He was the Bulls’ big free agent addition this past offseason and the long-sought-after low-post scoring threat that the Bulls have needed for years. However, fans and media have become increasingly critical of his play. With the playoffs upon us, Boozer has an opportunity to change his detractors’ minds. His first playoff game as a Bulls threw gasoline, not water, on the fire. Carlos Boozer came to the Bulls this past summer with a NBA reputation that could be fairly characterized as a “mixed-bag.” Despite a spectacular college career at Duke where he average 26 points and 15 rebounds a game and was part of a NCAA National Championship team, NBA talent evaluators were unimpressed. Due to his lack of athleticism and only average power forward size (6-7 ¾ without shoes), he dropped all the way to the second round of the 2002 NBA draft where he was taken by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Boozer almost immediately began proving the doubters wrong, scoring 10 points and grabbing 7.5 rebounds while averaging only 25 minutes per game in his rookie season. As a NBA sophomore, Boozer was joined by this high school kid named Lebron and the two formed what looked like it would be a Cavs’ “dynamic duo” for years to come. In his second season, Boozer averaged 15.5 points and 11.4 rebounds per game and posted a team-high Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 20.8 (yeah, a couple points better than Lebron’s 18.3). Because Boozer was selected in the second round, he became a free agent after his second NBA season. For obvious reasons, the Cavs badly wanted to re-sign Boozer, but in a controversial series of events that until “I’m taking my talents to South Beach” gave Boozer “Most Hated Opposing Player” status among Cavaliers’ fans, Boozer signed a big-money multi-year contract with the Utah Jazz. Cavs’ ownership believed that Boozer lied to them, essentially tricking them into moves that enabled Boozer to get his big payday. This episode caused many to label Boozer as being both less than trustworthy and selfish. In six seasons with the Jazz, Boozer established himself as a NBA star, averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds a game and was twice selected to the NBA All Star Team. When healthy, he was clearly one of the best big men in the game. The problem was that he wasn’t all that healthy, missing 138 regular season games during his 6 years in Utah...that’s an average of 23 per season and added “injury-prone” to the list of Boozer descriptors, and if you ask any Jazz fan, Boozer was never too keen about rushing back from his many injuries. While Boozer’s time with the Jazz cemented his credentials as a superbly-skilled offensive player, they also exposed his defensive shortcomings. In the mind of his head coach in Utah, Hall-of-Famer Jerry Sloan, Boozer’s poor defensive play was mostly a matter of “want-to.” “Boozer’s got to work more on his defense,” Sloan said in 2005, “He can’t step out on the floor and expect to get 19, 20 points a game, and his man’s getting 22 or 23. I told him he’s got to do a better job defensively. And he can do a better job… But he’s got to make a commitment to defending.” Truth is, Boozer never has. Boozer signed a 5-year contract with the Bulls in July for an estimated total value of $75million. With this kind of money, expectations were understandably high. Boozer didn’t exactly get off to a good start with Bulls’ fans when he broke his hand in an early-October household accident just as training camp was starting. As a result, he missed the first 15 games of the Bulls’ 2010-11 season. He missed another 8 games during the season due to ankle problems…ironically, that’s a total of 23 regular season games missed, exactly what he averaged in Utah. When he’s been able to play for the Bulls this season, he’s pretty much been Carlos Boozer, though he’s clearly not having one of his better seasons. While his 17.5 points per game are right around his career average (17.3), his scoring efficiency is well below his career standards (field goal percentage of 51% this season versus 53.7% career and true shooting percentage of 54.2% versus 57.7%). His rebounding numbers are also down (9.6 rebounds per game versus 10.1) as is his PER (18.8 versus 20.6). Unfortunately, his defense has been pretty much down to his career standard. Bulls’ fans now completely understand Sloan’s earlier quote from 2005. Other than grabbing defensive rebounds, sometimes snatching them from teammates’ hands, Boozer just isn’t all that interested in playing defense. He’s quite possibly the worst big man I’ve ever seen when it comes to providing off-ball help to beaten teammates. He’s also reluctant to stray very far from the basket when defending his own man or to “show” on pick-and-rolls. Boozer simply doesn’t appear willing to do anything on defense that might jeopardize his chance at cleaning the defensive glass. The fact that the Bulls boast the league’s best defense AND Boozer plays significant minutes is truly a wonder. If the Bulls defense was a picture from which you were asked to pick out what doesn’t belong, Boozer would be the obvious choice…OK, Kyle Korver too. Which brings us to the “doghouse” owned by the Bulls’ fans and media. Recent occupants have included Kirk Hinrich, Jannero Pargo, Luol Deng (just recently released) and Keith Bogans. There are several ways to gain entrance, but as Deng learned, probably the quickest is for fans to decide that you’re not playing up to your contract. Others include giving less than your absolute best on the court and being labeled as “injury-prone.” Boozer appears to be a prime candidate, but with career playoff numbers of 20.1 points and 12.4 rebounds per game, most fans have yet to banish the big man to their canine quarters…but make no mistake, they’re getting close. If he puts up another couple 4-for-11 shooting, 6 rebound games like he did yesterday against the Pacers, it’ll be “Move over, Keith.” Tom Nossem
[video=youtube;AkXNn1sIsd0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkXNn1sIsd0[/video] [video=youtube;XReUq05iyM8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XReUq05iyM8[/video] [video=youtube;KnI-x-EePIU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnI-x-EePIU[/video] [video=youtube;gC8HIDrQErE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC8HIDrQErE[/video] [video=youtube;P4JQq9vbK0c]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4JQq9vbK0c[/video] [video=youtube;190IEcciHug]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=190IEcciHug[/video]
His minutes per game at 31.9 are the lowest in his career other than his rookie season and 2005-06 (when he played just 33 games).
