Chicago Bulls: Is Carlos Boozer's Game a Big Lie?

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They overpaid in the process (five years, $70 million), which really should be between the Bulls and their accountants but invariably gets stirred into the mix. And the mix throughout Chicago's surprising 62-20 regular season in 2010-11 and postseason run to the Eastern Conference finals was that Boozer was a talent but a tease, physically impressive but sincerely phony. Someone who talked the talk a little better than he walked the walk.

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This quote came from Steve Aschburner of nba.com.

He, like so many Chicago Bulls fans, have harsh words for power forward Carlos Boozer. His consistent defensive lapses can't be ignored.

Take a look at this play against the Sacramento Kings. It is obviously Boozer's responsibility to rotate out to get a hand up on the shooter. Boozer shows either a reluctance or a lack of reaction to get out to Jimmer Fredette.

Watch what happens:

Plays like this have been commonplace for Boozer as a Bull. The fact that the Bulls' identity is based on defense makes Boozer's deficiencies stick out like a sore thumb. In actuality, Boozer is the same player he has always been, sans some confidence.

He shows flashes of the offensive player Bulls fans expected. When his shot is falling, he is a valuable weapon for the Bulls.

In the same game, Boozer had one of his best performances of the season. He played 38 minutes, scored 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Boozer also had a strong performance in a blow out of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Plays like these are what the Bulls and their fans want to see more of:

It's a huge difference to the Bulls' attack when he plays well. He adds that low-post scoring element that no other player on the roster can. Boozer may seem like he is made of Teflon, as Aschburner further referenced in this quote from the same article:

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"Teflon" is another tag that seems to suit Boozer. Because he seems so centered, so unflappable, so generally satisfied with his contributions and commitments that none of the bad ever seems to stick. It might be as momentary as letting an opponent blow by him without moving, a boisterous yell providing his only resistance. It might be greater than that, as in the dents to his reputation last season from injuries and a few too many games gone small.

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He also mentions that one NBA front office person referred to him as a "frontrunner"—a player that shines in good times, and disappears when the chips are down.

Boozer hears the criticism, even if he chooses to take the high road. He was recently asked about his struggles to produce in the lineup with Joakim Noah.

Boozer predictably deflected the talk about himself, and talked about team.

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"I'm not worried about that," Boozer said. "We're worried about winning. I think we've been playing great this season on the floor together. And we're going to continue to play great." 

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Though he always comes back to the team, the criticism has affected him. His confidence is shaken. After every mishap or missed defensive assignment, he's looking over his shoulder for Taj Gibson at the scorers table.

That is a difficult way to play the game.

Still, you can't blame Tom Thibodeau. His team has an identity, and he has consistently played the hot hand and the lineups that were producing

Boozer has taken the benchings and decreased minutes in stride. He has never pouted or complained to the media, and he deserves credit for that.

He was never a good defender and he has always gotten his shot blocked often. In fact, according to 82games.com, he has had his shot blocked more than any power forward in the NBA over the past six years. Shouldn't the Bulls management have known that when they signed him?

It was a mismatch, and a knee-jerk signing in response to missing out on the Big 3. Now they are stuck with each other, unless the Bulls choose to amnesty him.I have written before that if they don't advance past Miami this year, that indeed will be the move the Bulls make.

The Bulls can not afford to have such a big chunk of their salary dedicated to a player that cannot regularly finish the game on the floor.

Is Boozer's game and disposition a lie? All the on-court yelling and team-first talk?

No, not at all.

Will he be there for the Bulls in the clutch?

If the matchups are right, yes.

All the Boozer-isms are simply a self defense mechanism so he can survive the criticism of the fans and critics. This isn't new to him.

He has never been a great athlete—he was a second-round pick out of Duke. He is used to the naysayers.

Boozer is who he is, and he will be a Bull—until an amnesty clause separates the two parties.