We’ve all seen the footage and thrown our hands up at watching CJ Watson race up the court with 10 seconds to go, not pull it out, but instead attack the basket and give it to the worst free throw shooter in the league. Watching the replay, Hawes foul on Asik should’ve been flagrant, since he hit him on the head. But we know how the referees tend to swallow their whistles, and this was no exception. And of course, after the second miss, there is no explanation for having the Bulls two guards go after the offensive rebound. In fact, they didn’t really go after the rebound, they simply wander below the three point line, completely out of position to get back. I have never seen such an awful breakdown of communication and fundamentals, much less such a spectacular display of idiocy in back to back plays.
Let’s dig deeper into this game to identify what the Bulls need to address in the offseason. The context of this game: The biggest game of the year, a chance to save the season and go back to a seventh game at home, where the home team wins 80% of the time. The Bulls are shorthanded, so they must look to Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng to come up big and perform. In hindsight, an average game from Boozer – hell, a little below average game from Boozer would’ve sufficed. But look at these numbers:
Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng's Stats
While Deng did fairly well, he shot 1/3 in the 4th quarter. Considering Rip Hamilton got 7 shots (missing 6 of them), and CJ Watson took 5 shots in the fourth, it’s hard to believe Deng doesn’t get more attempts. I can’t criticize Boozer for his poor shooting in the fourth quarter, because he DIDN’T PLAY IN THE FOURTH QUARTER! In fact, Thibodeau yanked him out of the game with 4 minutes to go in the 3rd, never to return. Boozer is making $13.5 million this year, and in the biggest game of the season, gets splinters in his ass from sitting on the bench for the last 16 minutes of this game. You can’t even give him that much credit for his rebounds, since the Sixers shot under 40% – there were a ton of rebounds flying around all game. The Bulls had 22 second chance points off of 15 offensive rebounds. Only one of Boozer’s 10 misses was rebounded by the Bulls, even though the majority of his shots are taken within 12 feet of the basket.
Amnesty This Man
In a game this close, every possession is magnified, every shot important, every decision crucial. While CJ Watson won’t sleep well for most of the summer because of his decision to attack the hoop and dish to Asik, as well as a host of other bad shots he took throughout the game, it is Carlos Boozer who shoulders this burden. To be as ineffective and uninvolved in a game of this magnitude while Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah are out with injuries is unfathomable. When he could’ve attacked the rim to get better shots, he settled for long jumpers with that ridiculous arc he shoots them with. He went to the free throw line once – and that was after his only make of the game – a transition layup.
The Bulls future is as bright as you can imagine if Derrick Rose recovers completely. The only way to ensure they make the jump to championship contender is to amnesty Carlos Boozer and use that money to sign another power forward that can back up Taj Gibson. While Gibson finished up most of the games for the Bulls this season anyway, it is time to give him the starting nod and utilize his superior defensive ability and complementary offensive game. Signing a rugged finisher like Brandon Bass or Carl Landry, or a smooth shooter like Ersan Ilyasova would shore up some of the Bulls few weaknesses and allow them to finally compete with the Miami Heat for the Eastern Conference. The Boozer experiment is done, and it has failed.
Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeit, thats one of the few ways we can get worse by trading Pau's bytch ass.
, and it kinda shows with the fit he threw last night. That said, he'd probably put money on Boozer's head after the second limp wrist turnover