Denny, thanks for all the videos. You a collector or something? Found it odd that so many were blocks since Boozer's never been much of a shotblocker.
I was looking for "help defense." I don't think he's particularly quick on his feet, but he's not a net negative in any games. For his rebounding alone. I'm not sure what is up with him. He started out great, but suffered leg/ankle type injuries and never really played the same since. The guy's got a career 20.6 PER, and had a 21.3 PER last year. His PER was well over 20 earlier in the season, so he's obviously played a lot of lesser games to drop his PER to 18.8. 18.8 is downright terrific though. I do think the Bulls changed their offense quite a bit over the season to make up for Boozer and Noah missing so many games. They're not playing the Rose/Boozer two man game they did and like they should. No way he belongs in some "doghouse" IMO.
Well, the article used FG%, TS% and PER, all of which don't penalize for reduced minutes. Still, I want to be fair. Let's use percentages: FT%: 70.1% vs career of 72.5% Usage%: 26.9%, highest of his career...when he's in there, he's getting the ball Rebounding%: 17.6% vs career of 18.3% Blocks%: 0.7% vs career of 1.1% Turnover%: 13.5% vs career of 13.0% (lower's better) Steal%: 1.3% vs career 1.5% Assist%: 14.3% vs 13.9% (one for the good side!) Agree that the differences aren't all that great, but the article only said that "he’s clearly not having one of his better seasons." He's not.
OK, I see. My observation is that he's slow to help, highlights notwithstanding. I didn't see much of him in Utah, so I was anxious to see if the "bad D" rep was deserved. From what I've seen, it is. Funny, that's what I've been saying about Deng for years. Still, as measured by what I heard through the media and read on message boards, Deng was firmly ensconced in that doghouse for a long time. My article was mostly a reaction to what I've been reading on RealGM. The natives are growing restless.
My take is that Indy is a tough match up for us. They have an enormous and talented C in Hibbert, a guy who's exactly Boozer's size in Hansbrough, a guy who's lightning quick at PG, and a guy at SF who's at least as good as Deng. Throughout the season, we've had trouble against teams that have big physical PF/C types, which is more a reflection on Noah being on the thin side. Boozer played in foul trouble all game, but still outscored Thomas, Gibson, and Asik COMBINED. Those three outrebounded him 8-6, but in a combined 14 more minutes. Boozer also shot 5 FTA, and I noted Hansbrough had 4 fouls and Hibbert 5, so he at least contributed that much more. It's not like I think Boozer is performing to his proven abilities, but more a case of not seeing any real plays run for him in his natural position to score. I don't see pick and roll/pop plays that should be our staple. Most of his touches seem to be in the case where he cuts to the basket or in post up situations where there isn't a quality outside threat involved, so he's easily triple teamed. There were several plays he got the ball on the perimeter and dribbled around like a guard, which just isn't his game. See at about 1:30 and after how they used Boozer. [video=youtube;Zmjjqa8_GzI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmjjqa8_GzI[/video]
See attached picture. Boozer gets the ball at the FT line in what looks like a give and go with Rose. Rose is covered and there's absolutely nobody for Boozer to pass it to. He should be getting the ball in the post, or at the FT line on a pick and pop but only if he's open.
Another example. Boozer's clearly not on the wing to set a pick. That's not where he's going to be a shooting threat either. I think that's Deng I also circled, who's where Boozer SHOULD be in a reasonably designed play. Deng IS the threat to shoot and score from where Boozer is positioned in the play. He's also going to be in position to make an entry pass to Boozer in the post. Make sense?
I actually don't want to beat up on Boozer, but I also don't want to make excuses for him. He's paid to be a stud. That wasn't a stud game. Outscoring Gibson, Thomas and Gibson combined might do more for me if he hadn't taken nearly twice as many shots as those 3 combined. On second though, probably not since he's making about 4 times as much as those 3 combined. Carlos Boozer is a star. He's paid like a star. I accept that defense ain't his strong suit, but he absolutely needs to be the best PF in the gym vs the Pacers.
