Carlos Boozer Wouldn't Mind Staying With Utah Past Trade Deadline

SALT LAKE CITY -- It was a typical listless preseason crowd when the Utah Jazz opened last week at EnergySolutions Arena. But some fans did get riled up enough to express displeasure whenever forward Carlos Boozer's name was called.

"That's how they cheer me. They say 'Boo,''' cracked Boozer, making a play on his name.

At least Boozer is trying to keep it light these days after an offseason in which things got heavy.

Boozer went on Chicago and Miami radio stations this summer talking about how he'd love to play for those teams and about how Jazz officials said they were looking to deal him.

Now, Boozer is on a damage-control tour. He realizes he has some work to do.

"If there are some fans that I've got to win over, I'll win them over,'' Boozer said in a recent interview with FanHouse.

But can he win them over before Utah possibly deals Boozer before the February trade deadline? Boozer went so far as to indicate it might not be wise for Jazz officials to deal him.

"If they keep us together, we can be very good,'' Boozer said. "I'll leave it at that.''

Nevertheless, Utah is expected to continue to monitor Boozer's trade value. Boozer will be a free agent next summer, and the Jazz might not want to risk losing him for nothing.

"Anything is a possibility,'' Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor told FanHouse when asked about the possibility of Boozer being dealt. "I think any time we can improve our team, we would look at doing it. I don't want to sit here and say. 'We're going to trade this guy or trade this guy,' singling guys out. But any time we can improve our team, we'll look to do it.''



O'Connor also has gone into damage-control mode. He declined comment when asked if it's true Utah officials told Boozer they would look to move him. But O'Connor did want to make one point clear.

"He opted in,'' O'Connor said. "I'll let you take it from there.''

Indeed Boozer did. He had a chance to become a free agent last summer by opting out of the final year of his contract, one paying him $12.7 million. But, with the economy in dire straits, Boozer chose to stay.

"I love my situation here, No. 1,'' said Boozer, detailing his reasons for not opting out. "No. 2, I always feel I want to be here. No. 3, if you look at the economic market we had this summer, it wasn't as healthy as everybody had anticipated. But next summer, as a businessman, it will be much more healthier. So I was happy (to not opt out).''

No. 3 likely was the most overwhelming reason. But Boozer is on a goodwill tour, and he's trying to make up for a summer when he lost some popularity in Utah.

It's a state that likes loyal athletes. Roads that pass EnergySolutions Arena are John Stockton Street, named for the guard who played 19 seasons with the Jazz, and Karl Malone Drive, named for the forward who logged 18 Utah seasons.

While the team's latest star forward hasn't helped himself in any campaigns for there to be a Carlos Boozer Boulevard, he has admitted he "put my foot in my mouth a few times'' during the summer.

"I just told him to keep his mouth shut,'' said Denver forward Carmelo Anthony, Boozer's Olympic teammate in 2004 and 2008, about advice he has given to Boozer. "He said he learned his lesson the hard way.''

So where did Anthony dispense this advice?

"On the free-throw line,'' Anthony said of when the Nuggets faced the Jazz last week in Salt Lake City.

Wonder if that was when fans were expressing displeasure with a player who signed a six-year, $68 million contract with Utah in 2004, the last time Boozer faced a busload of controversy? That's when Cleveland officials contended Boozer broke an unwritten agreement to be allowed to become an unrestricted free agent if he would re-sign with the team. Boozer has denied the charges, but they did nothing to help his reputation.

"I'm happy to be back,'' Boozer said of his latest controversy. "All hurt feelings aside, let's just play basketball.''

His teammates don't seem too torn up about the situation. Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur, who have been with the team since 2001 and 2004, respectively, both shrugged it off.

So did Paul Millsap. He might be the most interested observer since Millsap is considered the heir apparent to Boozer as the starting power forward. Jazz officials let that be known when they matched a four-year, $32.5 million offer sheet Portland signed Millsap to last summer.

"I don't think that many people paid attention to it as much as everybody outside the locker room,'' Millsap said of the summer controversy surrounding Boozer. "The guys in the locker room know each other. ... We know Carlos is a good guy. We just didn't let that get to us.''

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan has yet to name his starting power forward for this season. Millsap is being given a chance to beat Boozer out.

Millsap, 24, averaged 13.5 points and 8.6 rebounds last season. With Boozer missing 45 games due to a knee injury, Millsap started 38 of them.

Boozer, 27, averaged 16.2 points and 10.4 rebounds. He said he played at about "85 percent'' after returning late last season, but is now at "100 percent.''

But while Millsap said it doesn't matter if he starts this season, Boozer might not be in 100 percent agreement there.

"We co-existed a lot last year,'' said Boozer, noting Millsap can play small forward, which, of course, would leave more minutes for Boozer at power forward.

Regardless of what happens, Sloan said he's glad Boozer is still with the Jazz. He went so far as to say he'd love to see Utah re-sign him next summer.

"Sure,'' Sloan said. "We need players who can play.''

That doesn't seem to be a likely scenario. Any hard feelings from Boozer's offseason aside, Utah is way over the luxury-tax threshold and indications are the team wants to return to its days of financial responsibility.

As for this season, Boozer indicated he would have no problem staying past the trade deadline. It remains to be seen whether or not the fans would yell "boo'' or "Boo'' if he were to stay.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com.