Here at Boozer-Backing Headquarters, forward Carlos Boozer's announcement that he's intending to skip the sixth season of his contract with the Jazz in the interest of making more money was met with a variety of reactions around the breakfast table Thursday.
There was the spitting out of Frosted Flakes, the hand covering a face in horror and the muffled cry of "oh, no." All from me.
The response was not centered so much around the prospect of Boozer's leaving the Jazz, but rather the timing of the whole thing: As public relations campaigns go, this is a disaster. Maybe "I'm opting out" was a rather innocent comment to an ESPN.com reporter, and hardly surprising to anyone familiar with Boozer's contract status beyond this season. But why speak now, Carlos?
Boozer earned my lasting support in May 2007 when he responded to the biggest opportunity of his NBA career by delivering 35 points and 14 rebounds in a Game 7 playoff victory at Houston. That win still ranks as the franchise's greatest achievement in more than a decade, and Boozer was largely responsible. I also admired the way he handled himself in Beijing in summer, when he could have pouted about his 12th-man role for the U.S. Olympic team.
This latest development is indefensible, though, considering the tone and attitude conveyed in his comments. And the timing? It hardly could have been worse.
"No matter what," Boozer said, "I'm going to get a raise, regardless."
Man, that's comforting. I don't know about you, but in the current state of the economy, I was lying awake wondering how Carlos would get by with only his scheduled $12.6 million salary for 2009-10. Imagine being a Utah Blaze player whose Arena Football League season was canceled, or anybody else laid off from a job recently, and hearing Boozer talk about a "business decision" that assures him of even more money.
The level of self-interest to which Boozer stretched is disappointing. His whole approach was to shelve the subject of his contract until after the season. For some reason, having not played for 15 games because of another of those mysterious, difficult to quantify injuries that characterized his early years with the Jazz, he chose to field a question about it Wednesday night in New Jersey.
What was he thinking?
Boozer already had enough to overcome this season in re-establishing his value among Jazz followers after the way he performed in the playoffs last spring, and he knew it. So now, when he's hurt and everybody's wondering how badly he wants to play and Paul Millsap is performing at an All-Star level in his absence, Boozer reminds us that he's still here and he's still valuable -- in terms of earning potential, anyway.
And the concession that he is not necessarily leaving, that he will "see what happens with the Jazz," hardly reflects commitment from a franchise cornerstone.
Something good come could from all of this. Boozer has positioned himself so that whenever he comes back, he will have every reason to play the best Basketball of his life. Whether his motivation is image-building or simply marketability, the Jazz will benefit from his renewed effort.
Even then, the Memo from the Meadowlands will be tough to forget. The Jazz's comeback from 22 points down to beat the Nets should be the signature moment of this trip, but Carlos' comments are what everybody will remember from that night in New Jersey. Boozer-Backing Headquarters is shuttered , until further notice.
kkragthorpe@sltrib.com
