Carlos Boozer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Power forward, Center |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Weight | 266 lb (121 kg) |
| League | NBA |
| Team | Utah Jazz |
| Jersey | #5 |
| Born | November 20, 1981 Aschaffenburg, West Germany |
| Nationality | American |
| College | Duke |
| Draft | 2nd round, 34th overall, 2002 Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Pro career | 2002–present |
| Former teams | Cleveland Cavaliers (2002–2004) |
| Awards | 2007, 2008 NBA All-Star 2008 All-NBA Third Team 2003 NBA All-Rookie Team |
| Official profile | Info Page |
| Olympic medal record | |||
Competitor for  United States |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Basketball | |||
| Bronze | 2004 Athens | National team | |
Carlos Austin Boozer, Jr. (born November 20, 1981) is an American professional basketball player currently with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association.
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[edit] Biography
Although born at a military base in Aschaffenburg, West Germany, Boozer grew up in Juneau, Alaska,[1] in the US. As a child, Boozer and his father practiced outside at his local middle school, throughout the cold Alaskan seasons. He attributes his physical and mental toughness to these sessions. He attended Juneau-Douglas High School. He and his wife Cece reside in Salt Lake City during basketball season and in Los Angeles and Miami during the offseason. They have three children.[2][3]
[edit] High school and college basketball
Boozer was a two-time member of the PARADE All-American high school basketball team, leading the Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears to back-to-back state titles. He was recruited by many top-tier collegiate basketball programs[2], including St. John's and UCLA, but Boozer elected to play for coach Mike Krzyzewski at Duke University, helping the team win the 2001 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship.
[edit] NBA career
[edit] Drafted by Cleveland
Boozer declared for the 2002 NBA Draft, relinquishing his final year of NCAA eligibility. He was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the NBA draft, where he played two full seasons. Boozer averaged 10.0 ppg and 7.5 rpg in his rookie campaign, and followed it up with 15.5 ppg and 11.4 rpg his second year while playing alongside LeBron James.
[edit] Free agency controversy
After the 2003-04 NBA season, in which Boozer averaged 15.5 points and 11.4 rebounds per game, the Cavaliers had the option of allowing him to become a restricted free agent, or keeping him under contract for one more year at a $695,000 salary. The Cavaliers claim to have reached an understanding with Boozer and his agent on a deal for approximately $39 million over 6 years, which he would sign if they let him out of his current deal.
Once Cleveland eliminated the final year of Boozer's deal, making him a restricted free agent, his agent began to receive calls. He received an offer from the Utah Jazz.
The Jazz had participated in the free agent market in previous years and had failed in attempts to sign Corey Maggette, Jason Terry and Elton Brand. They were determined to be successful and offered the most they could under the circumstances. Boozer signed their offer sheet, and Cleveland had the option to match, but were already over the salary cap, and so could match only up to the Mid-level exception, thus they 'chose' not to re-sign him. Boozer joined the Utah Jazz in July 2004 for six years and a total of $70 million. [1]
Boozer has denied that he made any commitment to the Cavaliers: "There was no commitment. It's unfortunate how the turn of events went through the media," Boozer said shortly after signing the deal with Utah. "I'm not a guy that gives my word and takes it away. I think I've made that clear."[4] However, Boozer's agent subsequently ceased representation, and in addition former Cavaliers owner Gordon Gund has said, "In the final analysis, I decided to trust Carlos and show him the respect he asked for. He did not show that trust and respect in return."[5]
[edit] A budding star in Utah
In his first season with the Jazz (2004-05), Boozer averaged 17 points and 9 rebounds, showing promise and the ability to be the go-to guy, while learning a new system. However, he suffered an injury, missing the latter part of the season, which contributed to the Jazz missing the playoffs for only the second time in 22 years, and he was publicly criticized for a lack of effort by team owner Larry Miller.
As the 2005-06 NBA season began, Boozer was still recovering from injury, and then aggravated a hamstring, causing him to miss the first half of that season as well. He returned to action in late February, easing into action by coming off the bench for the Jazz. In the middle of March, he was placed back into the starting lineup. From that point, he finished the season in impressive fashion, averaging over 20 points and almost 10 rebounds per game and firmly establishing himself as the Jazz's starting power forward once again.
Boozer got off to a strong start in the 2006-07 season, winning the Western Conference Player of the Week Award and helping the Jazz to win eleven of their first twelve games. Boozer was named part of the NBA All-Star roster as a reserve, but could not participate because of a hairline fracture in his left fibula.
In an April 23, 2007 game vs. the Houston Rockets (game two of the first round of the 2007 playoffs), Boozer scored 41 points, tying the career high he had set a month earlier on March 26 (vs. the Washington Wizards). He also led the Jazz past the Rockets in game 7 of the first round in the NBA Playoffs, scoring 35 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and two clutch free throws to secure the victory in Boozer's first playoff series.
The Jazz would go on to win their 2nd round series against the upstart Golden State Warriors, 4 games to 1, and advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1998. Even though they lost 4 games to 1 to the more experienced San Antonio Spurs, Boozer proved valuable and durable. He ended the season averaging 20.9 points per game, 11.7 rebounds, and playing in 74 of 82 games. He was even better in the playoffs, increasing his output to 23.5 points and 12.2 rebounds per night and appearing in all 17 Jazz playoff games.
