Carlos Boozer

You don't see that Boozer played less minutes and Smith had his best game, do you?

 

While Denny and I have had some fun on the back-and-forth over Boozer's vs Gibson's play in game 2, an inescapable fact remains. They're different players, and when both are playing well, Boozer is the more valuable. This is because, you send the ball into Boozer with the expectation of him making a successful offensive play. The same can't be said about Gibson.

This difference is significant.

When Boozer is right, he provides the inside scoring option the Bulls have lacked for years. When he's not right on the offensive end, despite what Thibs may say, Boozer is a drag on the team because he's a below average defender. Gibson is an above average defender.

It's not a question of who is the better player...Boozer is better than Gibson. It's a question of who best helps you to win. It's Boozer if he's right offensively, but it's Gibson if Boozer's not right.

Since Boozer's physical problems clearly are affecting his effectiveness, Thibs has a tough problem and is dealing with it as best he can. Boozer keeps telling him that he's ready to go. Let's hope that one of these times he proves to be right.