Carlos Boozer, Chicago Bulls and the next season – NBA Feature
The Chicago Bulls were the break out team in NBA last season.
Marshalled by the first year head coach Tom Thibodeau, and keyed by the sensational Derrick Rose, the Bulls established themselves as the giants of the Eastern Conference for the time first time after the Michael Jordan era.
Last season was supposed to be all about the Miami Heat and their newly formed Big Three, who had claimed to win multiple championships in the years to come.
However as the season progressed, the spotlight shifted from the South Beach to the United Centre. Game after game, Derrick Rose and the Bulls continued to impress and by the time, the regular season ended, the Bulls not only finished
as the top seed in the Eastern Conference with 62 victories, they also topped the league.
Although Chicago’s last season was mainly about the emergence of Derrick Rose, who became the youngest ever Most Valuable Player (MVP), the thing which fuelled the Bulls was their immaculate defence and the robust supporting network
around Rose.
Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson all raised their games and were very much part of the success in the regular season. However, one man who was crucial to the Bulls stakes was power forward, Carlos Boozer – a man which the
franchise acquired from Utah Jazz in the pre-season.
Boozers’ experience, leadership, intensity, post presence and guile played an important role in taking the Bulls forward to the playoffs.
However, when the post season arrived, the player who was supposed to be the go-to man for the Bulls, in case Rose struggled, choked. Boozers’ scoring per game reduced from 17.5 points to 12.6 per game and the Bulls paid the price.
His first problem was injuries. Time and again during the playoffs, Chicago needed a second scoring option, but it didn’t come because Boozer was either underperforming because of the hand injury or not playing altogether.
His struggles didn’t cost the Bulls much in the first two rounds of playoffs, where they rolled over the Indiana Pacers and the Atlanta Hawks. However, once pitched up against the mighty Miami Heat, Bulls collapsed.
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were a bit too much for Rose to handle single handedly and the result was the Bulls, after a win in the first game of the series, were sent crashing out of the playoffs with four straight
defeats.
The series saw a frustrated Tom Thibodeau giving more minutes to Taj Gibson as Boozer refused to shine. Gibson tried but he was no match for the experience and offensive artistry of Miami’s front line.
The Bulls certainly didn’t acquire Boozer for him to secure a comfortable spot on the bench. He was brought in to strengthen them on the paint. He certainly is no Dennis Rodman and neither the Bulls want him in that role, however,
he would do well, if he gets his basic right on the back court.
For starters, Boozer has to stop his opposite numbers. Chris Bosh, the Miami Heat power forward, did not even come close to making an impact in Miami’s campaign last season. But, it all changed when he came up against Boozer. The
Chicago big simply failed to decipher Bosh’s moves and the result was the Bulls continuously got beat on the paint.
Boozers’ slump also put Joakim Noah in a spot. Noah had to take more responsibility and the result was that he got frustrated. Boozer has got to form a tandem with Noah, because this is the way bigs work on a team.
Last but not the least; he has to produce more numbers on the offense. Derrick Rose can only do so much and if Boozer, who was brought into the team as the second ace, fails to raise his game next season, then he can soon find
himself with substantially reduced minutes or under a trade radar.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not represent Bettor.com’s editorial policy.
Tags: