Boozer Amnestied by Bulls; Signs with Lakers

[sagegrouse]

As expected, Carlos Boozer, a 12-year veteran with over 13 thousand points and 7,700 rebounds, has been amnestied (received amnesty?) from the Bulls, who will be responsible for his $16.8 million salary, less what any other team agrees to pay him. According to this rumor mill article, the Charlotte Hornets and the Atlanta Hawks are queuing up for his services. why is this not a surprise?

[Faison1]

Explain to me the whole Amnesty thing....the Bulls would rather ship him off while paying his salary than keep him on the team?

Was Boozer problematic? Or was he just getting old?

[Troublemaker]

Explain to me the whole Amnesty thing....the Bulls would rather ship him off while paying his salary than keep him on the team?

Correct. But that's because when you amnesty a player, he no longer counts against the salary cap even though in real life the team is still paying him. Freeing up salary cap room will allow Chicago to sign Gasol and Mirotic and save on luxury tax costs if they happen to go over the salary cap.

Was Boozer problematic? Or was he just getting old?

He was getting old and ineffective. His teammates and coaches liked him a lot as a person, by all accounts. This move was about diminishing basketball effectiveness relative to salary, not chemistry issues.

[pfrduke]

As expected, Carlos Boozer, a 12-year veteran with over 13 thousand points and 7,700 rebounds, has been amnestied (received amnesty?) from the Bulls, who will be responsible for his $16.8 million salary, less what any other team agrees to pay him. According to this rumor mill article, the Charlotte Hornets and the Atlanta Hawks are queuing up for his services. why is this not a surprise?

He doesn't seem to help either team. Atlanta is trying a full spread offense with 3 point shooters at every position - Boozer doesn't help that and doesn't offer the defensive acumen to make up for it. For Charlotte, pairing Boozer and Jefferson at 4 and 5 clogs the court with no defensive benefit.

Miami could play him next to Bosh/McRoberts. Orlando could take him for pittance - ditto the Lakers. He would be a reliable 18 points for those teams that don't have other options But I'm not sure there's a contender that really has a need for Boozer.

[CDu]

Correct. But that's because when you amnesty a player, he no longer counts against the salary cap even though in real life the team is still paying him. Freeing up salary cap room will allow Chicago to sign Gasol and Mirotic and save on luxury tax costs if they happen to go over the salary cap.



He was getting old and ineffective. His teammates and coaches liked him a lot as a person, by all accounts. This move was about diminishing basketball effectiveness relative to salary, not chemistry issues.

This is a perfect summary. The Bulls did the amnesty because Gasol+Mirotic is more valuable (heck, Gasol alone is more valuable) than Boozer, and that was the only way to make it happen. The Bulls would have rather traded Boozer for a draft pick or in a sign-and-trade deal for Gasol or Anthony (and they tried). But teams knew the Bulls' goal here and balked at the salary.

Boozer is, by all accounts, a terrific teammate. And I think he'd make a great "bumslayer" as a second-unit PF. But his level of play has been on a steady decline, he was a liability on defense (a no-no with Thibs), and his contract was prohibiting the Bulls from improving.

I could easily see him in Miami (a place where he would be happy). I also think Houston is a terrific fit.

[sagegrouse]

This is a perfect summary. The Bulls did the amnesty because Gasol+Mirotic is more valuable (heck, Gasol alone is more valuable) than Boozer, and that was the only way to make it happen. The Bulls would have rather traded Boozer for a draft pick or in a sign-and-trade deal for Gasol or Anthony (and they tried). But teams knew the Bulls' goal here and balked at the salary.

Boozer is, by all accounts, a terrific teammate. And I think he'd make a great "bumslayer" as a second-unit PF. But his level of play has been on a steady decline, he was a liability on defense (a no-no with Thibs), and his contract was prohibiting the Bulls from improving.

I could easily see him in Miami (a place where he would be happy). I also think Houston is a terrific fit.

Boozer was 16.6 PPG and 9.8 RPG on 32 minutes in 2013. This year he was 13.7 and 8.3 on 28 minutes per game. Not much decline in productivity for a standard 36 minute game, but the fact that a healthy Boozer got fewer minutes suggested that his overall play was suffering.

[theAlaskanBear]

Boozer was 16.6 PPG and 9.8 RPG on 32 minutes in 2013. This year he was 13.7 and 8.3 on 28 minutes per game. Not much decline in productivity for a standard 36 minute game, but the fact that a healthy Boozer got fewer minutes suggested that his overall play was suffering.

