Image by truthaboutit via FlickrWith a move that will improve the fortune of the Chicago Bulls regardless of what happens with LeBron James, they agreed to a five-year, $80 million contract with Carlos Boozer on Wednesday.Boozer was largely considered the third best power forward in free agency behind Chris Bosh and Amar'e Stoudemire, but ahead of David Lee, yet the Bulls will be paying him significantly less on an annual basis. He isn't a max player given his age and skill level, but in this climate, he very well could have become one if a particular situation opened up.
The Bulls have long been known for their fiscal conservatism, so this signing suits their needs on the floor and in the front office.
As has been the theme with several of the other big free agents, Boozer is an excellent option for the pick-and-roll game. He and Deron Williams comprised one of the best combos in the entire NBA throughout their tenure together and now he gets to run it with Derrick Rose.
In the post, Boozer is far less effective than either Bosh or Stoudemire, but his production is excellent in transition.
Overall, Boozer is one of the game's most efficient scorers and even though Chicago's offensive dynamics will be different than Utah, his role will largely be similar. His ability as a passer will be very valuable for the Bulls and their overall offensive efficiency will increase substantially with him on board. The Bulls were ranked 27th in points scored per 100 possessions, largely based on a system that was too heavily reliant on perimeter jumpers.
Defensively, Boozer has never been a lockdown type of player, but he uses his big body and strength with effectiveness. Because of Joakim Noah, some of his liabilities will be offset and he will have the opportunity to strictly defend opposing power forwards. He defends the pick-and-roll fairly well and also ISOs.
On the glass, Boozer is one of the game's better defensive rebounders and is generally also active on the offensive glass, though not at the same level. On almost every single night of the year, the Bulls will have big advantages at power forward and center with Boozer and Noah, which puts the onus on Rose and also management's ability to find spot-up perimeter shooters at the wing positions.
One item of concern for Chicago is Boozer's age, as this team is built primarily around the youth of Rose and Noah. He has had difficulty staying on the floor and will turn 29 in November.
Grade for Bulls: B+
The situation for Boozer is excellent since the Bulls should morph into a title contender for the duration of his contract. It always seemed like he would end up in Miami, but they understandably went with Bosh and I think the type of market Chicago is suits his style.
The uniqueness of the 2010 climate makes his $80 million seem less than what he's actually worth by comparing it to the contracts signed by Joe Johnson and Rudy Gay, but it is certainly fair to both parties.
One other thing worth noting is that this is Boozer's second time moving to a new team in free agency, which is particularly uncommon in the NBA for someone with two All-Star appearances and probably should have been named to at least one additional game.
The first defection was largely due to the loophole of being a second rounder and this one is more a case of frugality from his former team.
Grade for Boozer: B-
The Jazz elected not to trade Boozer ahead of the February deadline, despite several offers, which becomes a somewhat dubious decision in the hindsight of letting him walk for nothing. Utah did, however, have one more playoff run and could have given the Lakers a much better challenge if they had not been decimated by the injuries to Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko.
But the Jazz already have the very affordable Paul Millsap signed to play power forward, plus Jerry Sloan's system seems to always create overachievers.
The sting for Williams will undoubtedly hurt initially, but the Jazz are probably in better shape overall over the next few seasons and should have enough pieces in place to prevent his more important defection in 2012 when he can become a free agent.
Grade for Jazz: B-
http://bulls.realgm.com/articles/42/20100708/grading_the_deal_bulls_improve_frontcourt_with_boozer/
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