Take it easy on Boozer

by sherbs on Dec 22, 2008 9:43 PM MST Comment 8 comments

So the last few days (weeks) have been filled with post after post about how Boozer has stuffed up, how he is only going. to screw the Jazz over and how they are much better off to resign Paul Millsap rather than Boozer. The media are all over it, Larry Miller has referred to his comments as 'stupid' and Boozer is being painted as an all around bad guy.

A few points to keep in mind:

Boozer said in the offseason that he was going to opt out, it's not as if this was a surprise....
opting out does not necessarily mean he wont play for the Jazz again.
yes he is injured again and is not playing, no he is not deliberately 'taking things easy'
Yes it has been revealed that Boozer asked for a trade when his son was sick, as he couldn't live with his family. When no trade came along, he still played his heart out for the Jazz last year, and was one of the main reasons they were so successful, despite the fact his family was living on the other side of the country.
He has stated that yes he wants to continue to play for the Jazz publicly.

Considering his comments were really just stating the obvious, I think things have gotten a little out of control. I also don't understand why Larry Miller has to make the comments that he does, it just adds to the list of reasons why players wouldn't want to play in Utah. He said a couple of years ago that Kirilenko was skating on thin ice, do these comments help the situation at all, or just help to further alienate players?

Now, onto the on court matters:

There are very few post players in the NBA that have the offensive skills that Boozer has, he is an all-star for a reason.
yes sometimes he 'coasts' on D, but he is a defensive rebounding machine. I haven't checked the figures, but in the games I have watched recently, the Jazz have given up more second chance points than they would with Boozer on board.
Williams is a great point guard, but Boozer will make him look better. The chemistry that they have built up over the past few seasons does not just magically appear.
Millsap has been a beast over the last 17 or so games that Booze has been out, but the Jazz are only 9-8 over those games. They have lost at home 4 times during that stretch. Millsap is a great player, he may even make the all star team one day, but he is not the player that Boozer is.

The main point, is that with Millsap on the team, the Jazz are a playoff team. With Boozer starting, they have a chance to be a championship team. They need to whatever they can to keep him in Utah

I honestly think that if Larry Miller was willing to bite the bullet and pay the luxury tax for a few years, so that we could keep the core of Williams, Boozer, Memo, AK, Millsap, CJ ,Brewer and Korver, the Jazz would have a great shot of being a championship team, rather than getting oh so close and just missing out yet again.

So I want to start the movement to keep both of them and lets try to get that championship for Jerry before he finally retires!

All comments are the opinion of the commenter and not necessarily that of SLC Dunk or SB Nation.

1 recs | Comment 8 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

i think most of the people that are upset with what boozer said aren’t upset about his decision to opt out—as you pointed out, everyone knew he was going to—but rather the timing (the jazz have been struggling and are in the middle of a road trip. the fact that they came up with a hard fought win and that it was dwill’s best game to date were completely lost due to boozer’s decision to open his mouth at that point in time. i won’t get into the “i’m going to get a raise regardless”/current economy thing as that’s been said enough by others.

larry was only responding honestly to what he thought about boozer’s comments, and i like his candor. his comments were picked up by the national media, but non-jazz fans don’t realize that he was responding to the timing of boozer’s comments, and maybe how he phrased it, rather than his decision to opt out. the fact of the matter is that the jazz ARE struggling, and there’s no way boozer’s comments aren’t a distraction that they don’t need. in regards to the luxury tax issue, it’s larry’s money and i don’t think any of us can tell him how to spend it or blame him if he doesn’t want to pay the luxury tax.

as for what kind of player boozer is, yes he is talented offensively, but let’s not forget how many points he gives up to the other team on the other end. also, i think boozer looks better in jerry’s system—which is built around a PF and PG—than he would in other systems. as for sap, let’s not forget that he’s only in his third year. boozer wasn’t as polished four years ago as he is now, and he likely would not be as good (offensively) as he is now if he had remained a backup all these years.

finally, i don’t really know or care under what circumstances he left cleveland, but he tried to lie his way out of this one by blaming the writer and claiming sheridan put words in his mouth, and that rubs me the wrong way.

by moni on Dec 23, 2008 6:21 AM MST reply actions 1 recs

Glaring factor

The other glaring factor that you forgot to mention is Boozer’s history of injury. If we were to put up mega-bucks to re-sign him (the only way we possibly could) and he sits out half the year each year like he has (including playoffs – yes, he did “play” in the playoffs but we all know he didn’t really play) then we get an awfully raw deal out of it now don’t we.

