Getjazz wrote:With all that said erudite23, and I do agree with you. Don't you feel the least bit worried that Boozer walks next yr? If he does the Jazz could be a lottery team for a yrs to come. Missing out on a great player in return could kill this team. If he doesn't they have to give him a FULL MAX DEAL. Is he truly worth that? Maybe, but maybe not. You tell me.
Sure, there is the possibility of losing him for nothing....but remember, losing him for nothing is preferable to trading him away for 50 cents on the dollar--but getting back EQUAL salary--and finding out the player or players you got in return don't mesh well with the team. Then you're stuck not only without Boozer, but with contracts that tie your hands to turn around and make another deal.
At least if we lose him, we would be slightly under the salary cap, and would have a lot of flexibility with trades and draft picks to replace him in fairly short order. Not just that, but there is always Millsap there, waiting to get a shot at starting, and who will likely be AT LEAST a decent starter to bridge the gap between Boozer and his eventual replacement.
People need to remember, we have the Knicks pick in 2010. That pick will likely be a top 10 pick with the approach they are taking to cleaning up the mess on their hands. That is a great chance to replace Booz. Then, in addition, we have Fesenko, who if he develops could be a good enough interior force to get the job done with Memo pulling more of the load from mid range and the high post. Add Kosta in, and you have a plethora of potential solutions to the problem.
All this, though, is just contingency talk, because by far the most likely scenario is that Boozer will re-sign with us. He loves it here, he is in an absolute PERFECT situation to fully display his abilities. He gets to play with a young potential HOF point guard that gets him tons of easy looks. He gets to play on a contending team that will be in the hunt every year for the foreseeable future. What's not to like? The only thing I've heard is that "Oh, but he lives in Miami!!!11" WTF is that? How many times have you followed a FA story that had "Well, I could have gone somewhere else that gave me a better chance to win, and look better in the process....BUT I think I'd rather play close to home"?
That's assanine. The only way we lose Boozer is if Miami can and will give him more money than we offer. I think a 6 yr/105 million deal is a fair deal for him, and I don't know that Miami could (or would) offer him more than that. Even if they can, would playing alongside D-Wade, Marion(or whoever they get for him), Beasley and a bunch of scrubs put him in contention for a run at the title? Doubtful. Miami looks to be AT LEAST 2 years away from fielding a true contender, and it could be a lot longer. They are in serious need of role players, and don't really have any at the moment. That process will take awhile. And even then, Boozer will be coming into direct conflict with Beasley for touches in the post. Michael has to have the ball in his hands a lot to reach his potential. So does Wade. What does that leave for Booze?
All told, the best approach is to simply wait it out. If a perfect deal comes along--one that would address this team's biggest need: that of an interior defensive force--then go for it. But the problem is that any team getting Boozer is going to have to deal with the worry of him opting out and leaving THEM for nothing. So, what exactly do we hope to gain?
Booze likes it here, and if we take care of his salary demands there is NO WAY he would leave. But I have a hard time thinking that any team would give him 20m a year when he isn't an all-around stud. I look for him to get a contract on par with what Elton Brand just signed but perhaps a little more. Elton got 5yrs at 16m per. Carlos will likely get 6yrs at ~17 or so. I think the Jazz pay it and we continue to look for a defensive complement to him.
Lost in all of this, though, is the REAL question: do we resign Memo? THAT is the quandry, right there.
