http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705350998/Barkley-says-Boozer-is-big-problem.html?pg=2 Click on link for more Charles Barkley believes that forward Carlos Boozer is the reason why the Jazz have been so up-and-down this season. "(The Jazz) are a decent team," Barkley said on TNT during Thursday night's broadcast. "But they have to do something about Carlos Boozer." Barkley didn't specific what that "something" was, but the Deseret News writes that one can figure "trade" if you read between the lines. "They know they are not going to re-sign him," Barkley said of the Jazz. "Carlos Boozer started it last year when he said he was opting out of his contract. That offended the Jazz and the people of Salt Lake and now he is going to be a free agent. So now they are going through the motions this year because Boozer is not going to be there ... next year." Barkley continued when asked by TNT host Ernie Johnson whether the Jazz and Boozer's teammates were thinking about anything beyond this season. "Yes, that is one reason Carlos Boozer has been inconsistent. You can't fake energy and effort," Barkley responded. "He knows he is not going to be there next year. Everyone in Utah knows it; everyone on that team knows it." Boozer is averaging 20.7 points and 11.1 rebounds this season.
I was going to make a thread regarding the j*zz but this will do. I think The Jazz are fine regarding the article. They are just missing a piece. And I think that piece "was" Derek Fisher. Think about. That year when the jazz took us out of the first round Fisher was on that team, and they went all the way to the conference finals and they haven't been able to stiff anywhere close to that since he left. After he left, he help the lakers get to the finals against the Celtics and won the championship the next season. I don't understand how an old and slow point guard like that be so important to his two teams.
Wasn't Barkley singing praises for the Jazz last season and picked them to represent the West in the NBA Finals? Or was that 2 years ago? That team hasn't changed significantly and they never seem to get over the hump. They're playing well right now after a slow start to the season but I still can't gauge where they would sit in the West pecking order.
Don't forget they played the Warriors in the second round, and it wasn't exactly difficult for them. Warriors were good that year, but you knew they weren't going to get far with Nellie's "no defence" style of play. And they beat us because well...I believe it was a huge upset.
whatever's holding them back, i hope it continues for eternity, i also hate the fact that dallas is doing so well this year, they are stacked with scorers and efficient players a la marion, howard. i officially hate the mavs more than the j*zz.
I actually believe thier 2 playoff wins against us gave them false hope. They defeated us one year and were gifted GS in the second round, only to be dismantled in the WCF against the Spurs. The next year again they faced a hobbled version of us only to be outed again in the second round. I have no doubt in my mind we were a better constructed team but the matchup problems resulted in the inferior team winning the series. I believe the last half decade Jazz to be no better than first round fodder, but favorable matchups caused them to overacheive and not make changes.
I don't think Deron Williams is their problem. He is by far the superior player to Fisher Price. They've just had some bad luck. Also, LA winning the championship has very little to do with Fisher. They won despite him. I think Kobe, Gasol, sometimes Odom and Ariza had more to do with that than Fisher. He just happened to be on the right team at the right time.
I noticed today that Aaron Brooks is leading the all star votes over D.Will. I take some solace in the fact that it is likely our fan base is completely blocking Williams from ever making the all star game, despite deserving it LOL.
I don't remember the last time A TRUE contender having a Center who takes 3 more than dunks/layup in every game.
Fisher was so bad the year he played in Utah it wasn't funny. He was the Jazz's version of Rafer. That made it all the more heartbreaking when he nailed those dagger shots against the Rockets in the playoffs. I couldn't believe it. But the issues with his daughter weighing on his mind probably calmed him down during the games.
It is amazing what a contract year does for a player....look at Boozer this year as oppossed to the last few..... No more nagging injuries, huh? DD
Well, he was hurting last year. He isn't really playing much different from the two years prior to that, though. I'd say he's just getting back on track after a single down season, a season that only consisted of 37 games for him.
Boozer is what he is. Truth be told, he's been better than usual on top of that. 20-11 on 55% shooting. He's also leading the team in PER. For $12M, Utah could do a lot worse than a player that's bringing all that to the table. Yeah, he's a goner. Yeah, the motor issues and occasional defense can be frustrating. All the same, it's not his fault that some of his teammates are overpaid misfits. It should be interesting to see where he winds up.
I didn't say Deron Williams is their problem. I'm just saying him and Fisher was a unlikely good combo together, that got them to the conference finals. And I think people don't realize how big Fisher was to that team like he was for the lakers for the last two years.
This is a rare occasion where I agree with Barkley. Boozer isn't their only problem, but he is part of their problem. He should be gone from there to allow Milsap to develop. The Jazz need to cut bait and the longer they wait, the worse for their team long term.
