Carlos Boozer Conundrum

Posted by Brian McCann on November 05, 2009

What to do with Carlos Boozer? That is a question that is no doubt on the mind of KOC and Greg Miller every second of their waking existence (and it probably haunts their dreams too). Everyone knows the awkward situation that is facing Jazz management right now, and I for one am not at all envious of it (although for a slice of their paychecks I would be happy to step in and make this tough decision).

The Jazz decided to match Portland’s offer and commit long-term to Paul “Man-sap” Millsap, a move that most of us can agree upon was the absolute right decision. Paul has the work ethic of a machine (almost Karl Malone-esque), and will consistently make himself better because of it, just as Malone did. He isn’t great yet, but he is really good, and he is still really young.

The problem is that out of necessity, the decision to match Portland’s offer and commit to Millsap long-term was decidedly pre-mature. The Jazz already have an all-star power forward in Carlos Boozer and Boozer is basically (all things considered) un-tradable at this point. For one, Carlos has never recovered from his injury from last season enough to justify that he will return to his all-star form. He missed enough of the season last year, that when he did return, his presence messed with the team’s chemistry more than he helped them to win ball games. Part of that probably had to do with the distraction his pending free-agency and overall commitment to the organization caused, and part of it had to do with the emergence of Paul Millsap as a reliable low-post presence.

We all know the story of what happened next: Boozer decided that “economically” his best move would be to stay put, the Jazz matched Portland and committed more money than most of us will ever see to their back-up PF, Boozer subsequently lobbied for a trade, KOC failed to make a deal because he didn’t want to trade him for “a can of tuna” (the right move in my mind), and, when training camp started, everyone of us felt like we had been through a summer-long episode of All my Children. So here we are; through all that drama we have essentially the same team on the floor. That can’t be all that bad, right? I mean this is the same team that many experts had picked to upset the Lakers last year and take the west. Weren’t injuries the biggest factor in their demise last year? The answer to that question is yes, but now, at this point in time, the dynamic has also significantly changed, and I don’t know if there is any going back.

The Jazz have put themselves in a state of limbo, for better or worse. Paul Millsap is the future, although he hasn’t yet proven that he can be a go-to option in the clutch. Carlos Boozer is the past, and that’s in large part because of his own actions. He was worshipped when he came to Utah, and praised for his desire to be here, but his comments and distant attitude have disenfranchised Utah’s fan base to the point where many are willing to take a step backward in the progression of this team just to have him gone. But regardless of how the fans feel, Carlos and Paul are still here, and because of it, neither one has shown so far that they can step forward this season, and establish their role on this team as a leader. To be fair, it is unfair to Paul and it is unfair to Carlos to keep both in the current situation.

Boozer doesn’t look like his old self, and it probably has something to do with all the pressure he is feeling. Granted he brought it upon himself, but it is still a huge problem for the team. His own teams’ fans boo him when he touches the ball in the post. He is ridiculed in the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News nearly every day. To put it frankly, he isn’t a popular guy in Utah. I for one don’t agree with all of the criticism Jazz fans and sports writers are laying on him, because I don’t think it is helping at all to solve the problem. For one, I think it is negatively effecting his game, and that does nothing but hurt the Jazz. How is he supposed to play well when his own fans boo him in his own arena? And if Carlos Boozer doesn’t play well, not only do the Jazz not win, but it also decreases the chances of him being traded this season. Why would the Jazz trade him for spare parts when they can just wait until next season to have his contract come off the books and control their own destiny? Making a garbage trade won’t do that. Carlos needs to play well for the franchise to progress one way or the other, but it seems some of us want him to fail so badly that it doesn’t even matter if it’s at the expense of the team.

I don’t know what Kevin and Greg are going to decide to do, but one thing is for sure, something needs to be done. If Millsap is your future then just like when Karl Malone was young, he needs to get his chance. The problem is the Adrian Dantley in this case (Boozer) isn’t tradable at this point, and as a fan base I think we need to be pulling for him to figure his game out soon so all of us can just move on.

