Boozer’s Betrayal
Carlos Boozer is an up and coming player in the NBA. He was drafted in the second round from Duke University. He dropped very low in the draft because he played center in college and frankly if he had tried to play center in the NBA he was going to be Vitaly Patapenko reincarnated. So the Cavs selected him in the second round with about as much fanfare as a Mike Fratello offensive scheme. As a low draft pick, Carlos Boozer didn’t make much money by NBA standards, meaning he was only in the top 5% of earners in this country instead of the top POINT 5%.
This upcoming season, the Cavaliers had an option to keep Carlos Boozer for $695,000 which is absurdly low for a player who has proven to be of Boozer’s caliber. The Cleveland general(ly bad) manager, Jim Paxson wanted to make Carlos Boozer happy by giving him a long-term deal. Here is where the problems begin.
Jim Paxson, allegedly, had a verbal agreement (very hard to prove in a court of law) with Carlos Boozer that would pay him $41 million over the next six years. The Cavs agreed to not pick up his option in lieu of Boozer signing the deal after a 14 day waiting period which is enforced by the NBA for no apparent reason. Paxson thought he could trust Carlos Boozer after showing him such a good faith offering and increasing his salary almost 10 times what he was going to make according to the option. Carlos Boozer went back on his word like a typical professional athlete and found a deal with the Utah Jazz for $68 million dollars over six years.
The Cavaliers made the MAXIMUM possible offer to Carlos Boozer according to league rules by offering him approximately $6.8 million per year. Their mistake was taking Carlos Boozer at his word and not putting him in handcuffs by picking up his option before renegotiating. Stupid move by Paxson? Yes. Honestly this is grounds for a firing, as if picking Trajan Langdon, DeSegana Diop, and Jeff Trepagnier in previous drafts wasn’t enough, but at the same time I feel a little badly for him. He was trying to do the right thing by making his player comfortable and showing him some respect and gratitude. Those emotions made him blind to what Boozer and his agent were about to do.
As for Carlos Boozer, this might be one of the most despicable things I have ever seen in Cleveland professional sports history. Art Modell takes away the Browns. Bernie Kosar is cut from the Browns. Jose Mesa blows a game against the Marlins. John Elway’s entire career. Now you, Carlos Boozer, are in the top ten.
I understand that $27 million dollars is no small amount of money. I know that it is every NBA player’s dream to get paid. I know Boozer has been VASTLY underpaid in the last two years, but it isn’t the Cavaliers fault that he dropped to the second round in the NBA draft. The Cavaliers gave him an opportunity to play and as a result he proved to be a good addition to any team, ripping down rebounds and scoring points at a higher clip than many of his counterparts in the first round in similar NBA drafts. Certainly more than any player the Cavs had selected in the first round other than Lebron James.
The Cavs and Jim Paxson realized this too. This is why they were multiplying his salary by 10 this season. If that isn’t going above and beyond the call of duty by a professional sports franchise, I don’t know what is. They could have given him the big proverbial middle finger and made him play for $695,000 this season. They stepped up and gave him what he wanted and he urinated in their overpriced Gund Arena beers this week.
I honestly think that the Cavs should get Boozer back, but not at that hefty price tag. It would be nice to think he would realize what an ass he is and sign the deal he agreed to originally. We all know that isn’t going to happen. Boozer is going to sign with the Jazz and the Cavaliers are going to be set back at least two to three years as a result of this.
Also, in the department of consolation prizes that make you cringe, the NBA will change their 14 day waiting period rules so “something like this never happens again.” For Cleveland, it will be far too effing late for it to matter in the slightest.
If you have never been to Cleveland, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to it. Welcome to the last 25 years of my life.
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Craig,
All I can say is that the Cavs were not innocent here either. They were trying to lock Boozer into a 6-year deal at the MLE instead of having to give him a much larger deal in a year. The Cavs had motives beyond giving Boozer a raise. He is a dick for sticking it to them, but what did they expect with a non-binding agreement.
Chris
I can agree with you to an extent, but my deal is that Boozer shouldn’t have lied to them. If he has a problem with the MLE then he says, he only wants a three or four year deal at 7 million a year instead of the 6 and we have no problems. By verbally agreeing and then effing the cavs he is more in the wrong. I just keep thinking they could have made him play for 700k and it makes me sick to my stomach the way this all went down.
I know next to nothing about this situation (and many others) but what about the following scenario: Assume Boozer simply doesn’t want to play for the Cavs. If he makes that known while the option is still alive, the Cavs exercise and lock him in for next to nothing. Then they get to choose where and when he goes. If he wants to leave AND determine his own fate, he basically has to lie to them. Right?
I guess so. He could have waited one more year and been a restricted free agent at the end of next year.
I feel bad for you guys. Whaddya say we send over Raef Lafrenz? Make you feel better? Eh? Kiddo? You still there?
OK, if you send us Raef Lafrentz AND one of those many championships, I would be happy.
Imagine if when you finally got Bird in the Garden if Kevin McHale screwed over your team to go play in Utah. I know it is WAY premature, but that is kind of how I feel with Lebron.