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Why Boozer just might stay
Posted by: Adam Mason on July 1st, 2010
The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of the Utah Jazz.As our man Danny Hansen has pointed out free agency has begun. Enjoy this offseason while you can because it will probably be a long time before the NBA has a free agent class like this. That, however, is not what this blog is about…it is about why Boozer might stay.
What might cause Boozer to leave via Free Agency:
- The Jazz aren’t willing to offer as much money as he would like.
- Miami is where his heart is and would love to live there permanently.
- Playing with someone like D-Wade would be awesome and adding another fine piece to the puzzle would be enticing.
- He might be able to market himself better in other cities, or obviously in bigger markets, such as New York and New Jersey.
Having said all this though, my personal belief is he will end up in Miami or back in the good ole town of SLC. He will play for a little less money in Miami because he loves it there and also there’s no state income tax, so in another wards he’ll get to keep a million or two. The reason I believe that he might stay in Utah is because of that little addage in the current Collective Bargaining agreement called “Larry Bird Exception”. It was created because of Boston who was the first team allowed to exceed the salary cap to sign a free agent, Larry Bird. This exception means that a team can exceed the salary cap and even head into the luxury tax threshold to re-sign their own free agent and can offer up to a max deal. This also means that Boozer would be very open to a sign and trade to get as much money as he can, therefore we would most likely get something out of him. This is because Larry Bird rights in contracts that are traded would travel with the player, so Booze’s contract from us would give him that option. This is also why we are hearing so many sign and trade possibilites for Chris Bosh because he wants as much money as possible.
If the statements are all true that Bosh and Stoudemire are more coveted free agent “big men” then this helps the Jazz’s chance to retain Boozer. KOC has said that re-signing Boozer is the team’s “top offseason priority.” The Jazz are more than willing to pay the luxury tax for another season in waiting for AK’s contract to be done and sign him to a smaller one or even trading AK’s contract since it will be an expiring one (which would be tougher than some might think). The only thing the Jazz would have to decide is whether or not they think Boozer is worth the max deal. Boozer is 28 and will turn 29 in November. Therefore being close to that 30 age, to convince him to stay, he might want a longer contract in order to get that guaranteed money. The Larry Bird exception allows you to offer up to six years in a max deal.
We all have heard how much Deron wants him back and who can blame him? We Jazz fans know how hard it is to lure in the best free agents. We’re not getting Wade, Lebron, Bosh, or even Stoudemire. Boozer is no doubt the team’s best option to resign to stay competitive, unless a sign and trade option brings us something decent in return. However, this is just my opinion. What do you think?
Replies: 61
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61 Responses
I see your point I just dont see it happening. The main reason being is that he has so many other options.I agree with you that he is the Jazz’s best option But put your self in his shoes. He lives in Miami, He spends every moment he can there, and unfortunatly, very few Jazz fans have shared the view you have on him being the Jazz’s best option and Boozer is well aware of this. If I were him, I would Probably be thinking about all the times that Jazz fans turned against him. You add all this up and I dont know How he doesn’t go home to Miami if they want him. Miami, however might sign Bosh therefor making it unlikely that they would want Boozer but then there is a report today that Orlando, which is also very close to were he lives, has interest in a sign and trade. I still think this is the best scenario for the Jazz. This is how they would get someone back like Marcin Gortat. If that doesn’t work for him then he has like 5 other options. I hope you are right because I want him back, I just dont know.