In November, early in the 2007-08 season, Boozer was named Western Conference Player of the Month.[6] By mid-December, he was among the league's top five performers in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage. Although he later slipped in all of these categories, he continued to produce solid numbers, and he currently has the second-most double-doubles of any player in the league (behind Dwight Howard) with 40. Boozer was again chosen as a backup in the All-Star Game, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds in just 19 minutes of play.[7] He registered his first career triple-double against the Seattle SuperSonics on February 13, 2008, with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.[8]
In the playoffs, the Jazz faced the Houston Rockets in the first round for the 2nd year in a row. Determined to not allow him to beat them, the Rockets geared their defense more to stopping Boozer and his production was somewhat limited (16.0 pts and 11.7 rebounds per game), but the Jazz still downed the Rockets, 4 games to 2. In the second round of the 2008 NBA playoffs the Jazz lost to the #1 ranked team in the West, the Los Angeles Lakers in 6 games.
[edit] Awards and honors
- 2-time NBA All-Star: 2007, 2008
- All-NBA Team:
-
- Third Team: 2008
- NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2003
- Bronze medal with Team USA, 2004 Summer Olympic Games
[edit] Statistics
- Last updated February 25, 2008
| SEASON | TEAM | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-03 | CLE | 81 | 54 | 25.3 | 0.536 | 0.000 | 0.771 | 7.5 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 10.0 |
| 2003-04 | CLE | 75 | 75 | 34.6 | 0.523 | 0.167 | 0.768 | 11.4 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 15.5 |
| 2004-05 | UTA | 51 | 51 | 34.7 | 0.521 | 0.000 | 0.698 | 9.0 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 17.8 |
| 2005-06 | UTA | 33 | 19 | 31.1 | 0.549 | 0.000 | 0.723 | 8.6 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 16.3 |
| 2006-07 | UTA | 74 | 74 | 34.6 | 0.561 | 0.000 | 0.685 | 11.7 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 20.9 |
| 2007-08 | UTA | 81 | 81 | 34.9 | 0.547 | 0.000 | 0.738 | 10.4 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 21.1 |
| Career | 395 | 354 | 32.5 | 0.541 | 0.111 | 0.727 | 9.9 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 16.9 |
[edit] USA Basketball
Boozer was selected as a member of the 2004 USA Olympic men's basketball team which won a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games. He was also named to the 2006-08 USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team [9], but did not compete in the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship due to his wife's pregnancy.[3]
[edit] Player profile
Since his 2002-03 rookie year, Boozer has finished the season among the NBA's top ten performers in field goal percentage five times[10][11][12][13][14] and has been among the top ten rebounders twice.[15][16] He is highly regarded by scouts and sports journalists for his strength, rebounding and offensive skill set. For example, David Thorpe, an analyst for ESPN.com, lists Boozer among the "game's best post players"[17] and among the best at scoring (or "finishing") under the basket using either hand.[18] Boozer credits his father for helping him develop his amibidextrous ability.[1]
[edit] Media appearances
In the 2006-07 NBA season, Boozer appeared in the NBA Fundamentals series hosted by TNT, in which NBA players explain certain aspects of basketball. He explained the topic "post play". In this clip, Boozer highlighted the technique of how to establish position in the low post, and how to most effectively score from that position. Boozer showcased his array of ambidextrous slam dunks and hook shots, and reminded viewers to insert an occasional jump shot to confuse the opponent. He also expressed his admiration of retired NBA greats Karl Malone and Charles Barkley, who he sees as masters of low post scoring, as well as contemporary colleagues Lamar Odom, Chauncey Billups and Gary Payton.
[edit] Lawsuit against Prince
In January 2006, Boozer initiated legal proceedings against music star Prince.[19] The dispute involved a Los Angeles home owned by Boozer through his corporate entity, C Booz Multifamily I LLC, and being leased by Prince. In the lawsuit, Boozer's corporation alleged that Prince had had several unauthorized alterations performed on both the exterior and interior of the house. Attorneys for Prince denied the allegations and noted that the December and January rent payments for the property had been accepted "without objection".
The two sides apparently reached a subsequent agreement, as Boozer's corporation asked in February that the suit be dismissed. The dismissal was granted "without prejudice", meaning that it could have been reinstated later if Boozer had had further complaints. However, the remainder of Prince's tenancy at the residence proceeded without incident.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Buckley, Tim. "Ability to use both hands has aided Boozer", Deseret Morning News, April 13, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
- ^ a b Biographical NBA video produced by TNT
- ^ a b Buckley, Tim. "Boozer skipping USA minicamp", Deseret Morning News, July 18, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
- ^ NBA - Cleveland Cavaliers/Utah Jazz Preview Saturday January 15, 2005 - Yahoo! Sports
- ^ Gund: Trust with Boozer 'was broken'
- ^ Dwight Howard, Boozer Named Players of the Month, NBA.com, Dec. 3, 2007
- ^ ESPN - 2008 All-Star Game Box Score
- ^ Boozer's first career triple-double highlights Utah's blowout of Sonics
- ^ 2006-08 USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team roster
- ^ 2002-03 NBA FG % leaders
- ^ 2003-04 NBA FG % leaders
- ^ 2004-05 NBA FG % leaders
- ^ 2006-07 NBA FG % leaders
- ^ 2007-08 NBA Regular Season - FG% leaders
- ^ 2003-04 NBA rebounding leaders
- ^ 2006-07 NBA rebounding leaders
- ^ Thorpe, David. "Scouting breakdown: The game's best post players", ESPN.com, March 9, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
- ^ Thorpe, David. "Scouting: Bucket getters and weak-hand finishers", ESPN.com, April 6, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
- ^ Extreme Makeover: Prince Edition - March 20, 2006
[edit] External links
- Video Interview with Carlos Boozer @ fiba.com
- Carlos Boozer Info Page at NBA.com
- NBA Life: Carlos Boozer video by TNT
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