NBA Special Report: Chicago Bulls’ power forward Carlos Boozer needs to show his worth
Carlos Boozer was the marquee signing for the Chicago Bulls in the pre season. Chicago strengthened their roster with some role players such as Kyle Korver and Keith Bogans, but Carlos was their crown jewel. The forward was a free
agent and Chicago awarded him a contract worth $75 million over 5 years.
So far though, he has failed to live up to the price tag. Boozer was injured early on in the season and featured in just 59 games. During the regular season, he averaged 17.5 points per game and grabbed an average of 9.6 boards.
However, Boozer has failed to even live up to these numbers, let alone improve on them, in the post season. And that is becoming a big problem for the Chicago Bulls now, especially when they are against a team as potent as the Miami Heat.
Chicago rely a lot on Derrick Rose for offence. Rose is the main creator in the side and he does most of the scoring as well. Although efficient and stout defensively, even the most ardent Bulls fan will admit that when it comes
to offense, the team, apart from Rose, is average at best. That is what Carlos Boozer was brought in to change.
Utah Jazz fans have known for a long time that Carlos Boozer is not the most reliable defender. That fact is coming to the attention of a wider audience because Boozer is now featuring late in the playoffs, however the Chicago
Bulls management and coaching staff would have known that before they signed him.
It is also no secret that the Bulls had other targets in mind and Boozer was signed when their top priorities had become unavailable. Carlos was signed as a much needed offensive outlet. Boozer was supposed to take burden off Derrick
Rose’s shoulders and give Chicago a plan B, when their opponents defence inevitably focuses all its attention on the league MVP. Carlos Boozer was also a different kind of threat, as he provided the Bulls with a presence inside the paint.
However, when the Bulls really needed their star acquisition, Boozer let them down. His average in the playoffs has dropped to 11.6 points per game and it’s down to 10.5 against Miami Heat in the Conference Finals.
In game-2, with Derrick Rose struggling, the Bulls turned to Boozer for inspiration, but he was resoundingly outshined by certain Chris Bosh. Carlos Boozer was just 3-of-10 from the field and scored a miserly 7 points. The result
was that Chicago failed to find an offensive push at the end and LeBron James carried Miami to the win. Boozer’s ineffective and weak offence was on display in the first game as well when it was a charged up Taj Gibson, rather than the 30 year old Boozer,
who provided the extra spark for Chicago Bulls.
Coach Tom Thibodeau has already shown that he trusts Gibson more in the important defensive situations and if Boozer doesn’t get his act right he could soon be the second choice on the offensive end as well.
For his own sake, as well as for the Bulls’, Boozer needs to man up and take some responsibility in the next games.
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