Money shouldn’t be difficult. Yes, you’re right the Jazz can pay Boozer the money because of that rule, but if he wants to go to Miami, the Heat can afford to pay him big money and so do all the other teams. Here’s Boozer’s options of places he could go. Miami, New York, Chicago, New Jersey, Orlando. The keys to the Boozer puzzle is what Bosh and Stoudemire will do. I believe that Bosh and Stoudemire will want to follow D-Wade and LeBron. I think it is obvious that D-Wade stays in Miami. I think Lebron will change teams and take another star with him. Personally, I believe Bosh will follow LeBron and it will probably be to Chicago. That would be the perfect fit. I don’t think the Nets or Knicks will be able to drag him away from Cleveland. With that done, Stoudemire lands in Miami with Wade. That leaves Boozer with the Nets, Knicks, or Magic. I don’t think Boozer will jump to a poor Nets or Knicks team. This leaves him with a decision to go to Orlando or back to Utah. Now if a situation occurs where lets say Bosh goes to Houston, which is possible (Yao Ming sent a note to him on twitter inviting him to play in Houston which he would fit in perfectly) or Stoudemire re-signs or runs up to New York, suddenly Boozer becomes much more desirable and could easily end up in Miami with Wade or Chicago with James. Now let’s say James re-signs. Boozer could still want to go up to the Bulls because they are a playoff team and would fit well. It could be a possibility that Miami strikes out with everyone and Wade decides against returning and runs up to Chicago that would be very enticing for Boozer. There are a lot of variables but when it comes down to it, I think Boozer will be faced with a choice between us and Orlando. Orlando may be looking for a power forward, being that they are looking to move Rashard Lewis back to shooting forward and words out that they may want Boozer, which would make a terrifyingly good fit. To do that would require a sign and trade in which Orlando could send Gortat, Bass, Carter, or Reddick or a combination of that which could end up helping the Jazz, but in the end the Magic may pass, deciding to fill other holes instead. so, that is a big huge confusing mess and I was very random and sparatic in all that, but to sum things up, yes, Boozer has a great chance of coming back to Utah. I think its a lot higher percentage than some believe.
To Keep Deron Happy, we must resign Boozer. He’s a Beast. I don’t want to Lose Deron in 3 years just because we didn’t offer boozer enough money. Boozer is worth a Max contract in Deron’s eyes, so give him the money and we keep our team intact. Then look for possible AK trade or just sign a FA Big Center.. Like gortat.
NO WAY…. i don’t want to give 15 millions to a 33 or 34 years old booz, he missed 140 games the last 6 years, how many games do you think he will miss the next 6 years ????
Id give boozer a 5 yr 60M or 6 yr 72M or we could just sign and trade him. Also we should deal AK for a big CENTER.
The possibility of a sign-and-trade deal with the Orlando Magic, meanwhile, remains very much alive — contrary to a report out of Orlando suggesting otherwise.
The Orlando Sentinel reported Thursday that prominent NBA agent Tony Dutt, who represents the Magic’s Rashard Lewis and Brandon Bass, “said a rumored sign-and-trade deal between the Magic and the Utah Jazz ‘has no legs.’ ”
The Jazz, however, are known to have interest in several players on the Magic roster, one that includes Bass, big man Marcin Gortat, swingman Mickael Pietrus and restricted free agent shooting guard J.J. Redick.
Boozer is a good friend of Magic star Dwight Howard, and if the Magic were to be interested in acquiring the Jazz star, it’s quite likely Utah would be willing to entertain sign-and-trade talk.
Bass is too short, reddick is too school player, gortat never played more than 13 min by games, only MP2 can interest me, 3pt and good D….
Now what’s all this talk about Williams saying he wants Boozer back??? All the Boozer haters out there would have me believe its obvious Deron doesn’t want him!
I don’t know why any point guard, in their right mind, wouldn’t want a guy like Boozer. He’s perfect for the pick and roll, can run it from either side of the floor, and finishes just as strong with his left hand as his right. He’s also fairly consistent with his jump shot from 20ft. and in and dominates the boards like nobody’s business. His defense continues to be a weakness, but he showed some improvement last season. Besides, it’s a little childish for people to blame one guy for all of the team’s defensive lapses. One guy isn’t going to make the Jazz a dominant defensive team; it’s going to take a total commitment to defense from every player on the team. Pretending Boozer is Utah’s only defensive weakness is asinine. If the Jazz aren’t able to get Boozer back, and can’t find any solid piece to replace him through free agency, they will struggle to make the playoffs. Millsap is a stud but with his size I have serious doubts he can maintain a consistent level of play for 82+ games.
Bass is another Millsap just not as good. Redick would easily replace Korver and Gortat is a solid big man who will give you rebounds and D plus he can score a little. He has lots of potential.
Bass, Gortat, and Pietrus is what i would want for Boozer as you would have a solid back-up at PF and C and get a great wing player. Gortat has the potential to develop into and above average center. It really does not look as if Boozer will come back and this is a likely deal that could happen. Just be patient though.
And i totally agree with AG about millsap. The reason why millsap was so good was because of boozer. He will NOT last 82 plus games.
French Dude- Height does matter but when you still get a hard worker who can be affective idc. That is what Bass and Millsap are and those 2 would be your new combo at PF if you did that Boozer deal.
