Has Patience in Carlos Boozer Run Out?

A man was once told he was a valuable human being, a standup guy and a faithful husband. He was rewarded with a massive bonus worth millions. Instead of buying a new house or saving for his children’s college that man went to the strip club.

That’s the feeling in Chicago surrounding Carlos Boozer and his heist of $75 million from the Bulls.

It could get worse with Boozer, but not by much. And when you dole out a fat paycheck like the Bulls did for Boozer, the last thing you want to do is find your self justifying it and the play of the hired talent.

Boozer isn’t the worst power forward in basketball — don’t begin to think that. But the problem that caused the Lockout that has sliced this season, was that owners and teams were shelling out huge contracts to under performing players who didn’t return on the investment.

You won’t find Gar Forman complaining about the Boozer signing, but you do hear it from fans.

The argument could be made that if Boozer’s contract wasn’t on the books, the Bulls could have signed one of the top shooting guards that happened to be on the market this offseason.

Not that Rip Hamilton isn’t a good option, but his string of injuries isn’t making this easier to swallow.

Plus, the rise of Taj Gibson is really drawing a line in the sand for fans as the more Boozer plays so-so basketball and Gibson continues to shine in the minutes he sees the harder to defend and justify Boozer’s play is.

Before Taj and this pleasant of a rise for him, Boozer was criticized but it was an empty gesture because nothing could be done.

But now that Gibson is blossoming into the forward he showed signs of being when he ousted Tyrus Thomas three years ago, it’s not just Boozer followed by nothing better.

The Bulls won’t cut Boozer, that won’t fix anything and will just make things worse. Chicago can bench Boozer in favor of Gibson, but Boozer isn’t known for being a classy guy when his back is against the wall.

As the season wares on and Gibson continues to get better and Boozer continues to look just mild at best, the line in the sand will become more and more defined. Gibson is a free agent after this season and the Bulls will have a huge decision to make in bringin him back and his role with the team.

Every other team in the NBA and their grandmother will be hot after Gibson to make him a starter, where in Chicago he’d continue to come off the bench behind Boozer.

Boozer is productive, the issue is he’s not anywhere near productive as he should be. Is he a scapegoat? Perhaps, Bulls fans were quick to jump all over him for his Houdini-like disappearing act last postseason.

But that was just the seeds of dissent were planted then and they’re blooming into serious doubt in confidence now. Gibson needs to grow some more but if both players continue on their current trajectory, we could be looking at a mid-air collision and that aftermath might be very expensive and very messy.