NBA

In the wake of Sunday’s devastating, humiliating beatdown to the Boston Celtics — stunning as the winds strongly howls through the Windy City — we’ve fathom the reason for the Chicago Bulls’ woes of late. When Carlos Boozer joined the Bulls, migrating feasibly to America’s most enthusiastic sports towns, he was expected to be the consolation prize, expected to act as a primary force in the interior, expected to be a benefactor, not a non-factor.

As it turns out, he was never the remedy to dismiss all the misery for this disoriented franchise ever since Michael Jordan had his bronze statue unveiled outside of the United Center, ever since he left town and ever since he retired. But, as of now, Boozer is largely the reason why the Bulls are struggling. It’s one thing to demand and imagine that a player comes into the scene and become the second scoring option behind point guard sensation Derrick Rose, entirely another to bring him in when, in fact, much is excepted of Boozer and instead has done nothing but disappoint and increasingly exposed his failures.

He’s not what people thought he would materialize into, and more than ever, he has yet to develop consistency – weight still heavy on Rose’s shoulder. The mere thought here is that he’s not productive without a pass-first point guard, and as long as Rose continues to shoot first and distribute the ball as an alternative, the criticism won’t subside and Boozer will struggle in the Bulls’ system. Ok, perhaps you can recall the moment he played with Deron Williams in Utah, getting 10 to 15 touches each quarter. The point here is, with frequently more touches, he had numerous shot opportunities and was a dynamic force in the paint, whereas he’s not such an instrumental piece in the Bulls offense, overshadowed and irrelevant by Rose’s craft and talent.

The dirty little secret is that Rose knows Boozer is merely limited, knows he can’t bring much to the offense – whether he lacks determination, character and will when, all considering, he is supposedly the best low-scoring presence in the league. But that’s not true. It can’t be the truth if Boozer is not aggressive enough, not demanding the ball and not driving strong to the basket. With the Bulls – a team considered to dominate the East — we haven’t seen his capabilities, let alone seen him perform at his best this season.

The thing is, while he spent two inept seasons in Chicago after signing an enormous five-year, $76 million deal, the Bulls wastefully invested in an overpaid bum. The sudden underachievement involving Boozer is lingering in Chicago — and let’s be real, given his porous season – he’s fallen in love with the jump shot, attempting more jumpers than usual and has the size and strength to drive the ball to the rim instead. For all the odd reasons, he’s now a shooter after the Bulls signed him to be a pesky scorer inside.

He’s not – not what the Bulls thought they were getting.

Boozer – particularly his awkward offensive style – doesn’t fit with the organization and, for most nights, he’s been missing in action. He looks dazed, helpless and confused, unsure of himself and his teammates. If they are in any trade talks to deal Boozer, it would be very difficult for someone who doesn’t have much trade value around the league, in which the Bulls would more less have to try using an amnesty clause on him over the next few seasons.

Watching an entirely inconsistent Boozer, albeit he possibly can turn it around by demanding touches and working in the paint as he has recently, is painful – offensively and defensively. It is like he’s a lost kid sitting in lost and found, then seeing him opponents blow by him in the paint for the basket is rampant. It just so turns out the Bulls have someone who can’t defend underneath the rim, playing atrociously on defense as well, just as Boozer does on offense. In other words, he’s being bullied instead of being the bully that he once was advertised.

You see, Boozer is more like Boo-Boozer!

What he is in the midst of his pathetic play on the court is a player who can’t exceed any expectations with limited talent, or maybe he just refuses to play assertively. But, on the inverse, he had a more efficient performance Sunday, despite the lost to the Celtics, finishing with 22 points and seven rebounds. Will he ever play this consistent all the time? No, because he’s not a consistent player. Talking about Boozer, one of the most underachieving players in the NBA, will always be a head-scratcher in a sense that he’s either good or average but never great. For what it seems now, he’s playing much better lately, pouring in 24 points in a win over the New Jersey Nets and double-digit points on the Celtics in a loss.

I’m still not sold on Boozer. Not just yet.

Jonathan Mathis

An aspiring sports journalist, a sports columnist for FootBasket, Gridiron Grit, Hardcourt Mayhem, and more. Sports Judge is all sports.