Boozer has been remarkably consistent over his career. As you have pointed out, even the past couple of years where Boozer is supposedly in decline his numbers and rate statistics and numbers barely budge. However, it is clear to me just from watching him that his athleticism has declined significantly in the last couple of years. I can't prove it to you, but I think his FG% bears this out. He doesn't get to the rim like he used to, and when he does he shoots a lower percentage. Three seasons ago he shot 63% inside of 8 feet, it dropped to 57% and now 53%. His overall FG% dropped from 53% to 48% and now to 46%, the lowest of his career and the only two consecutive years of declining FG% in his career.

But I would suggest that the improvement of Taj Gibson has more to do with Boozers decreasing minutes than a significant Boozer decline. Taj finally played more minutes than Boozer for the first time this year. He jumped 6 minutes per game, most of those came at Boozers expense. Boozer is a better passer and offensive facilitator, but Gibson is a better defender and offensive rebounder.

[Troublemaker]

Boozer has been remarkably consistent over his career. As you have pointed out, even the past couple of years where Boozer is supposedly in decline his numbers and rate statistics and numbers barely budge. However, it is clear to me just from watching him that his athleticism has declined significantly in the last couple of years. I can't prove it to you, but I think his FG% bears this out. He doesn't get to the rim like he used to, and when he does he shoots a lower percentage. Three seasons ago he shot 63% inside of 8 feet, it dropped to 57% and now 53%. His overall FG% dropped from 53% to 48% and now to 46%, the lowest of his career and the only two consecutive years of declining FG% in his career.

The dip in FG% definitely provides necessary context belying his continued okay-ish counting numbers. And then once you get to the advanced stats, it's a real mess for Carlos.

This past season, he ranked 88th out of 89 PFs in WAR, for example. And 82nd out of 89 in RPM. http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/rp...e/3/position/6

I think the decline has been drastic, unfortunately.

[Henderson]

If someone offered me $16.8 million to hang out by the pool all year, I'd consider it.

[theAlaskanBear]

The dip in FG% definitely provides necessary context belying his continued okay-ish counting numbers. And then once you get to the advanced stats, it's a real mess for Carlos.

This past season, he ranked 88th out of 89 PFs in WAR, for example. And 82nd out of 89 in RPM. http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/rp...e/3/position/6

I think the decline has been drastic, unfortunately.

I am reading that WAR is based on RPM...can you explain regularized plus minus to me, and then how they derive WAR from that?

[JasonEvans]

Boozer ain't going to Miami unless all the teams with cap space pass on him. I may be wrong, but it appears the Hawks, Hornets, Rockets, Lakers, Bucks, Magic, Sixers, Suns, and Jazz have cap space at this point and could bid on Boozer. I believe they must put in a bid higher than the veteran minimum. No other team has a shot at him unless all these teams pass on him. So, les look at each one of these clubs and whether or not Boozer makes sense.

The Hawks are kinda loaded at the PF position with Paul Milsap, Mike Scott, and the just-drafted Adrianne Payne (why did you draft a PF?!?!?!?!). Plus, the Hawks seem to have a real defensive focus at the moment. Not sure he fits well for them. But, the team is so devoid of SFs, they may be thinking of playing someone like Payne or Scott at the SF position. Also, the Hawks really need some scoring punch off the bench. I bet Danny Ferry and Carlos are friends and the Hawks are always looking for cap-friendly players. I could see them putting in a bid in an effort to add some offensive firepower to their bench.

The Hornets make sense as they could use Boozer as a stopgap until Vonleh and/or Cody Zeller are ready for big minutes. The consensus seems to be that Zeller and Vonleh are still a couple years away.

The Rockets certainly could use him after missing on Bosh. They signed Trevor Ariza, but he is more of a SF. Plus, Howard's stellar rim protection can make up for some of Boozer's defensive shortcomings.

The Lakers need everything, though PF might be one position where they feel sorta comfortable. They have to be planning on giving Julius Randle big minutes from day one and have a couple decent/cheap backups in Kelly and Jordan Hill.

I heard that the Bucks drafted some kind named Jabari to play PF. They also have promising youngster Giannis Antetokounmpo. I guess they might want to have Boozer tutor those youngsters.

Orlando drafted Gordon at PF and has Tobias Harris, who tore it up for them last season. I dunno why they would want another PF.

