What a great pickup Boozer is for us. Boozer's thoughts on Randle's first preseason game: LINK He will prove to be a necessary veteran influence for Randle. He seems like a big brother to Randle. He is very well-spoken, and can still contribute. He will probably be the most under-appreciated player this season, and will probably give us many headaches due to his increasingly old-man play, but like I say, he is going to be crucial to Randle's development. Go Boozer!
Wasn't a fan of this pick up when it happened. But now I'm liking it more. He's going to be a great influence for Randle and a good veteran presence for the team behind Kobe and Nash.
Boozer may not be an all-star, he was, but he's a seasoned vet, and knows his role. After having monster 20/10 seasons in Utah, Chicago thought they could capitalize on that. What they didn't scout about Boozer is that he's a complimentary big, not one that creates his own. Deron Williams kind of boosted Boozer's stats. Rose wasn't the same type of distributor that DWill was, and consequently, Boozer's stats fell. Now, he's back on a team where he's not expected to be a main source of offense, but will be a main target in the pick and roll with Nash and Lin. He will definitely benefit from not being expected to be a 2nd option, and actually produce better than we expect, in my opinion.
I didn't notice him involved in the offense that much last game. I know they'll play off of Kobe, but I'd like to see Boozer get more involved offensively when he's out there; maybe more Kobe/Boozer & Nash/Boozer PNR's or just dumping it into the post if the mismatch is there. I don't want to get too reliant on Kobe ISO's as we've done in the past. I'd like to mix it up a bit with that 1st unit.
Actually, going back at looking at the boxscore, he went 3-7 6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists; maybe my eyes are deceiving me...
Well, the difference with this team now is we have guys that are designed for the pick and roll, unlike Pau who always wanted it in the post, despite his diminished athleticism. Boozer is a fantastic pick and pop player. Strange release and trajectory, but his jumpshot is typically good. Hill is a good finisher. He either likes to go up for a dunk, or one of those quick baby hooks. And as we saw with Davis, he's nimble on his feet and is an excellent finisher around the rim, both hands. We're going to see a more team oriented brand of basketball this year, rather than the D'Antoni's "you're open, shoot" offense, or Brown's...uhh.
I loved the Booz pick up, especially at the low price tag. I think Carlos has a lot to prove, he's looking for another contract, he's looking to show he's still got plenty of game left in his tank and I think he's in the perfect place to showcase his skills with pick and roll savvy PG's like Nash and Lin. I'm down for plenty of pick and roll, pick and pop with Boozer this year. That's his game. And with our PG's it's a no-brainer. I also think he's a great fill-in starter since we lost Pau. Of course he doesn't have the versatility and skills of Pau, but with the way Pau has given us diminishing returns each year, showing less and less heart and passion, less and less desire to bang in the post or to even to be decisive down there . . . Booz is actually an upgrade in my opinion this year. Yeah, I said it. And I've defended Pau a great deal over the years. But man, was it ever time for us to part ways. Booz could really surprise people this year I believe, and bring some needed toughness and scoring at the starting 4. Plus, I do like that he is willing and able to mentor Randle as well.
The pick and pop with Nash or Lin should work since Boozer can hit that mid-range J. I think Boozer would pair well with Davis in the frontcourt. The latter would be the "roll" guy.
Looking back on his Pre-season game #1 performance and thing that I liked and surprised me the best was how well he was denying Faried in the post. There were around 3-4 times when the entry pass into Faried was broken up by Boozer being in great position and reaching in for the steal/disruption. The thing I want to keep an eye on not just in pre-season but the rest of this year is whether he can stay consistent with that 12-15 foot shot. Because in all my years of watching him on the Bulls and Jazz that shot of his would always go array at some point in the season.
Fans tend to diminish other players not on their team. Fact is - Boozer got paid and is still in the NBA despite not being high draft pick, overly athletic or something... The dude knows how to play basketball.
Fact is. Boozer got dumped by Chicago, despite his team being the 3rd best team in the east. He's a bad defender. He doesn't attack the rim, even though we have a coach who preaches attacking the rim instead of jacking shots. The only good thing about him is his rebounding and cheap contract. Others have argued that he could be a nice mentor for Randle. I'm not familiar with Boozer's "mentoring" skills, so that remains to be seen.
I agree. He strikes me as an intelligent guy. I like most of what I've seen from him. He tends to get his ish sent back in the practice footage I've seen. He's lost a lot of the already limited athleticism that he had. But you don't spend this much time in the NBA at the PF spot, despite his shorter size, without learning a LOT and knowing what you're doing. He might not be the mentor that turns Randle into an all-time great, but he can be the mentor that turns him into a solid NBA professional instead of a 19 year old kid.
He will get that 15-17 ft jumper all day long playing with Nash and Kobe. I hope he can keep making them
Boozer had a good game last night. He just needs to do a better job of crashing the boards after the shot is up. Too often in the first half Hill got eaten up inside. Boozer needs to help him out on that end.
He's going to have that mid-range jumper pretty much all day. He needs to keep taking and making it if he's going to help us win games.
I enjoyed watching Booze play when he was in high school and I've always wanted to pull for him in the NBA but he was always on the wrong team. Now I get my chance. He is a great team guy with a great attitude. He will be a big plus for us. He is a good rebounder and defense doesn't end till you have the ball.
I have always liked Boozer. His best days are behind him but he's still a good pick up for the price. If he can hit the mid range jumper and hold his own on defense, that's just a plus. What I don't like is the way he gets utterly punked on the post. On a side note, am I the only one that thinks his jump shot is almost as awkward as Marion's 3 point shot?
