Boozer o AK, who is more important?

[jozef]

So if AK played so well then it's clear that Deron did play also well based on that stats, right?

Deron struggled and AK's passing is way below CJ's passing.
AK played well and contributed a lot but it's what I wrote in the start: cornerstone versus bench spark.
Tell me why Paul Millsap was not that important as AK?
In my opinion Millsap played better than AK.

[Soul Patch]

**** it. It's like talking to a damn wall.

[schneiderjazz]

So if AK played so well then it's clear that Deron did play also well based on that stats, right?

Deron struggled and AK's passing is way below CJ's passing.
AK played well and contributed a lot but it's what I wrote in the start: cornerstone versus bench spark.
Tell me why Paul Millsap was not that important as AK?
In my opinion Millsap played better than AK.

Of course not. Stats don't tell the whole story. And per minute stats are even less reliable. I think you overvalue Boozer a bit and undervalue AK though. You take credit away from AK for playing with Sap and Knight, but you don't take any away from Boozer for playing with Deron, Brewer, CJ and Memo.
I agree with you that Boozer along with Deron are the cornerstones of the franchise, but calling AK just a bench spark, that IMO, is an insult. As for Millsap, I'd say he's been our 3rd best player behind AK and Boozer. I don't know why it's so hard for you to admit that AK contributes plenty to the success of the team.

[jozef]

AK played well and contributed a lot but it's what I wrote in the start: cornerstone versus bench spark. Tell me why Paul Millsap was not that important as AK? In my opinion Millsap played better than AK.

I wrote that he contributed a lot. The question was who is the most important.
And my question is why do you rank AK over Sap.

[freakazoid]

Good joke.


Everyone knows the real truth. Neither player matters.

Matt Harpring is the only player on this team that who demands a quadruple team every time he looks at the ball. Crazy right?

When Matt actually touches the ball, he demands at least 15 players to cover him. Word.

Since the opponent usually puts 5 players on the floor, Matt Harpring demands that his team and the opposing team both contribute an additional 5 players each to his defense. His football background also presents a problem, in which he expects 11 players on each side to try and tackle his ass.

Utah Jazz team officials report that Matt Harpring has been reported as saying "You guys go long, I'll tackle 'em".

[jozef]

You go from extreme to extreme but, to be honest with you, now you seem to be more on target.

[TaylorJ]

This is one of those great unanswerable questions. No matter who you go with, the other side will have great counterpoints to what you say. If both of them were free agents this summer, I'm pretty sure Booze would land the bigger deal. However, for our team, Millsap can replace a lot of what Boozer brings for us (and add improved defense) while we have no one on this team who can replace AK's versatility. I would hate to lose either of them, but if you told me right now that one of them will be out for the year, I would rather have Booze gone than AK. But I will admit, my answer would have been completely opposite last year so maybe a healthy Boozer in the lineup changes my answer.

[HammerDunk]

Last night was a perfect example of how good our team is with AK on the floor. He didn't have amazing stats or anything, but he disrupts the other team a lot and creates matchup problems on the other end. Nobody else has the same effect.

[gojazzmjsucks]

I also really think we can win without Boozer. I know the Raptors defense sucks, however our ball movement was perfect and Milsap fits right into the mix.I think we would have to put someone behind him that is right at his level, but I think that keeping AK might be the better move for the team!

^ I agree the team needs him on the floor. He's like the filter to our offense, it's not pure unless its gone through AK-47......sorry I have coffee on the mind.

[jozef]

We played 23:30 without AK +12
We played 24:30 with AK +15

Now tell me how he was that irreplaceable, 6 points, 6 assist, 3 turnovers, 2 blocks. Do you really think we would lose without him?

[HammerDunk]

Sure, you can have that game, but how about this. We have won every game but 1 when AK has played more than 30 minutes. He has played in 5 of our losses, only one of which he had over 30 minutes. When AK plays 30 minutes or more in a game, we are 9-1. With any play-time, we are 12-5. If I am a Jazz fan, I REALLY want 30 minutes out of AK every night. The stats are there, you are just looking at the wrong ones...

[el loco]

I think AK is more important, not because he is a better player, but because he is more difficult to replace in your lineup. Boozer is pretty easily replaced with Millsap, and with how well Kouf has looked, at least I have been impressed with him so far, you have another person that can take some of Boozer's minutes for a stretch. Sloan must be impressed with Kosta as well, because he rarely gives rookies the kind of minutes that Kouf has been getting. You don't have another player like AK on your team, and other than Tayshaun Prince there isn't really another player in the league that brings what he brings to a game.

[HammerDunk]

By the way, when Boozer plays more than 30 minutes, we are 8-4. Pretty good, but nothing like 9-1 with AK (he only played 24 minutes tonight for some INSANE reason).

And I agree about Kosta, although his minutes are probably more of a reflection of injuries, but he has proved that he has massive potential and should be hung onto and raised within our system to be as valuable to us as possible.

[gojazzgo]

We got out rebounded against the suns 54-37. You would think with his length, AK could get more than 2 boards in 24 minutes.

[write4u]

Jozef obviously is a biased observer. His comments about Harpring are the proof in the pudding. He can't seem to see how much Harp's game has deteriorated because of his injuries. While I don't think Harp deserves all the hate that fans now have for him, neither does AK merit Jozef's obvious bias.

One thing about AK that doesn't show up in the stats is that he raises the level of his game to his opponents or the moment. He is a playmaker and often makes steals at crucial moment and hits the unlikely 3 when you need it, or gets the block at the end of a game sealing a victory. I could cite four 3-pointers he made just off the top of my head, including the one last night against the Sun, but the big one against Houston two years ago when he couldn't hit the broadside of a barn, but if he didn't make it, we probably would not have advanced. Then there were the two against the Lakers in the late rally in our last loss in the playoffs last year.

As to who's more important ... I think AK for his overall game and clutch play. However, at this juncture, neither of them merit a max salary.