The Sixers have Thaddeus Young playing quite nicely at PF for them. They also may want to experiment with the Noel-Embiid twin towers format a bit. Plus, Philly is looking to tank again in 2014-15 with an eye toward becoming really good in 2015-16 (as an aside, their strategy seems like genius to me right now -- I would trade their roster for any roster other than Cleveland in the East. They are going to be really good, like championship contender good, in 2-3 years). I don't see Philly signing him.

The Suns could be a good destination. Channig Frye and Markeiff Morris havn't exactly been world beaters in Phoenix. I think the team's up-and-down style might suit Boozer as it should open him up for jumpshots. Plumlee gives them a rim protector who may be able to cover up some of Carlos' mistakes.

The Jazz could have no one at PF and they still would not bring Carlos back. Lots of bad feelings in that breakup a few years ago, I think. The Jazz do have Derrick Favors at PF already.

I think the Hawks, Hornets, Suns, and Rockets make the most sense.

-Jason "now, watch the Jazz put in the highest offer... shows what I know!" Evans

[Li_Duke]

Boozer ain't going to Miami unless all the teams with cap space pass on him. I may be wrong, but it appears the Hawks, Hornets, Rockets, Lakers, Bucks, Magic, Sixers, Suns, and Jazz have cap space at this point and could bid on Boozer. I believe they must put in a bid higher than the veteran minimum. No other team has a shot at him unless all these teams pass on him. So, les look at each one of these clubs and whether or not Boozer makes sense.

The Hawks are kinda loaded at the PF position with Paul Milsap, Mike Scott, and the just-drafted Adrianne Payne (why did you draft a PF?!?!?!?!). Plus, the Hawks seem to have a real defensive focus at the moment. Not sure he fits well for them. But, the team is so devoid of SFs, they may be thinking of playing someone like Payne or Scott at the SF position. Also, the Hawks really need some scoring punch off the bench. I bet Danny Ferry and Carlos are friends and the Hawks are always looking for cap-friendly players. I could see them putting in a bid in an effort to add some offensive firepower to their bench.

The Hornets make sense as they could use Boozer as a stopgap until Vonleh and/or Cody Zeller are ready for big minutes. The consensus seems to be that Zeller and Vonleh are still a couple years away.

The Rockets certainly could use him after missing on Bosh. They signed Trevor Ariza, but he is more of a SF. Plus, Howard's stellar rim protection can make up for some of Boozer's defensive shortcomings.

The Lakers need everything, though PF might be one position where they feel sorta comfortable. They have to be planning on giving Julius Randle big minutes from day one and have a couple decent/cheap backups in Kelly and Jordan Hill.

I heard that the Bucks drafted some kind named Jabari to play PF. They also have promising youngster Giannis Antetokounmpo. I guess they might want to have Boozer tutor those youngsters.

Orlando drafted Gordon at PF and has Tobias Harris, who tore it up for them last season. I dunno why they would want another PF.

The Sixers have Thaddeus Young playing quite nicely at PF for them. They also may want to experiment with the Noel-Embiid twin towers format a bit. Plus, Philly is looking to tank again in 2014-15 with an eye toward becoming really good in 2015-16 (as an aside, their strategy seems like genius to me right now -- I would trade their roster for any roster other than Cleveland in the East. They are going to be really good, like championship contender good, in 2-3 years). I don't see Philly signing him.

The Suns could be a good destination. Channig Frye and Markeiff Morris havn't exactly been world beaters in Phoenix. I think the team's up-and-down style might suit Boozer as it should open him up for jumpshots. Plumlee gives them a rim protector who may be able to cover up some of Carlos' mistakes.

The Jazz could have no one at PF and they still would not bring Carlos back. Lots of bad feelings in that breakup a few years ago, I think. The Jazz do have Derrick Favors at PF already.

I think the Hawks, Hornets, Suns, and Rockets make the most sense.

-Jason "now, watch the Jazz put in the highest offer... shows what I know!" Evans

Very good analysis; I wanted to add my thoughts to yours.

Sixers - Embiid is injured and may not play all year. Noel is a rookie. Neither Noel nor Young are much of a post presence, and they don't have much depth in the front court. I could see them bidding on Boozer (won't hurt their ability to tank too much), making him the focal point of the offense so he puts up good numbers, then flipping him to a playoff team for picks (he'll be especially easy to trade if the winning bid is small).

Suns - Channing Fyre is now with Orlando. Boozer does give them a post scorer (something they currently lack). I'm skeptical how much run and gun he'll be capable of at his age.

[FerryFor50]

Very good analysis; I wanted to add my thoughts to yours.

