Carlos Boozer: Chicago Bull Needs to Step Up

This has been the season of feel good.

The headlines have been sunny and cheery as we’ve grown accustomed to stories of the humble 22 year old who just wants to “ween," the pragmatic, boarding on obsessive, head coach who lives in the film room and the rise of the “Bench Mob” lead by Ronnie Brewer (best said in Stacey King Voice) and Omer “Omie-don’t-play-that” Asik.

But lost in the talk of MVPs and a race for NBA supremacy has been the play of Carlos Boozer.

Boozer has been flat-out terrible in the month of March, averaging just over 12 points and seven rebounds, while looking confused and befuddled on offense. Add that to his reputation bearing “I-Pass” defense—and Boozer has become a detriment to the Bulls.

It hasn’t been this way all season as Boozer, after missing the first 15 games of season, came out strong averaging his customary 20 and 10 in December, followed by months of 19 and 11 and a solid February of 17 and eight.

But the continual regression of production took a steep ascension earlier this month as Joakim Noah returned on February 23.

Brought together with visions of a dominant and complementary front court, Boozer and Noah have struggled to coexist. The combination seems to affect Boozer more so than it does Noah, as the latter has seen only slight decreases in his scoring and rebounding—to be expected after being paired with another solid rebounder.

For Boozer, there's no easy explanation.

The fact that Boozer’s scoring and rebounding numbers have steadily and increasingly declined only tells half the story. The Bulls feature a deep and talented roster built around Derrick Rose and a spread of scoring. On some nights, the touches and the opportunities won’t be there for every player—outside of Rose—to score 20-plus points.

What’s been alarming about the poor play of Boozer has been what he’s done with those touches—and an apparent lack of explosion.

When Boozer has received the ball on the low post or even the free-throw line extended—a favorable spot for him—he has seemed unsure and uneasy, looking uncomfortable and indecisive on what to do with the ball.

That's very alarming for someone who is considered the No. 2 option on a championship-caliber team.

Another observation has been a lack of explosion to the rim from Boozer. Time after time, Boozer has caught the ball in the low post and flipped the ball softly to the rim. Boozer has never been a great leaper, but one of his best assets has always been his ability to finish at the rim.

A lack of explosion is hindering Boozer from doing so.

Whatever is wrong with Boozer, it needs to be corrected. Whether it’s a lack of cohesion with Joakim Noah or something else I'm ignorant of, the Bulls are going to need a healthy and productive Carlos Boozer if they want to win any series with the elite of the league.