Kobe & Carlos cut from the same cloth?

[Alex]

I'd like to sit Carlos in a room and have elementary school students read from the following stories while Carlos listens...

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/plaind...8052953850.xml
"[Boozer] is my rock right now," Cavaliers coach Paul Silas said. (this article is hard to read without getting angry at what has since happened).
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http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/bo...at_040212.html
Carlos Boozer: Thanks to all the fans, who wrote in. I appreciate the support. Stick with me and the Cavs and I think you'll see some big things in the future. Thanks again.

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http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/boozer_article.html
Says Boozer, ?Coach says you either get better in this league or you get worse. I?m one of those guys who wants to keep getting better and better.?

Together they worked to change Boozer?s shot, moving his shooting pocket back to his right side, which made it easier to have a consistent touch as fatigue sets in late in the game. Boozer used to aim the ball with his left eye, but he switched to his right to correspond with the change in his shooting pocket. His tendency to stick his elbow out when he shot the ball?commonly referred to as a ?flying elbow??was corrected, and that helped him become more proficient in his shooting. Silas can see how the hard work has paid dividends.

?Once we changed his shot, I think it opened up a whole new world for him. He became more consistent with his outside shot that complements his already strong inside game,? Silas said
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http://www.slamonline.com/magazine/features/Boozer80/
The topic is Carlos Boozer. The question: Is keeping the second-year power forward in wine and gold a big priority for this team?

The answer: "No question about it."

After a pause, Silas expands the answer. "He's shown that he's special, and to lose him-" and here, the coach lifts his head to make eye contact with the questioner, and The Look emerges in spine-chilling fashion - "to lose him would be very...upsetting to me."

Have we over-dramatized the preceding exchange to enhance our point? Maybe we have, but we were there, so you'll have to take our word for it. The undeniable fact is that, when asked to consider the possibility of seeing Carlos Boozer in another uniform, Paul Silas does indeed look like he wants to break someone in half. And if that doesn't make our point, nothing does - the point being, Carlos Boozer is for real. (this article was written during last season!)
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http://celtics.bostonherald.com/othe...=15827&format=
Looking across the room, Silas spoke like a proud father as he talked about one of his best players.
``Yeah,'' the coach said when asked if he sees a lot of himself in Boozer. ``But he can shoot a lot better than I ever could. C-Booz has a chance to be a great player.''
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http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?B...&PAG=461&rfi=9
Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe reportedly put in a call recently to the agent for Cavaliers power forward Carlos Boozer. Vandeweghe reportedly came away from the conversation with the impression that Boozer, a restricted free agent, would re-sign with the Cavaliers.
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http://166.70.44.66/2004/Jan/01182004/sports/sports.asp
Jazz: Boozer drowns all of Cavs' sorrows

By Phil Miller
The Salt Lake Tribune Add the Jazz to the growing list of teams who are jealous of the Cavaliers' prize draft pick.
Last year's pick.
LeBron James may be King James, but as far as the Jazz are concerned, that must make Carlos Boozer emperor. Boozer, who ended up in Cleveland as a second-round pick a year before James when the Jazz passed him over in the 2002 draft, dominated Utah all night Saturday, especially when it mattered most.
Boozer scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, 10 more in overtime when James was injured, and led Cleveland, which trailed by 14 with seven minutes left, to a 102-96 comeback victory over the Jazz.

With Boozer around, it didn't matter. "He was the big difference," Sloan said. "He kicked our butt inside."

Without James, Boozer took over in the overtime, scoring eight straight Cleveland points, all of them next to the basket, to turn a tie game into a 97-94 lead.

"Carlos was exceptional tonight," added Cavs coach Paul Silas. "Without him, there is no way this could have happened."

. The Jazz were outrebounded 52-33, with Boozer collecting 18 for Cleveland.
[email protected]avs 102,
Jazz 96

<font color="#a62a2a"><font size="1">[ July 13, 2004 09:14 AM: Message edited by: Alex ]</font></font>

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ July 13, 2004 09:23 AM: Message edited by: Alex ]</font>

[Alex]

I had no idea that Boozer and Kobe had the same agent! That is utterly bizarre.

I heard Boozer has fired his agent.

I'm surprised Kobe's wife hasn't had him fired for visting Denver.

yeeesh.

[Alex]

Should Kobe really consider Denver in his search for a new team? How does Kobe's wife feel about moving to the state that houses the women who went to Kobe's room?

Most women would not tolerate even the thought of moving to a state that may put their husband in jail.

Wait a minute, if Denver signs Kobe would Kobe really be put in jail just a few months later? Would the good people of Denver send a player they will be paying 20 million a year to jail? Has Kobe tampered with the trial by visiting Denver and courting Denver as a possible place he will end up in?

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Carlos Boozer, Carlos Boozer. I found several stories that all point to the road that Carlos wants to make a name for himself and Cleveland, and that he likes it in Cleveland. Carlos even stated that he had motivation for being drafted with the 35 th pick rather than being drafted earlier on.

Utah passed over Carlos with the 18th pick, yet now that is all water under the bridge for Carlos.

I'm most upset with the money that was wasted on Newble and to a lesser degree on Ollie. (I'm sure Ollie was brought in to mentor Lebron).

The "rules" that are in place in the NBA seem a bit too restrictive and in some ways are quite unAmerican and perhaps even unconstitutional. Allegedly we can't even match Utah's offer to Carlos even if we wanted? It seems that the "mid-level exception" should be flexible on some level.

The wisest move should have been to re-sign Carlos and then offer him a long term deal, but that probably wasn't allowed based on NBA rules. I think lying about one's intentions
is a form of fraud.