Sixers - Embiid is injured and may not play all year. Noel is a rookie. Neither Noel nor Young are much of a post presence, and they don't have much depth in the front court. I could see them bidding on Boozer (won't hurt their ability to tank too much), making him the focal point of the offense so he puts up good numbers, then flipping him to a playoff team for picks (he'll be especially easy to trade if the winning bid is small).

Suns - Channing Fyre is now with Orlando. Boozer does give them a post scorer (something they currently lack). I'm skeptical how much run and gun he'll be capable of at his age.

Hard to see the Sixers spending any money on a veteran to improve their team, since they still seem content with tanking until all their pieces are healthy.

[sagegrouse]

Very good analysis; I wanted to add my thoughts to yours.

Sixers - Embiid is injured and may not play all year. Noel is a rookie. Neither Noel nor Young are much of a post presence, and they don't have much depth in the front court. I could see them bidding on Boozer (won't hurt their ability to tank too much), making him the focal point of the offense so he puts up good numbers, then flipping him to a playoff team for picks (he'll be especially easy to trade if the winning bid is small).

Suns - Channing Fyre is now with Orlando. Boozer does give them a post scorer (something they currently lack). I'm skeptical how much run and gun he'll be capable of at his age.

Boozer is still fairly young -- 32 YO. He entered Duke at age 17, although looking 30. The question IMHO (where the H is silent) is wear-and-tear, not age.

[CDu]

Boozer does give them a post scorer (something they currently lack). I'm skeptical how much run and gun he'll be capable of at his age.

Boozer isn't really a low-post scorer anymore. He's a pick-and-pop guy from 15 feet now, and not a very efficient one.

The Bulls signed Boozer 4 years ago to theoretically give them a low-post scorer. They quickly found out that post scoring is no longer a part of his game (at least not as a starter; maybe he could do it against backups).

And he's definitely not a run-and-gun player at this point. Injuries and bulk have taken what little explosiveness he had away. He's essentially a plodding, under-the-rim guy now.

[Troublemaker]

I am reading that WAR is based on RPM...can you explain regularized plus minus to me, and then how they derive WAR from that?

I certainly can't explain RPM better than ESPN's own explanation here: http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/10...eal-plus-minus

[JasonEvans]

We should find out fairly soon which team gets him. Bids were due to the NBA's office at 5pm ET today. The word on the street is that the Hawks, Hornets, and Rockets appeared to be the most interested in 'Los.

-Jason "Houston feels like a really good fit" Evans

[Troublemaker]

-Jason "Houston feels like a really good fit" Evans

Rooting for that. Playing as a 3rd big behind Howard and TJones on a contender is a good spot to be in at this point in his career.

Carlos and Dwight are actually very close friends.

[JasonEvans]

We should find out fairly soon which team gets him. Bids were due to the NBA's office at 5pm ET today. The word on the street is that the Hawks, Hornets, and Rockets appeared to be the most interested in 'Los.

-Jason "Houston feels like a really good fit" Evans

Apparently, I don't know diddly about the NBA's pace of making stuff public. The bids are in, I think, but no announcement has been made about which team won the right's to 'Los services. Word is that Charlotte took a pass on him. The Hawks and Rockets seem to be the most likely destinations, according to the people paid to make wide guesses about what NBA GMs are thinking. Carlos apparently has said he would like to go to Miami or Houston (is he unaware that Miami cannot bid on him?).

If the Hawks get Boozer, that would mean that 5 of the top 7 players on the roster would be natural Power Forwards. Horford, Milsap, Boozer, Mike Scott, Adreian Payne and then Teague and Korver. Sigh...

-Jason "I would imagine we would find out Boozer's new home in the next 24 hours or so" Evans

[arnie]

Apparently, I don't know diddly about the NBA's pace of making stuff public. The bids are in, I think, but no announcement has been made about which team won the right's to 'Los services. Word is that Charlotte took a pass on him. The Hawks and Rockets seem to be the most likely destinations, according to the people paid to make wide guesses about what NBA GMs are thinking. Carlos apparently has said he would like to go to Miami or Houston (is he unaware that Miami cannot bid on him?).

If the Hawks get Boozer, that would mean that 5 of the top 7 players on the roster would be natural Power Forwards. Horford, Milsap, Boozer, Mike Scott, Adreian Payne and then Teague and Korver. Sigh...

-Jason "I would imagine we would find out Boozer's new home in the next 24 hours or so" Evans

I get that Elton is no longer a Hawk. Retired or will someone pick him up?