One more. In this shot, Boozer's again on the wing on the weak side. I put X marks where he should be playing.
Yeah, it does, but it's only one possession. Overall, the offense isn't holding Boozer back. Boozer got a lot of touches per minute, but didn't score very well and had no assists. He needs to do better than that and all Bulls' fans want him to do better.
I gave you THREE plays where he's ill used because of the play design. Yeah, I want him to do better, too. Being the last man back in case of a steal, like the first play, isn't a good idea. Having him stand next to any other player, except when setting a pick (but no picks in any of those 3 plays!) allows teams to guard him and the other player with one defender. Again, I don't think it's particularly a smart offensive play design. On the other hand, the plays are designed to let Rose handle the ball from start of the play to the finish, while getting guys in position to rebound any miss. This is the change in the offensive scheme from earlier in the season that I've mentioned. It isn't about getting touches, it's about getting touches in position to be a threat to the defense.
Posted two weeks ago. I'm not the only one who notices what's been going on with Boozer. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/players/Carlos Boozer/nba.p.3632 No, the Bulls excite because they still appear to get better by the game, while having yet to tap into several resources that were either put on standby due to injury or unfamiliarity. As is the case with Carlos Boozer, both elements have left him as sort of an afterthought this season. This is nobody's fault, though Tom Thibodeau (who should be a runaway candidate for Coach of the Year) can be criticized for not trying to play Boozer more often with a defense-first second unit that often relies on the great footwork of Boozer's backup in Taj Gibson to make its hay. A look at Chicago's five-man units reveals that the Bulls seem to do just fine with Boozer out there alongside Gibson or Asik, with the caveat that just about any five-man unit Thibs has tossed out there this season has done "just fine" as well. As a starter, Boozer's pick-and-roll brilliance hasn't been featured as often as it should be. Derrick Rose isn't an unwilling passer, but he is too often an uncomfortable one, uneasy at the thought of dropping a dumped-down bounce pass to an open spot that Boozer will slide into a half-second later, as Deron Williams(notes) effortlessly did with Boozer in Utah. This has limited Boozer's looks, and turned him into sort of the ultimate garbage scorer. Managing 18 points a game somehow without being force-fed the ball. This changed on Friday. Though Rose had 18 points in the first half, and Boozer passed up several good looks, the ball was inside quite a bit as Chicago made an attempt at playing inside-out even at the expense of a blowout win. Following the win, Thibodeau credited Boozer's movement and quick decisions with the rock -- and the new wrinkle can't help but turn Chicago into a more formidable team overall, improving the squad's 13th-ranked offense. Boozer turns 30 next November. The time to take advantage of his gifts is now. Again, this slow crawl toward a Boozer-heavy offense isn't a result of some sort of selfish streak on the part of Derrick Rose. It's a function of Rose's role, as he was asked to dominate and score in high school back in 2007, in college in 2008 and in a simplistic Vinny Del Negro offense for two years. For all the MVP chants, this is still a 22-year-old learning to play the hardest position in the game. He's earned our admiration, but he also deserves our patience. ... You can't knock the team's success, not at 55-20 entering Saturday night's game against Toronto, but you can try to improve on it. Involve Boozer. Switch rotations. Develop confidence in areas that haven't been exploited yet. Even while playing as they have all season, a 4-3 finish to the regular season (Chicago has sometimes let some games against lesser lights slip away) is entirely possible, and it's completely feasible for the Miami Heat to run 5-1 over the same season-ending stretch. ... Call for Carlos. Call for creativity. Call for cohesion in areas that haven't been explored yet. Call for chaos, initially, that could turn into chemistry. Remember that the second round of the playoffs may not start for another month, and the eventual NBA champions won't be crowned for another 11 weeks. Most teams can see the finish line right now, but for Chicago this just needs to be a pit stop. Maybe time to try on a new set of tires. They've earned the opportunity to tinker. One would hope they take advantage of it.
Nice. Thanks for sharing. Still, if you look at Boozer's usage% numbers, he's never had quite the opportunity that he's had this season...he's clearly #2 on the team (behind Rose) in this regard and this is just where he should be. He is and should be the Bulls' clear #2 offensive option. I happen to believe that Boozer's all about his numbers. Normally, I hate this kind of thinking, but I'm OK with this in his case. Carlos, get me 18-10 with reasonable efficiency and I'll be fine with you.
I actually found that blog post by accident. I was reading yahoo's main NBA page and there was a link to some article called "behind the box score" that I thought was bulls, but was by Kelly Dwyer. Read some more of his stuff and this was one of them.
So Denny, I agree that we need to implement Booz more into the pick and roll/pop stuff where hes more comfortable. So wat do I tell my friend, who I said told me he was pissed off at boozer cuz of his play and his defense? He watches a lot of Bulls games btw so hes not one of those naive realgm kids