I really hope Utah plays this smart and keeps him or gets something in return. I like Boozer, some people hate him until he goes out and has a great game. But for some reason, I’ve always stood behind him and would love to see him on our roster again next season. Millsap’s good, but he’s not Carlos Boozer… we’ll see!
Millsap have a lot more talent than Bass, you can’t compare the two…
I agree with Landon. I love boozer, he’s freaking awesome. He sparks the team when it’s needed with the plays he makes or the staredowns after a monster dunk or even a good old howl. I’ve always stood behind boozer. You can’t put Boozer’s amazingly great season entirely on because this was his contract year. That’s what boozer does. Pretty much a solid 20-10 guy. Where else are you going to find that?
Millsap’s great but he needs boozer. They are a great PF combo. I think if anyone needs to be traded, it’s AK. He’s set to make $17 mill next season. Trade him for Gortat and Cash. Hayward is his replacement. C.J. will play while Hayward is developing.
Korver is a Tossup. We don’t really need him now that we just Signed both Hayward and Evans. Both decent 3pt shooters. C.J. is also decent 3pt shooter, plus his Defense is pretty good. Korver’s defense is horrendous.
Boozer Needs to stay.
According to reports, Amare Stadomire has agreed to sign with the Knicks. In my opinion this put’s Boozer in chicago or Miami, where ever Bosh doesn’t go.I still think Lebron will go back to Cleveland. Joe Johnson is going back to the Hawks and Rudy Gay has already agreed to go back to Memphis. There is a report today that Kevin Oconner talked to David Lee’s agent and told him that the Jazz are interested. That is the first time I have heard the Jazz’s name mentioned in all this hoopla so it is worth noting.
To add to that, If the Knicks cant get any one else other then Amare, I think maybe they would be interested in AK. When Mike Dantoni coached the suns, they tryed to get AK. He is a guy who would fit in Dantoni’s system and if the Knicks cant get anyone else which I think is a very goos possiblity, Their fans will demand something and they might get desparate.This would allow a sign and trade for Lee that would allow the Jazz to still have plenty of money for Mathews and another free agent.
All i said was he is a hard worker like Millsap and that he and Millsap would be your PF duo. And dont tell me i cant compare millsap and Bass, your trying to compare some french player on the jazz summer roster with Matthews. You cant compare the 2…
The jazz have no money for lee.
They do if they dont sign Boozer. If they say they want to sign Boozer then why wouldnt they have enough to sign Lee?
They can only re-sign boozer while going over the cap because he was on there team last year. If we dont re-sign boozer we only have like 6.5 million to spend.
Yes but New York has to renounce Lee’s rights when they sign Amare and I think that makes it to were the Jazz can sign him, it is complicated but David Aldrige was explaining it last night. If not then My AK idea works.
I would just give AK away for a pick because it would gives us enough for a max player and some.
Dont get your hopes up for Lee.
Ya I know it is just an idea, but you never know.
anthony, there is no french player in the roster of the summer league team, the thing i said about rod benson, american guy, is maybe he can win his place in the team like wes last year, it’s not a comparison between benson and wes…. but why not, bass back up, for 15 min, but no more, and he really need a shoot
Oh ok. My bad, must of mis-read that. I just hope the jazz do something smart. Otis Smith, the GM of the Magic, does things when you really dont expect it. That reminds me of right now when i hear things about boozer not going to orlando. Otis and Stan Van Gundy told Rashard Lewis to work on a position change back to the SF spot. I really have a feeling they wanted him to do that so they could get a PF and Boozer would fill a need. If we cannot resign booz then Gortat,Bass, and Pietrus would work for both teams. Millsap would start, Bass would be the new Millsap, Gortat would give them interior size we are lacking (and would be particularly effective in pick and roll with D.Will), and Pietrus would give them someone to use against Kobe when their inevitable postseason loss to the Lakers rolls around. Also Gortat is a really underrated player. He is just under 7 FT and he really can play. He was amazing with Poland. He really just needs to develop that 15 FT which is still not bad where it is at right now.
So i would have to say getting Gortat, Bass, and Pietrus for Boozer would make us better but thats just my opinion.
It really would work if Orlando wants to do it. I hear the jazz like these guys.
gortat bass and pietrus it’s 16,6 millions, i’m not sure we can do that with our cap space…
We would just need to throw in Fesenko.
Ya anyone who says Gortat is not good are just causual fans who only look at stats. He is not only tall but big and he can move. A I have said on the chat thread, I am very much for this move.