12 Comments

Aaron Johnson on November 05, 2009 said:

We Need To get rid of him no mater what I am trying to give him a chance but for a player of his size to miss layup after layup it is depersing. Sloan it,s any better he thinks that leaving him in will work is crap ride the bench boozer I say. I was for boozer when we got him but know I am for milsap. Hope evrybody is with me on that.

GET RID OF LOOOOZER and Sloan. right a way.

Kory on November 05, 2009 said:

Brian, David Locke sheds some light and a different perspective on this subject. Check out http://www.kjzz.com/fansports/shows/39825767.html then click on locked on sports link, then go to Best of Locked on Sports Nov 4 podcast.

Brian McCann on November 05, 2009 said:

Thanks Kory!

Jenn Sokia on November 05, 2009 said:

Sorry but I will continue to boo Boozer. He deserves it. You don’t treat your fans and team like crap and expect people to get over it when there has been no apology or reason for us to get over it. He has played like crap and he opens his mouth and speaks crap..what do you expect? Sorry, he NEEDS to go! He put himself in this situation.

Trevor on November 05, 2009 said:

And then he puts up 27/14 with two blocks and steals while pairing up against one of the best forwards in the history of the game and people are cheering again. The weather must be fair today.

You know…I’ve asked for more money at my job before. My employees ask for more money almost daily….sometimes they talk about going to another company. I keep them around and they work hard every day. Sure the pay scale is slightly different (by 12.5 million/yr), but we also didn’t spend every day of our lives perfecting our craft. We also don’t spend 5 months of the year catching late night and early morning flights to show up just in time for practice and being away from our families. We also don’t put our personal lives out in the public so people can constantly judge and criticize our actions. Can you imagine having very personal details about your life broadcast on TV? You can tear this apart as much as you want to, but the fact of the matter is that he’s on the team and barring a trade, people are going to have to deal with it. I’m still cheering for you Booze….glad to see you back tonight!

justalars on November 06, 2009 said:

Why not boo Millsap when he’s been just as bad as Boozer this year. After the game against the Spurs it was reaffirmed to me just how much better this team is with Boozer playing on it. Greg Miller said if he keeps this good attitude up and plays well and the Jazz think he can help them in the future they will try to resign him this offseason.

Betty on November 06, 2009 said:

I agree Brian. I hate that fans are booing our own player. I’m not Boozer’s biggest fan but as long as he is wearing that Jazz uni, I’ll be cheering for him just like I cheer for DWill, Memo, and everyone else on the team. People need to get over what he said in the summer and cheer him on when he’s playing at home. What’s done is done. If we want him to play better for our team, we should start treating him like he’s part of the team.

canadajazz on November 06, 2009 said:

Of all the great things that came out the win over the Spurs, Carlos Boozer’s reemergence was the most important.
Great teams need a superstar, or even better, two superstars. Maybe we have them both again.

Jenn Sokia on November 06, 2009 said:

Wow. The man we pay so much money showed up ONE night so far. It will take a lot more than that. Trust me, I do want him to prove me wrong!

Brian McCann on November 06, 2009 said:

Keep booing Booz, and the Jazz will lose many more games this season. It just seems a bit counterintuitive to Boo him and help the Jazz to lose ball games. Don’t we want them to win? Its weird what people do when they let their emotions get the best of them.

Nancy Thompson Mahler on November 06, 2009 said:

All teams should be supported by their fans, if you’re really a Utah Jazz Basketball fan then cheer for the team. The more they hear from us, their fans the better they’ll do and the more success they will have. Oh, and the fans will have a good time.

Great post Brian.

Jenn Sokia on November 06, 2009 said:

I don’t actually boo him- I live in Colorado so don’t worry, he can’t hear me. And just because I feel differently, doesn’t make me less of a Jazz fan. Booze needs to earn my respect back! Jazz fans are loyal and they don’t like disloyal players and that is why they are booing him in the arena.

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