Bye Bye Boozer?

[westkoast]

Jazz owner Larry Miller slammed Carlos Boozer in his weekly radio appearance on KFAN 1320, saying, "It's one of the top 10 stupidest things I've heard an NBA player do in 20 years." Miller said Boozer's timing [in announcing his plans to opt out after the season] detracted from the Jazz's victory over New Jersey and came not only as he has missed 15 games with a strained left quadriceps tendon but after he missed 80 games early on after coming to the Jazz. Those memories are hard to shake, with Miller saying, "a lot of people are still suspicious about that, a lot of fans and stuff, and we've covered for him and protected him, justifiably." Miller made his comments from the hospital after a week in which he missed two Jazz games with continued health problems. He also said the Jazz a couple of years ago agreed to trade Boozer to find a team in a city with a better medical fit for his oldest son, Carmani. At the time, Carmani was battling sickle cell disease, which was made more difficult by Salt Lake City's altitude. Boozer asked to be traded to four teams (presumably at sea level) and Miller said he agreed before Carmani underwent a bone marrow transplant that cured him of the disease.

[jemagee]

You know - stuff like this just shouldn't be made public - be it player or owner - i never think either side looks good - and honestly i think it might decrease his trade value a bit as now you've got a grumpy player and now it's known that you're possibly a 'motivated' seller.

I didn't like it when the sixers owner went on ESPN and said that ALlen Iverson would never play another game as a sixer either...it's just stuff that shouldn't come out.

[jn]

One is curious as to how Cavs fans will react to this.  Probably cursing Boozer with no pity for Miller.

[Ted]

Boozer has "clarified" his original remarks to an ESPN reporter. He is, of course, going to wait till the end of season to decide that.

[jemagee]

I know Jazz fans are real excited to have Milsap (Millsap?) replace boozer, but if he's that darn good, isn't he going to be rather demanding of a large contract?

[westkoast]

Boozer has "clarified" his original remarks to an ESPN reporter. He is, of course, going to wait till the end of season to decide that.

Which I expected but is some of the damage already done because of Miller really going in more than he probably should have?

I believe Millsap is still on his rookie contract until next season but I could be mistaken.  The Jazz drafted him like 2 or so years ago if I remember correctly.

[jemagee]

According to stroytellers...he expires this year...

[Skandery]

Am I a prophet or what?


Anyway, Boozer was a 2nd round draft pick, so I believe this year (his third) was the qualifier.  Which would mean he's due for a humongous paycheck this summer IF teams want to get in a bidding war.  Not sure though. 

Millsap has now had 14 straight double-doubles and last night went for 24 and 13 in 51 minutes in a 2OT victory against the Nets.  That is why Miller had to comment about the timing of Boozer's comments.  You've got this really talented, hungry, younger guy going out there to prove himself and making you look expendable with each passing day so what do you do --- come out and piss in the Jazz' cheerios.  I mean Boozer is just plain unintelligent--he plays that way and he lives that way.   

[Ted]

You've got this really talented, hungry, younger guy going out there to prove himself and making you look expendable with each passing day so what do you do --- come out and piss in the Jazz' cheerios.  I mean Boozer is just plain unintelligent--he plays that way and he lives that way.   

It's not just that . . . he pissed in everyone's Cheerios. You've got thousands of people losing their jobs, taking pay cuts, going through financial disaster, and Boozer's "gonna get a raise no matter what." From $12.8 million to $15 million or something.

Then you've got Millsap, the lowest paid player on the team, working his ass off making you look expendable, and then you say that . . . now he's making you look expendable, AND greedy, AND stupid.

I think Miami is definitely a threat now. Personally, I hope the Jazz trade Boozer to some God-forsaken basketball hole like Minny (sorry JN) or Charlotte . . . maybe then we can see if winning ever did matter to Boozer.

[jemagee]

Ought to be interesting if they do trade boozer when Millsap asks for 12-15 million per year to stay in Utah (and gets it) will he be pissing in everyones cheerios.

Millsap is working his ass off so that he'll get a nice fat free agent contract this off season...he's playing for his job...I don't see it as anything else than that - he has more to prove

[westkoast]

Ought to be interesting if they do trade boozer when Millsap asks for 12-15 million per year to stay in Utah (and gets it) will he be pissing in everyones cheerios.