Also, that would work because we still have 6.5 mill to deal
I’d be fine with sending fes. Gortat is much more polished.
Yea. I see Gortat as a potential 15 and 10 guys with a couple of blocks a game. That is the ceiling i got on him. Defiantly an above average-top 8 center. Idk why but im just very high on him.
I actually think Gortat can lead the league in rebounding if given 35 minutes a game. He averaged just under 5 in 13 minutes last year so that would transulate into like 14 a game or something if he played 35 minutes. You really have to watch this guy to see how good he can be.
Valid point but if he focuses more on scoring and blocks then i see a drop in rebounding. I just brought up 15 and 10 with a couple of blocks but i could see more then 10 rpg. I could see 12.
What is funny is now i am seeing more steam to this trade and im hearing more about it. GOOD NEWS!
Brandon Bass is as Tall as boozer so he is not that short plus he was a beast for Dallas before he went to Orlando. Gortat is a good player also He is just stuck behind howard who gets 40 to 45 mins a game not his fault he is stuck behind an all star
Bass is better than what you guys give him credit for. He had a nice 16 foot jumpshot, with a big muscular body to fight down low.. He really was a beast on Dallas…
A little off topic…but how the heck do you get your avatar to change? I’ve tried 10 times, get my photo uploaded and cropped and it does nothing, just stay the default Jazz logo. I even tried getting a Gravatar account, but that hasn’t worked either. Any help would be awesome.
Bass is taller then Millsap and just a little shorter then Boozer. Trust me, Millsap is not 6 ft 8.
Do you hit Upload? lol.
Keeping Boozer in Utah is NOT the key to keep Williams happy. The Jazz need to get bigger and lengthy, that is what is going to make Williams happy. Boozer is a good rebounder, but not that great of a defender. Utah can technically offer Boozer what he is seeking which is close to a 6 yr deal, I see Utah giving him that and then do a sign and trade. The Jazz management has no choice but to get what Williams said the team needs, otherwise he will be walking when his contracts expired and we will be back where we were before they drafted Williams, bottom of the pool, lottery bound. He has made it clear he wants to win, and the Jazz dont have what they need to get past the Lakers. With this roster, only way the Jazz would get past the Lakers if both Gasol and Bynum get injured and can’t play.
AK is our defense why would the jazz trade him
Yeah, I hit upload image and it tells me to crop it so I do. Then it just sends me back to the page where I browse for the image and doesn’t change my avatar. Stupid thing…
Because AK will be 30 in February and is set to make 17 million next year. He can’t stay healthy he only played in 58 games last season. He is the 6th highest paid player in the entire NBA and last season averaged 12 points per game and 4.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals. Those are not numbers for the sixth highest paid player in the league. That is why we trade him so we can get better players to move towards one day possibly winning a championship which is what every Jazz fan wants.
Darren is right….AK no way in hell is worth the money he is making. The 6th highest paid should be able to lead you to a NBA Championship, AK cant even stay healthy. Trade him, dump the salary and bring in the championship. Its going to be funny to see how AK reacts when reality sets in and realizes teams are not going to be as dumb as Utah was and match or give him a better contract. He should consider himself lucky for Utah’s stupidity at the time cause thats probably the last big contract he is going to see.
I used to be high on AK but frankly, I’m sick of the guy. He can play a little defense but he’s too fragile (mentally and physically) to be a real impact player on both ends of the floor. He gets knocked around too easily to ever really be a prolific scorer. Plus, most of his defensive stats come from weak side help. He had one year that made the Jazz think he was worth the money but has never lived up to it since. Trade the guy and clear up a large chunk of cash that can be used for a better single player or a couple solid guys. He is expendable if you ask me.
NO way in hell AK is our D
I hope we can keep Boozer. Okur is hurt so Paul and Boozer could play center and PF. we need to keep Kyle too don’t we? i mean he can shoot like no one else when he’s on.
Kyle is not the only shooter out there that is good.plus he could possibly be too pricey. I just hope the jazz are smart and do what’s best for the team.
Jerry came out today and says he wants the Jazz to sign Boozer. If Booze is signed to a long term contract he will be on the injured reserve list faster than you can say hang nail. AK’s contract is pretty much dead in the water unless someone wants to trade for cap space and next years free agents really are not that great. Look what is happening to this years free agency market. 100 million for Amare Stoudemire / are you kidding me. Is Isiah back at the helm. We need toughness. The Jazz need an inforcer like Matt Harpering, not CJ show me the Bar Miles. I don’t know what Kevin O’Conners 2 year plan is but it had better be better than his past 7 years of planning.
