NBA All-Star Game 2011: Does Chicago Bulls F Carlos Boozer Deserve To Go To LA?

Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer made some big comments today. 

Per Bulls beat writer K.C Johnson:

"I know I missed some games with my broken hand, but I feel like I am deserving of an All-Star appearance."

Well Carlos, I agree. Although he has missed 18 games to injury so far, he should be a no-brainer pick for the All-Star Game in Los Angeles this year. 

The Case for Boozer

Boozer has established himself as one of the most important players on the Bulls. Derrick Rose is clearly the alpha dog. But if Rose is off, Carlos Boozer is up to being the lead scorer, which he has shown that he clearly can be if he needs to be. 

Secondly, the top teams in the league usually have more than one All-Star on their team. It's possible that the Heat could have three and the Celtics could have four. If you don't put a second Bulls player on the All-Star team, you have just handed Derrick Rose the MVP. There shouldn't be another first place vote.

To be able to achieve the type of record that the Bulls have...the same thing happened with LeBron James last year, however Boozer is clearly more help than LeBron ever got. Rose still deserves to win the MVP, but not by the same margin that LeBron did. 

Boozer has stepped in and been exactly what the doctor ordered for the Bulls. He averages 19.9 points per game, 10.2 rebounds per game and 2.3 assists per game on a stellar 54.6 percent shooting from the field. He has been a great pick-and-roll partner with Rose as well, due to his ability to both pick and pop and pick and roll. It makes it even more difficult than before to stop both Rose and Boozer. 

Other than that, Boozer has just been a great teammate. When he was out, he was the biggest cheerleader on the whole bench. His Twitter account is a Chicago love-fest. I feel privileged to have him on my favorite team. 

The Competition Is Weak

The two players Boozer would be competing with for an All-Star bid would be Chris Bosh and Kevin Garnett. Likely only two of these players get in, one as a forward, one as utility.

Garnett and Boozer both missed a significant amount of time due to injuries. Boozer has missed a total of 18 games due to injury. Garnett has been injured too, missing nine of the Celtics' games. 

Garnett isn't as much of a scorer as he was in his prime, mostly because he doesn't need to be anymore. He is however a defensive anchor for the Celtics, one of the best defensive teams in the league. If you just went by stats, Boozer would easily make the roster, scoring more points on better percentages and with more boards. 

Garnett likely will make the team over Boozer, but the coaches may have reservations about putting four Celtics on the roster. 

Chris Bosh was a surefire All-Star when he played for Toronto last year. He was one of the few offensive big men in the league who was the focal point of his team. However as LeBron and Wade felt that they were limiting their MVP chances by joining forces, Chris Bosh is limiting his All-Star chances. 

Stats show that Boozer should make the game. He's averaging more points, rebounds and assists on a better field goal percentage. 

Bosh is not playing as well as he has before. He has been a big-man threat to score, but he's not been a low-post threat. His offense has consisted of long jumpers. He has been a third option on a team that has not been as dominant as it should have been. 

That is virtually the opposite of what Boozer has done. Boozer has shown the ability to knock down the jumper, and has been able to muscle with the strong players of the league. He has been a complement to Rose instead of being another option, and has propelled the Bulls far past expectations.

Boozer should make the game over Bosh; it's no contest. 

Conclusions

Boozer has come in and been one of the best forwards on offense in the league. He's instantly transformed the Bulls from borderline to contender. He's helped the Bulls fight through the loss of their starting center, Joakim Noah. Weighing all the facts, Carlos Boozer clearly deserves to be an All-Star.