<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">By Marc Stein ESPN.com (Editor's note: ESPN.com senior NBA writer Marc Stein supplies each item for this around-the-league notebook edition of the Daily Dime.) Valentine's Day 2006 is forthcoming, but no one has to remind Carlos Boozer. Reason: Boozer knows better than anyone that he hasn't played in a game for the Utah Jazz since Valentine's Day 2005. The culprit, according to Boozer and Jerry Sloan (see Box 6), is not a mere hamstring strain. Player and coach told ESPN.com that hamstring tears are responsible for keeping the power forward shelved since training camp, after Boozer recovered from a foot injury that cost him the final 31 games of his debut season with the Jazz. Boozer, though, expects to return to practice any day now in hopes of finally getting back into the rotation this month. Amid ongoing rumblings that the Jazz will seek to move the 24-year-old as soon as he can reestablish some trade value, Boozer discussed his comeback in this One-on-One: Q: This is obviously not what you envisioned when you came to Utah. How are you dealing with it? A: It's been difficult, man. It's tough when you're a competitor and you can't do anything to help your team win. I'm just anxious to get out there and try to help. Hopefully everything will go good this time around. Things are getting better. I'm crossing my fingers that there are no more tweaks. Q: Do you think Jazz fans will welcome you back? A: I hope so. I think when I'm back out there doing my thing and putting up my numbers, that'll all take care of itself. The fans are just as anxious as I am to see me play. It's one of those situations where I've been hurt and it's been tough on everybody. It's been agonizing for everybody. Q: You've been waiting for almost a year to get back on the floor. How do you keep from ... A: Going crazy? Life is still a beautiful thing. I've got a great family behind me. They keep me sane. And for the most part, I see progress every day. I know I'll be back, it's just a matter of when. Q: Do you sense that there are people rooting against you or even enjoying what's happened to you because of the circumstances surrounding your departure from Cleveland? A: I'm not worried about that. Not at all. In Cleveland, they've got great fans there and they were great when I was there. Obviously they were upset when I left, but I tell people this all the time, "For every hundred people that like you, there's another hundred people who don't." That's just how our business is. Q: Karl Malone and John Stockton were famous in Utah for almost never missing games. Does that put pressure on you to try to play hurt? A: It comes with the territory. On one hand, no one should be compared to Hall of Famers, especially those two guys. But it comes with the territory. Like you said, they were almost never injured, or if they did miss games it was because of suspensions. So it's tough in that regard. But if people have never had a hamstring tear, it's one of those things that can pull or tear at any moment. Mine has been in the same spot and so it's like going over the same spot over and over. You've got to be careful with it. Q: We've heard your name in trade speculation since last season. But when you're around town, do you get the feeling that Jazz fans want you to stay? A: The people here have been great. Everybody just asks me when I'm coming back; everybody says they can't wait till I'm back out there. I think people understand that that's probably the reason why I've ended up tearing it four times -- because I was trying to come back too soon. You see your team [struggling] out there and you want to rush back to help them. That's human nature and I'm no exception to that. </div> Source