Boozer is still a beast. I still say the Jazz would need to sign a guy like Jermain O’Neal or trade for a Gortat. We are still going to need 1 more big if we bring Boozer back but i also have been hearing that Miami has been talking with the Jazz about a sign and trade where the Jazz would deal boozer and possibly Korver for Beasley and O’Neal. If we could max out on Beasley’s potential then it would be worth it. O’Neal can still give us solid starting minutes if we needed. He plays D and grabs the boards. The offense would even improve here with D-will. Then you could start Millsap or Beasley and you would have your center until okur comes back. Still add size in this trade. Ill post more when i find out more.
If we make that Miami trade and get O’Neal then he needs to be our starter ebven when Okur gets back. Everyone needs to get off the Okur train cause it came to a halt a long time ago. He is done PERIOD.
Jazz are not going to make any sign-and-trade deals with Orlando so quit wasting your time assuming we might get all of those players. Jazz need to try to re-sign Boozer, let pigeon-toe Korver walk away, and work hard with Hayward to get him some minutes to take over Korver’s spot.
im not sure why people think d will wont leave if the jazz make a few more poor decisions on trading and signing after his contract is up.. he will, he has basically stated that.
i agree with anthony completely though, boozer is a beast, and i think he has very healthy and great years ahead of him. he puts up stats comparable to amare (who just got signed for 100 mil). honestly even getting david lee for him wouldn’t be as good as just keeping boozer. however the miami deal for o’neal and possibly beasley would be the best option for the jazz. maybe im just biased because boozer is my favorite player but i think he is still underrated in comparison to what many jazz fans think of him.
Boozer is a beast and the Jazz will get worse if they don’t sign him. I don’t understand why everyone is so high on Jermaine O’neal either. He has been just as injured as anyone the last few years and it’s pretty apparent his best years are behind him. The same could probably be said about Okur too, especially with the injury he’s dealing with now. Unless the Jazz find some diamond in the rough again, or if they get O’neal and he proves me wrong, then the center position is going to be an even bigger weakness this coming season than it has in the past; even with Okur.
Im not high on Jermaine O’Neal but if he stays healthy he could be a solid defensive player who could rebound to. He would be nice to have against LA (if he stays healthy)because of his size and with D-will passing to him off the pick and roll he could score some points too. Also i am now hearing it would just be a S&T with Korver for O’Neal. Ill take that. If we could keep Booz, do that trade or something similar for a big, and Koufos plays well then i like what we have going. We would have the size and talent to play with anyone in my opinion. I love Booz even though he sucks on D. He does get some nice steals though. Having a solid PF is needed to win and he is one.
Picture this
PG- D-Will/ Price/ Gaines
SG- Matthews/ Hayward
SF- CJ/ AK
PF- Boozer/ Millsap
C- O’Neal/ Koufos/ Okur
I like it. I really dont care about the line-up, i just want Boozer back plus a trade for a defensive Big.
But say we dont resign booz, then we could sign a PF/C with our MLE as our back-up plan. O’Neal i like if he could stay healthy but there are others out there. We would then be taking a gamble on w8ting a year to be big players next year in FA.
David Lee is being sought after by the Suns, Nets, T-Wolves, and Bulls. HAHAHAHA. Is this a joke? The guy puts up stats for the Knicks because he is basically their only good player and now everyone wants him? The team that gets him will be dissapointed! I bet Lee goes to the Bulls and Boozer goes to the Nets or Jazz. Idk why Booz would want to go to the Nets though. They already said they will not over-pay for a player of his caliber so i bet if the Jazz and Nets offered the same money, the jazz would offer the 6th year and sign boozer. I hope we get boozer back. I would love to have a core of Boozer, D-will, CJ, Wesley, Hayward going into FA next year. We would have the money to sign a Marc Gasol and/or Al Horford plus 1 or 2 others.
Also, i bet Al Jefferson is traded to the Suns or possibly the Bulls. But he is nothing special either. Boozer is the next best player by far in the FA once LeBron goes back to Cleveland.
i don’t enough about this stuff,trades signs capt larry bird deal, but i know i like boozer and i’d like to see him stay, but i’ll be a jazz fan no matter what.