Carlos Boozer’s Amnesty? The Legion Of Booz Speaks!

Mar 28, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer (5) scores past Portland Trail Blazers center Robin Lopez (42) during the second half at the United Center. Portland won 91-74. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Well, well, well and well. What’s with all of these ridiculous trade rumors that are going out these days about Carlos Boozer? I felt as the Executive Advocate on the Legion of Booz, the most polarizing group in all of Pippen Ain’t Easy should have a say in what is going on. Looks like the Carlos Boozer amnestying situation may not be as much of a slam dunk (pun intended) as I thought. Man it looks like the Chicago Bulls are actually considering shooting themselves in the foot.

I have heard some of the most ridiculous rumors and scenarios about where Carlos Boozer could be traded to. I’ve read New York (No way that’s happening unless you take back the idiot with the tattoos J.R. Smith.) I’ve heard Los Angeles (That’s possible, Jim Buss is the owner.) Anyway, as mad as some of you get over these articles, it’s starting to look like one statement that the Legion of Booz said is starting to rear its ugly head. Jerry Reinsdorf is starting to have a real problem dropping 16.8 million dollars to watch Carlos Boozer walk out the door and play for another team. Are you surprised? Could Boozer stick around? Don’t be surprised if he does.

I’m going to use an example that is a  perfect six degrees of separation for you Pippen Peoples. When I covered the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) a few years back, Michael Jordan had a player on his team by the name of Tyrus Thomas. You guys remember him. He’s the guy you traded for in a draft night deal for LaMarcus Aldridge that All-star  guy in Portland? Remember how bad he was in Chicago? Well he was ten times worse in Charlotte. He was so bad, that for two years everyone in the city just knew Jordan was going to use the  amnesty clause on him. For two years, Charlotte used that same ridiculous strategy the Bulls are trying to use. Let’s see what we can get for him.

The only problem with that strategy is this. The last time I checked,  some NBA executives  and officials were born with eyes and know what was going on. Charlotte couldn’t get more than a cigarette, some lint and warm milk for Thomas. But Jordan was going to trade Thomas no matter what, or so he thought. There was no way that he was going to pay out all that money just so Thomas could walk. Oh, you guys didn’t know? Oh Michael Jordan is cheap too. Tyrus Thomas was eventually amnestied, but I’m going out on a limb to say Charlotte’s general manager Rich Cho, had to do a TON of convincing before he did it. Trust me.

There is no way Carlos Boozer is going to be traded out of Chicago without a toxic contract coming back in return. Why? Because everyone knows how badly the Bulls want to be rid of Carlos Boozer’s contract so they can make moves in free agency. Everybody knows that the Bulls HAVE to get rid of Boozer under any circumstances. Forget the contract, Tom Thibodeau and Boozer has been waging war behind the scenes over playing time  all season long. Does anyone believe that the Bulls have basically handed the starting power forward position to Taj Gibson? Yeah me too. If we know, don’t you think the NBA circles know too?Any deal that is offered will be laced with a contract so bad that the Bulls will be back in the same boat, just with a different player.

For the knowledge for all of the Pippen Peoples out there, let’s go over what amnesty means. The amnesty clause was one of the provisions under the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement. Each NBA team has an opportunity to cut a player from the salary cap under the normal waiver process just as long as the contract was in effect BEFORE 2011. So for all of the Derrick Rose haters out there, it cannot be used on Derrick Rose. Sorry, pay the man. Carlos Boozer is the only player in which this provision makes sense, which by the way has a use or lose it clause that ends in a couple of years.

The Legion of Booz has not changed its position on realizing that Carlos Boozer needs to leave Chicago. The only thing is the Bulls may not want him out-of-town as badly as they want everyone to think. Why didn’t they trade Boozer out at the trading deadline last year? The rumors were already out that Taj Gibson was going to be the future of the Bulls. Stevie Wonder could see that. What’s the issue? The Chicago Bulls were sure they were going to amnesty Boozer this offseason. Now they want to trade him. What next? The Bulls wait until the trading deadline next year. Don’t sleep on it.

Just so everyone knows, the amnesty period is not until July 10-16. The Bulls can’t do anything until then. But if Reinsdorf starts to think about balancing his checkbook and wonders why he has to pay a player nearly 17 million dollars to play for someone else next year (I would think Miami would be a nice fit) you may have about another 100 Legion of Booz reports next year. Wouldn’t that be fun? But seriously folks, that week will be interesting, trust me. Also, we all need to watch on draft night. If Danny Ainge can unload Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in the same night ANYTHING is possible.

Don’t be shocked if that amnesty provision is still unused on July 17th. Everyone agrees that it should be used, but Bulls fans you might have to convince Jerry Reinsdorf that it needs to be done. Believe me based on his spending habits since I started covering this team, he’s not convinced yet.