Fewer distractions for Boozer this year News Utah Jazz

On-court defensive strategy by the Los Angeles Lakers aside, one of the chief reasons behind Carlos Boozer's struggles in the Jazz's second-round playoff series last year wasn't made public until only recently. It was revealed in March, when the power forward petitioned in Florida for divorce from his wife, CeCe, the mother of his three children. It's known now that Boozer was weighed down then by marital issues. And it's relevant now only because he has a chance to make amends when, starting Sunday, the Jazz and Lakers meet yet again in NBA postseason play.

"It's been documented," coach Jerry Sloan said Thursday, before the Jazz held their first practice for a first-round, best-of-seven series with the team that eliminated Utah from 2008 title contention. "He had some problems last year, so he didn't play as well." Boozer, a two-time NBA All-Star and two-time United States Olympian, averaged 16.0 points and shot 40.2 percent from the field in the six-game '08 series with the Lakers. That's 5.1 points off and 14.5 percent less than what he averaged during the 2007-08 regular season, and 7.5 points off and 13.4 percent less than his numbers from the '07 postseason. "But I don't know if you could put a finger on that and say that's the reason they played so much better than we did," Sloan said. "But that's behind us, and hopefully he can have a great series this time." Boozer hopes the same. Yet he does so amid the cloud of an '08-09 season plagued not only by injury and a late swoon, with losses in seven of the Jazz's final nine games, but also the revelation in December of both his intention to opt out of the final season of his current six-year, $68 million contract with the Jazz and his expectation for a pay raise. Boozer missed three months and 44 games from Nov. 21 through Feb. 21 because of a left quadriceps/knee injury that led to eventual arthroscopic knee surgery. His scoring average dipped from 20.5 points per game pre-injury to 14.1 over his 25 games back since getting hurt. Now, he heads into the playoffs not as the Jazz's leading scorer ? as he was each of the past two seasons ? but instead No. 3, behind Deron Williams (19.4) and Mehmet Okur (17.0), with an average of 16.2. Now as well, largely due to what was said before Christmas, the widespread and popular perception around the league is that Boozer very much wants out of Utah . "The Jazz is desperate to rid itself of Carlos Boozer, who counts the days until he can leave Salt Lake City," longtime NBA writer Mitch Lawrence wrote just this week, in Thursday's New York Daily News. Whether or not that pans out remains to be seen. "A lot of guys have decisions to make," Williams said when asked Thursday specifically about Boozer's. "This could be a totally different team next year. It could be the same team," he added. "We'll worry about that when the season's over with." Until then, they have a playoff series over which to fret. It would seem to be one that's much more stress-free for Boozer than last year's was, but if it indeed should be, he's not letting on. In fact, he wasn't even willing to concede Thursday that there were more to his woes last postseason than how the Lakers played him. "I'm always into it mentally," said Boozer, who did ? for a third straight season ? finish as the Jazz's top rebounder, with an average of 10.4 boards per game. "I mean, every time I step onto the court, I'm always ready. A hundred percent." Asked if there will be fewer distractions this year than last, Boozer suggested that shouldn't matter either. "Well," he said Thursday, "everybody has distractions. But once you step onto the court, it's our job ? and I take it very seriously, as do my teammates." E-MAIL: tbuckley@desnews.com