Boozer Creating Off-Season Drama in Utah
...with a little bit of Stockton and Malone vs. Stockton and Malone 2.0 thrown in...
about 1 year ago
moni
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Is he worth it?
Is Boozer worth all this “drama”? Man, the guy acts like he is the best power forward in the game. I love his offensive game but he seems about as honorable as a politician. He is chasing the almighty dollar and I am afraid that it is going to nip him in the butt.
His little comments about playing overseas or having to weigh his options come free agency time. Come on, you make more money then I will make in my lifetime and my kids lifetime as well. Freakin’ put on your jock strap and shut up. Just do what your paid to do and worry about gettin’ paid when it’s that time!
I wonder if D-Will is tired of sticking up for Boozer and playing his head games? I would be.
And...
Jazz fans always need a scapegoat, myself included. Collins has always been mine.
The more you try to erase me, the more that I appear.
Miami's salary cap
From what I’ve read, they can only offer him about $11M, and that’s with Marion leaving. Why would he leave if that’s the case?
by Basketball John on Sep 17, 2008 12:07 PM MDT reply actions
Because Florida doesn’t have a state income tax. Utah’s 6.98% income tax comes out to nearly $768,000/year on an $11 million salary. The Jazz would have to offer nearly $12 million/year just to get close to Miami’s seemingly lower offer.
Also, never discount the quality-of-life factor. Florida may be humid and hurricane prone, but even in it’s “cold” winter months the average temperature in Miami is still nearly 70º. Oh yeah, don’t forget about this (NSFW-ish), either.
I figured he'd want close to the max
What’s the max he could get from Miami assuming they were well under the cap? Isn’t it quite a bit more than $11M? I know he can get more from Utah. I was thinking it would be somewhere in the $15-16 a year neighborhood.
by Basketball John on Sep 17, 2008 1:11 PM MDT up reply actions
According to Larry Coon’s excellent Salary Cap FAQ the maximum salary that can be offered to a 7 year player will be $15,649,500 in summer of 2009. That number can fluctuate slightly based on the cap number that the league sets for the 2009-10 season, but it’s good as starting place.
The question becomes “Is Boozer a max-contract player?” In the past teams have handed out max (or near max) contracts to non-max players without batting an eye. (Hi, Rashard Lewis!) But I think we’ve seen a swing towards fiscal responsibility this off-season. So, the “Is Boozer a max-contract player?” question won’t be answered solely on Boozer’s production, but in part by who’s willing to offer him a max contract. Let’s look at the teams that will be far enough under the cap next summer to offer a max contract, as chronicled by Chad Ford over on ESPN:
The Oklahoma City Thunder will have $25-$30 million in cap space next summer. They’re in a similar situation the Jazz found themselves in during the summer of 2004 when they had enough space to give two players a near-max contract. So, they can offer Boozer a max contract (and given their thin front court, probably should offer him a max contract) and have enough space to offer another player something close to max. Boozer and McCants might make some sense. OKC will probably have to over-pay players to get them there, but they’ve got the space.
The Memphis Grizzlies will have between $18-$24 million in cap space. Again, that’s a team missing a good option at the four spot. (Sorry, Darko and Antoine!) They would also probably be interested in getting into the bidding for Carlos Boozer.
So, there’s definitely the market out there for Boozer to get a max contact. But we can offer Boozer a guaranteed six years, while OKC and Memphis can only offer a five-year contract. So, we have the advantage there. We also have the advantage of being a winning club, with a supportive fan base. Although, I think Boozer would be happy to toil on a losing team if it meant more money.
Now the question is “Do the Jazz see Boozer as a max contract player?” Last summer this was an unequivocal “yes!” But, now we’re looking at a reality where giving Booz a max contact means we’re carrying three max players (AK, Booz, Deron); going into the 2009-10 season almost $50 million of our cap space would be used by those three guys. Throw in an addition $10.2 million for our backup 3’s (Harpring and Miles) and we’re over the cap, and we haven’t even talked about Okur, Korver or an extension for Ronnie Price yet. Unless Larry H Miller approves a massive luxury tax payment, which seems unlikely, the answer “Do the Jazz See Boozer as a max contract player?” quickly becomes “No!”
Given Boozer’s past history I think he’ll bolt the Jazz for the team that can offer him the biggest contract. But, what if he has a change of heart, and decides to take less than fair-market value to be on a winning team? (Because, let’s face it, OKC and Memphis won’t be competing for the title anytime soon). That leaves him the choice between Utah, Portland, Indiana and Miami. We can effectively rule out Portland – their front court is stocked, and Booze wouldn’t really fit in with their youth movement. Indiana? Possibly, but I don’t see it. Why take less money to go to a dysfunctional franchise?
That leaves us with Miami. Seemingly their front court is also set with Beasley and Haslem. But, we know that Riley loooves to tinker with his roster, so I wouldn’t count on anyone but Wade being there next summer. I also don’t think Miami is going to compete for a playoff spot, let alone a conference title, anytime soon. But, hey, let’s assume Booz gives them a hometown discount. Would he turn down a contract starting at $11 million (which could balloon to as much as $15 million a year at the end of a five year contract)? I don’t think he would – especially when you factor in quality of life, greater endorsement potential, and well, this (NSFW-ish).
Personally, I think this time next year we’ll see Boozer posing for pictures in his new Memphis Grizzlies uniform.
by kris247 on Sep 19, 2008 2:14 PM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
Thanks!
I think I will now be fired from work for the “this” link on why Booz will bolt to Miami. Thanks for some informative research.
I guess the key is that Booz’s price tag is about as high as it is going to get right now. He will want to cash in on it and get paid. He will be looking for a long term deal but the bottom line is he wants to get paid! Like you (kris247) mention is, do the Jazz think he is max money? Right now I don’t think they do.
I think Booz is getting paid what his is worth right now. He’s not stayed healthy enough for a max contract. Of course in today’s NBA world that doesn’t mean much, just ask the Wizards and Gil Arenas about that.
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