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Boozer awaits new NBA home
Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer gets down on the gym floor so he's eye-level with some of the younger kids attending the Benny Fragela All-Star Basketball Camp he runs with his friend Benny Fragela Monday, July 20, 2009, at Gulliver Prep School in South Miami. Boozer has a home here and lives in Miami during the NBA off-season. (Photo by John VanBeekum / For The Miami Herald) John VanBeekum / Miami Herald
BY MIC E KAUFMAN
Two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer said he and the Utah Jazz have ``mutually agreed'' to a trade, and it would be ``a beautiful thing'' if he could wind up reunited with Olympic teammate Dwyane Wade on the Heat.
Boozer, who owns a waterfront house in Miami and has spent the past five off-seasons here, runs a summer basketball camp at Gulliver Prep Academy in Kendall and said he considers Miami home.
''My wife [CeCe] and I first came here for tax reasons, and fell in love with it,'' Boozer said Monday. ``Love the palm trees, the laid-back at ude, the sun, quality of life. It's like paradise here, and I would love to be part of the Heat. They're a very good team, and I'm real close to some of the guys. Dwyane and I started to get close at the Athens Olympics in 2004, and I'd love to play on his team. Plus, I already live here. I'm just waiting to see what happens.''
Boozer, 27, said he and the Jazz have ``mutually agreed'' to a trade, and it's just a matter of finding the right fit and making it happen.'' He said there is no timetable, and the first thing he does every morning is check his cell phone to see if there are any messages about his next destination.
The Heat, in the market for another forward, have shown interest in Boozer and in Los Angeles free agent Lamar Odom, another friend of Wade's who used to play for the Heat. Odom's price tag has been reported at $34 million over five years. Boozer has one year left on his Jazz contract, and was due to be paid $12.7 million next season. Utah is looking to dump his salary to match Portland's $32 million offer sheet for Paul Millsap.
The Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks have also been mentioned as possible suitors for Boozer. He said he is ``excited'' to begin the next chapter of his career, no matter where it may be, but Miami is his No. 1 choice.
There are so many reasons I feel at home here, and I would love to be part of the Heat organization,'' he said. One reason near to his heart is that in 2007, doctors at Miami Children's Hospital performed a successful bone marrow transplant on his then 14-month-old son, Carmani, to cure him of sickle cell anemia. Carmani, now 3, is healthy and happy, along with twin 2-year-old siblings Cameron and Cayden. Half of the proceeds from Boozer's camp are donated to families of children with sickle cell anemia
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/brea...y/1149794.html
cool.
I don't care where he goes, just as long as it's far away from here. Well, maybe I'd care a little bit if the Lakers snagged him.
He's too gd short and it always comes back to haunt his team come playoff time.
Now, I'd give my left nut for Kirilenko to the Lakers, but, that ain't gonna happen.
hes not that good... but hes better then Haslem thats for sure
I just think he is in dire need of a change. Sloan has stunted him. He still has some prime left. But, yer right: the contract is prohibitive.
AK fell off a cliff when we got Booze. He's still one of the cooler players I've ever watched and I firmly believe his decline is 100% attributable to his psyche and how it fits in with the Jazz roster.
There's not a doubt in my mind that given the right cir stances he could again play like he did when he earned that contract. Maybe not in Utah, but somewhere, AK-47 could flourish.
Not that he would in LA necessarily, but if he were hypothetically playing up to his potential, AK is still worth significant money.
If I had my druthers I'd take Kirilenko over Odom like in an instant. He'd work well in Los Angeles, and I know I'm just fantasizing to the max, but, it would be special.
kirelenko is trash. its sad people thought he was the second coming of pippen
Boozer can be a very good player when he's healthy and motivated.
He probably has one of the best midrange jumpers for a PF in the game, and he gets away with so much shoving under the rim his rebounding numbers are pretty good.
Why? He would be a big downgrade for us.
Your Jazz will be a better team once he departs. I would like to see Jerry Sloan get a ring before he retires. He deserves a Championship!
If the Heat can have a Wade-Odom-Boozer team-up, they will be either the 4th or 5th best team in the East behind the Cavs, Magic, Celtics.
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