Carlos Boozer going into a make or break season with the Chicago Bulls – NBA Feature
The Chicago Bulls have a number of issues to resolve and a lot of questions to answer after their surprising first round exit in the playoffs.
After clinching the top seed in the Eastern Conference and tying for the best record in the league despite battling with injuries, the Bulls were expected to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. But no one saw what was coming.
Star point guard Derrick Rose suffered an ACL injury to his left knee in game 1 of the first round series against the Sixers and was ruled out for the rest of the season. In his absence, the Bulls fell to the Philadelphia 76ers
in six games.
The early elimination had people thinking about the actual depth and strength in the Bulls roster and their weaknesses were easily exposed in the absence of Rose.
With the star point guard out for another 8 to 10 months, which effectively means the first half of next season, it will be increasingly difficult for the Bulls to stay in good position to qualify for the playoffs till the time
Rose returns.
Of all the opinions being passed by Bulls fans and analysts alike, Carlos Boozer seems to be the guy taking most of the criticism.
Boozer was added to the Bulls line-up in 2010 for a whopping $75 million deal. However, he has not been able to live up to his expensive contract so far. The power forward is averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds over his career,
and saw his numbers fall this season.
He was particularly exposed in the series against the Sixers where in the absence of Rose, he was expected to take on additional responsibility but failed to make an impact in the series.
The absence of Rose and the eventual exit of the Bulls from the playoffs has made it clear that the celebrated franchise needs another star player in their line up to be able to compete against teams like Miami Heat and Oklahoma
City Thunder.
With Rose set in the back court and Deng playing well at the small forward position, the only position to be strengthened is the power forward position. And with Boozer’s lacklustre performance this season, Boozer has been picked
as the weak link in the Bulls arsenal.
There were talks of Boozer being traded or a possible use of the Bulls amnesty clause on Boozer, but the Bulls General Manager Gar Forman squashed all such rumours by openly stating that Boozer would be back next season.
In NBA however, anything can happen and given that Josh Smith is available in the free agency, the axe can still fall on the Boozer. What he needs to do is to come up big in the next season, if he is with the Bulls.
It will be a make or break season for him, as the absence of Rose will give him the opportunity to shine in the roster and make his presence felt. However, it also puts pressure on him to perform.
Whether he delivers or not remains to be seen.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not represent Bettor.com’s editorial policy.
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