Millsap is working his ass off so that he'll get a nice fat free agent contract this off season...he's playing for his job...I don't see it as anything else than that - he has more to prove

He's been playing the same way since they drafted him.  It's just that he has been able to earn more and more playing time.  Normally I would agree, a guy is hustling hard in a contract year, but this guy just hustles no matter what.

[jemagee]

He's been playing the same way since they drafted him.  It's just that he has been able to earn more and more playing time.  Normally I would agree, a guy is hustling hard in a contract year, but this guy just hustles no matter what.

But I gotta think the motivation is still the same - to get the big pay day - prove you belong in the league and get a big contract from someone - a good example is louis williams in philadelphia who spent his first year getting almost no minutes - exploded last year and now seems to have taken a step back (who knows why) that he secured his long term deal.

I'm not saying Millsap won't keep it up when he gets his big contract this off season (if he earns one) but I gotta say I'm skeptical until I see it when his 700K per year becomes 7MM per year (or more) - course that's just one cynics opinion

[Ted]

I pretty much agree with Jemagee's assessment, and I don't have a problem with it. Millsapp should get paid. He's got a history of playing hard on both ends of the court. He busts his balls every game, and if there's anyone in this league who deserves more money than he's being paid, it's him.

Boozer is a different kind of player. He plays pretty hard on one side of the ball (when he doesn't settle for jumpers like last year's playoffs), and he's a good rebounder; but rebounding is about his only strength when it comes to defense.

Millsap plays very good D, he rebounds, blocks shots, and is developing a very nice offensive game. And he says stuff like "it's nice to be needed by your team" and "I'm just trying to help the team" instead of "I'm getting a raise no matter what" and sitting out for MORE THAN A MONTH with a pulled quadriceps. Boozer was knocked out of 31 games with a fricking pulled hamstring. Sure, you have to give him the benefit of the doubt, but all of these extended absences from somewhat minor injuries eventually starts to stink.

Still, with all of my objections and concerns, we are better with Boozer than without him. If we can get an All-Star quality player for him, then I'd say we have to consider it. But Boozer is still the better PF. One of Utah's real problems is that we're paying a role player (AK47) max money. AK brings a nice dynamic to the Jazz, but he's not worth the max; and he (not Boozer) is the one who may cost us Paul Millsap.

I hope that doesn't happen. Millsap is the kind of person/player that Jazz management and Jazz fans love to love. I can cheer for this guy. Boozer has been a fan favorite for a while, but this will cost him. Question is whether he cares . . .

[Ted]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3777170

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It is time to stop guessing whether Carlos Boozer will opt out of the final season of his contract with the Utah Jazz.

 
Boozer
 
Millsap
For the first time, Boozer said unequivocally Wednesday night that he will indeed opt out of his contract at the end of the season, forgoing a guaranteed $12.66 million to become an unrestricted free agent.

"I'm opting out. No matter what, I'm going to get a raise regardless," Boozer told ESPN.com. "I am going to opt out, I don't see why I wouldn't, I think it's a very good business decision for me and my family, but I'd also like to see what happens with the Jazz and stay here."

Boozer's statement can only come as welcome news to teammate Paul Millsap, who posted his 13th consecutive double-double in place of Boozer on Wednesday night as Utah came back from an early 22-point deficit to defeat the New Jersey Nets 103-92.

Millsap was the catalyst in a huge fourth-quarter surge for the Jazz as they outscored the Nets 40-23 in the period, with Millsap contributing half of his 18 points and half of his 12 rebounds over the final 12 minutes.

With Boozer sidelined the past 15 games by a knee injury (he sounded as though he had a setback Wednesday, experiencing pain after a workout, and planned to have an MRI Thursday) Millsap has unquestionably established himself as the NBA player providing the most bang for the buck.

In a locker room where Andrei Kirilenko is making $15.1 million, Boozer $11.6, Mehmet Okur $8.5 million and Deron Williams $5.07 million -- with a max extension kicking in next season -- Millsap is the lowest-paid player on the team with a salary of $797,581, a result of his signing a three-year deal when he was a rookie, with the third year at the team's option.