Fact is we would be best to find a less risky option.

by MelMan2002 on Dec 23, 2008 9:09 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

Subjective Comments

I agree with moni about it’s not the fact that Boozer is opting out, it’s the timing and the way he said it.

"…no he is not deliberately ‘taking things easy’ "
How do you know? He is getting his 3rd MRI. Only Boozer can say if he is ‘taking it easy’.

“…he still played his heart out for the Jazz last year”
Did he? The season before when the Jazz made the Western Conference Finals, I would agree with that statement but last year? I don’t know if I can agree with that opinion.

I hate to admit it and would hate to see it, but I think you are right in the fact that Larry will have to “buy a championship” and go over the luxury tax. But is keeping Boozer and Millsap going to get us a ring? It hasn’t the last 2 years. What if we can get a Camby or a 2 guard that can shoot lights out or play hard-nosed d and stop the other teams 2 guard from scoring 30+ a night?

Who’s to say that getting rid of Boozer can’t bring us a ’chip?

“…opting out does not necessarily mean he wont play for the Jazz again”
True, but it does mean he is looking for a 6-year contract. Do we want to be over the luxury tax for that many years and still not get a ring?

I like Boozer’s low-post game. I think it is one of the best in the game. But, when the guy is injury prone and playing 70% of the time is it worth the risk to sign him to a 6/7-yr deal? Can we really trust him to sign a Utah contract, or will he weasel his way out at the last minute when it seems like a done deal and now the Jazz have lost the other free agents because they invested so much time in getting Boozer to sign?

I like Boozer and wish he would stay, but when he makes the comments he made, especially in the situation he is in, he left himself wide open to become a target. And he doesn’t exactly have a clean track record with negotiating contracts.

I don’t know what the best solution is. I would suggest just keeping him on the team ‘til the offseason and let him opt out. Give that money to Millsap and pick up a defensive stopper. That’s my take, but I don’t know if it’s the “best” option.

by P_Dizzle on Dec 23, 2008 9:46 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

Loozer has to go.

He’s a snake. I’ve been saying this forever. He’s gotta go. Down with Loozer. Long live Paul Millsap!

by Buc Ute on Dec 23, 2008 11:58 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

There are very few post players in the NBA that have the offensive skills that Boozer has, he is an all-star for a reason.

I can name a couple who have multiple ALL-NBA Defense Awards. Hint, hint…think championships.

I’d much rather sign Millsap long-term than have a guy like Boozer who is going to be hurt half the time and won’t play defense. Look how well Phoenix has done with Amar’e Stoudamire.

Grammar is not a time of waste

by Patrick517 on Dec 23, 2008 12:12 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Proactive

P-Dizzle makes an excellent point regarding getting skunked out of other free agents by waiting on Boozer. I don’t know who will be out there, but I feel like they need to take control of the situation – deal him or sign him, don’t wait on him. I think the tendency of Jazz officials is to “wait and see.” At least that’s their answer for just about every personnel question asked by the media.

As for long-term deals, I don’t know. Harpring’s contract outlasted his legs. A long term deal to Millsap is probably good timing. But does Booze even have seven more years left as a dominant player, especially given the injuries?

I think we should trade AK, Booze, Sap, Korver, Collins, Sloan, and Bear for LeBron.

Buckle up!

by MTN on Dec 23, 2008 9:17 PM MST reply actions 0 recs