This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Chicago • Weakened by stomach ulcers that prevented him from eating for a few days, All-Star guard Derrick Rose performed well in two victories last weekend. By insisting on playing as scheduled, Rose impressed a certain Chicago Bulls teammate.
"He could easily be sitting down, chilling, like other stars might do around the league," Carlos Boozer said, "[but] he played through all that stuff."
The irony of Boozer's commentary couldn't be lost on Utah, where his legacy as one of the top scorers and rebounders in Jazz history is shrouded by his missing more than one-fourth of the team's games in six seasons.
The pattern of intermittent success is continuing in Chicago. Boozer has missed 18 games, which likely cost him an NBA All-Star selection, while delivering consistently when he's on the court. The team is overachieving, taking a 34-14 record into Saturday's game at Golden State. Boozer is a major reason, justifying the five-year, $76 million contract he signed in July as the Bulls' key free-agent acquisition after they failed to land LeBron James.
On Wednesday, Boozer will return to EnergySolutions Arena. Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer will join him in an unprecedented reunion of ex-Jazzmen with the team that employed them at this time last season. The three played a combined 800 games in Utah.
"Hopefully," Brewer said, "we'll all get a good reception."
The response to Boozer will be intriguing, even if boos resemble "Booz" of support. More than any Jazz star, perhaps rivaled only by Adrian Dantley, Boozer polarized the team's fans with his injuries and defensive deficiency, amid his offensive prowess.
That's why his mysterious injury in October, tripping over a bag in his home and breaking his hand, inspired derision in Utah and what-have-we-done worry in Chicago. Boozer missed the Bulls' first 15 games and later was sidelined for three games with a sprained ankle. But when he's healthy, he's done everything the Bulls expect of him, accelerating the team's progress during center Joakim Noah's eight-week absence following thumb surgery.
The Bulls are Rose's team. He's introduced nightly as being "from Chicago," although he played collegiately at Memphis, and sales of the hometown product's No. 1 jerseys outnumber anyone else's by about 20-to-1 among United Center fans. But Boozer is also popular.
"He's a great asset to the company," said Bulls fan Dan Adams, wearing Boozer's No. 5. "I didn't think he was going to be doing as much as he has."
Asked if he's relieved to be making a good impression, Boozer said, "No. I mean, I knew I was going to play well."
He's meshing remarkably well with Rose, who said, "If anything, I'm learning from him."
The pick-and-roll relationship that Boozer and Deron Williams developed in Utah is working in Chicago, where Boozer is averaging 19.8 points and 10.2 rebounds.
"Actually, he got up to speed pretty quickly," said coach Tom Thibodeau, who even defends Boozer's work at the other end of the floor.
Boozer has been instrumental in Chicago's success, validating both sides' free-agency decisions.
"If I was going to leave Utah, this just seemed like the right place," Boozer said.
Korver said: "Maybe we weren't the elite superstars they were looking for, but we knew we were pieces that would fit well together, kind of like in Utah."
This isn't saying much, but Chicago is enjoying — by far — its best season since the Michael Jordan era ended in 1998. Having finished 41-41 each of the past two seasons, the Bulls beat Boston, Miami and Orlando in January and are competing for one of the Eastern Conference's top seeds.
The Jazz reached the Western Conference finals only once in Boozer's tenure.
"We competed for that title like crazy," Boozer said. "We fell short, but we had a good group of guys, we worked our butts off, we got better. … I had a blast, man. I learned a lot. I have so much respect for that organization. I miss my teammates, at times, and I root for those guys. I want them to do really well."
Except for Wednesday, when Boozer will be trying to do what he often did — frustrate Jazz fans.
Jazz to Bulls
The three former Jazz players in Chicago are producing similar statistics to last season for their new team:
Carlos Boozer
Season G Min Pts Reb FG%
2009-10 78 34.3 19.5 11.2 .563
2010-11 30 32.1 19.8 10.2 .544
Kyle Korver
2009-10 52 18.3 7.2 2.1 .493
2010-11 48 21.0 8.3 2.0 .425
Ronnie Brewer
2009-10* 53 31.4 9.5 3.4 .495
2010-11 48 23.5 6.4 3.5 .477
*Brewer was traded to Memphis in February 2010 —
No big dropoff
The Chicago Bulls have played through injuries to forward Carlos Boozer and center Joakim Noah. The breakdown of their record (through Friday's games):
Overall • 34-14
With Noah/without Boozer • 9-6
With Noah and Boozer • 7-2
With Boozer/without Noah • 16-5
Without Noah and Boozer • 2-1