Millsap will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, with Utah holding the rights to match any offer. But a big question mark is whether there will be any money to pay Millsap and still keep the Jazz beneath the luxury-tax threshold, which owner Larry Miller has vowed publicly he will never exceed.

Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor told ESPN.com that Miller hasn't been quite so absolute regarding the luxury tax in internal conversations, but the issue could become moot if the Jazz allow Boozer to leave as a free agent, which would allow them to pay Millsap something resembling his fair market value.

Possibly complicating matters to a certain degree is the fact that Millsap reiterated his commitment to being represented by his uncle, Brendrick Simmons, who received a briefing from players' union officials Wednesday on the different scenarios Millsap may face this summer.

Paramount among the concerns of Millsap's camp is whether any team with significant cap space will be willing to tender an offer sheet to Millsap, with the expectation around the league being that Utah will match anything that is not egregiously unreasonable -- especially if the Jazz are far enough under the tax threshold to pay Millsap his fair market value.

Some would argue that Millsap is a $5-6 million player, while others would argue that any player brawnish and brutish enough to accumulate such an impressive streak of double-figure statistical totals is probably worth closer to $10 million annually than $5 million.

Utah will have even more flexibility with Millsap and others if Okur exercises an early termination contract and walks away from the final season of his contract, forsaking $9 million, although Okur and his agent both told ESPN.com that they will wait until the end of the season to assess the NBA landscape and see how many teams have significant cap space to make a play for a player of Okur's caliber. Currently, Atlanta, Memphis, Portland, Miami, Detroit and Oklahoma City are among the teams positioned to have the most cap flexibility.

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan has been uncharacteristically effusive in his praise for Millsap during Boozer's absence, and O'Connor told ESPN.com on Wednesday: "We intend to keep Paul Millsap. I don't know how much more succinct I can be."

Upon hearing that remark, Millsap replied: "Bit of a relief, knowing your team wants you. I would love to be here, great system, playing with one of the best point guards in the league, it can't get no better."

When he hears of Boozer's plans to opt out, it may get even better. That'll mean the money will be there to pay Millsap and keep Miller under the luxury tax, although it would come at the cost of letting Boozer -- their leading scorer and rebounder -- walk away with Utah getting nothing in return.

Nothing, that is, except for the chance to have the financial flexibility to lock up a rebounding machine who has shown over the past 13 games -- especially in Boston on Monday night when Millsap scored 32 points as Kevin Garnett, according to one Jazz player, kept calling over to teammate Kendrick Perkins: "You take him, Perk."

But if what Boozer was saying Wednesday night comes to fruition, or if the Jazz can find a taker for Kirilenko in a trade -- there's going to be nobody taking Millsap. The Jazz will keep him.

ESPN.com NBA Insider Chris Sheridan has been covering the NBA for 10 years.

In case anyone hadn't read this.

I bolded a few of my favorite quotes.

Paul Millsap isn't going anywhere. And really I don't have a problem with Boozer opting out. It is a wise business decision. The timing and delivery of his announcement are just plain stupid.

[westkoast]

He's been playing the same way since they drafted him.  It's just that he has been able to earn more and more playing time.  Normally I would agree, a guy is hustling hard in a contract year, but this guy just hustles no matter what.

But I gotta think the motivation is still the same - to get the big pay day - prove you belong in the league and get a big contract from someone - a good example is louis williams in philadelphia who spent his first year getting almost no minutes - exploded last year and now seems to have taken a step back (who knows why) that he secured his long term deal.

I'm not saying Millsap won't keep it up when he gets his big contract this off season (if he earns one) but I gotta say I'm skeptical until I see it when his 700K per year becomes 7MM per year (or more) - course that's just one cynics opinion

I would agree if he didn't hustle the previous years.  Ditto for a Ronnie Turiaf type guy who gets a big contract then starts to coast.  Millsap does not strike me as a guy who plays hard 2-3 years in advance just to just get a big pay check.  Obviously he is not going to say 'nah dont pay me 7 million cuz I just play for fun' but I don't think it's fair to toss him into 'only playing real hard cuz it's a contract year'  like most players do.