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Lakers Submitted Winning Bid To Claim Amnestied Forward Carlos Boozer

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I actually don’t know what to say about this. Here’s Marc Stein from ESPN with this news:

I don’t get it.

The Lakers paid a LOT of money to keep Jordan Hill. They drafted a promising Julius Randle. Just yesterday, they claimed Ed Davis. And we all thought that it’s inevitable for Ryan Kelly to come back. I was looking forward to the Lakers developing these young players and seeing if Jordan Hill can be a 30-minute-per-game player.

This Carlos Boozer acquisition mucks it all up. I mean, what am I not seeing here that the Lakers are? Boozer is going to take away lots of minutes from the young guys. He’s a better fit for a contending team and we all know that the Lakers are far from that. Why stunt Randle’s development?

Boozer is pretty much all midrange jumpers at this point of his career. Your grandmother can play better defense than him and Boozer yells more than an intense Street Fighter II fight. I mean, I guess he can be the grizzled veteran that can mentor the kids here but I think I’m pushing it at this point.

Yeah. I’m not a fan of this transaction. And I’m actually NICER than a lot of people about Carlos Boozer.


Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. BigCitySid says

    I wondered if the Lakers would be interested in Boozer w/ all the aforementioned players you listed…and obviously the answer is yes. I’m assuming it’s a one year deal and since the Lakers are not going anywhere North in the standings this season, one or more of their bigs could conceivable be used in a mid-season trade with a contender who lost someone to an injury for draft picks. Meanwhile, the Lakers pre-season camp just became more interesting.

  5. J C says

    Wow. Ok so I was just asking earlier and now we have him.
    IMO we need bodies.
    So I like this pickup.
    A veteran voice and insurance against injuries – remember last year?
    I have a feeling they felt like he was a good value.
    So we have
    Randle
    Boozer
    Hill
    Davis
    Kelly
    That’s 5 bigs.
    That’s not too many.
    It may create some healthy competition for playing time between
    Randle, Davis, and Kelly.
    (Not counting Sacre.)
    Randle may start ahead of Boozer.
    Or Randle may struggle or have foot issues.
    At least we should have enough rebounders!

  7. Matt R. says

    I don’t care for how much. This is a TERRIBLE signing. It serves ZERO purpose. He’s worse than a 0 on defense. His offense is TERRIBLE.

    If we’re going to be bad, at least we can be bad with young guys learning to play. What is Mitch doing? Is this Jim Buss directing the action? Is it a stoned frog? Because seriously, why do you give so much money to Hill on an untradeable deal, then get a better option for less money, and THEN go get freaking Boozer?

    Also, maybe we should setup a rotation of people to call Darius once a week, just to make sure he’s OK.

  8. Baylor Fan says

    As much promise as Randle has, he is not ready to start in the NBA. He needs to develop a reliable jump shot and refine his drives to the basket. Boozer will give the Lakers a reliable offensive front court player which they currently do not have. Next, Boozer will be a useful trade chip for a team needing offense at the trade deadline (the salary will be right). Finally, we still do not know who the Lakers coach will be and maybe he wanted Boozer.

  9. Anthony says

    I agree went are they over stocking the cupboards with powerforwards? If Boozer makes that much difference to a playoff team, you would think that the Bulls would have kept him. Yeah Pau for a boozer makes better sense although I always thought pau was a major liability on defense but both are good midrange no defense playing forwards.

  11. minorthreatt says

    Not happy about this but pretty predictable. One step forward (Davis), one step back (Booz). Supports the claim that they’re trying to show they’re trying…without actually, er, trying.

    The real downside is besides taking minutes from young guys, Boozer might just win you a couple of meaningless games. Might not make any difference to us, but to Phoenix instead. And then again…

  12. Hebisner says

    I doubt they paid all that much for him and they needed some reliable scoring in the front court rotation now that Pau is gone. If the price was right, this was a good pickup. They will have alot of young players on the roster aside from Kobe ans Swaggy P and some reasonably priced veteran help in the front court will help. The Lakers were not going to be a defensive juggarnaut with the lineup they had before boozer.

  13. Anonymous says

    Lakers should’ve traded Nash and something else for Bledsoe and go after Monroe man. Another horrible season is coming.

  14. Chearn says

    Sigh…indeed, these are dog days for the Lakers.

    What can a team do with two defensive players on the entire team? I think the Lakers are going to rehire D’Antoni!

  15. minorthreatt says

    Funny thing is, I remember years ago when it was announced we’d acquired Boozer from the Jazz for Caron Butler. Everyone was stoked, pre-Pau. Ah well…

  16. Arnold says

    Totally agree with you. We have a chance to develop Randle and gave a real break to Davis and this happen. Know I think the center minutes goes to David and Hill. And the Power. Foward to Boozer and Randle.

  17. Anonymous says

    I don’t understand how Mitch and the buss family can be so dumb in this. A lot of talent and they go after a dinosaur. Sigh

  19. J C says

    The only players this may take minutes away from are Kelly and Sacre. I’m ok with that.
    Boozer probably cost 1.5 mil.
    He’s not a franchise savior but he’s a serviceable veteran.
    I see this is a good move along with the Randle and Clarkson drafts.
    Boozer will contribute.

  20. Eric says

    My god what can Boozer possibly do other than offer a scoring punch off the bench. Because literally he is a corpse except for the occasional midrange jumper.

    Terrible decision. Those minutes deserve to go to youthful players to show them the ropes. And before anyone else tells me our youngsters aren’t ready to play. Let me remind you that we have guys who do literally EVERYTHING better than Boozer but shoot mid range jumpers. I want to amnesty my fandom for the season if Julius isn’t starting.

  21. Anonymous says

    Depends on how much and the coach. One situation where you hope for a Mike Dantoni approach and bench the tapped out veteran in order to develop younger talent.

  23. Justin says

    Wow you guys are way over reacting. You act like they promised Boozer the starting spot and 35 minutes a night. Having additional bigs is a good thing. Big guys always get hurt. Boozer gives plenty of insurance in case Hill (missed a ton of minutes last few seasons) or Davis go down. Boozer had a PER of 14.5 last year. He is better than people give him credit for. Averaged 14 PPG and 8 RPG in 28 minutes last year. That is better than most bench bigs.

    Plus people are forgetting that this means the Lakers can trade a big during the season and not worrying about getting one back. Having another big is almost never a bad thing. Almost every team begs for a big that can walk and chew gum at the same time by mid season when injuries add up. This will be far better than a D-League call up. I expect Boozer to get 20 minutes a night at most. And it allows them to also experiment with going big (Randle at the three, Davis and Hill at the 4 and 5 with Boozer coming in if one gets winded or in foul trouble).

    I can’t believe how many people are whinning about having options and a safety net big.

  24. LordMo says

    This is a good move because Boozer is a serviceable player and can give you solid minutes at the 4 and spot minutes at the 5. It also provides the Lakers with some needed toughness inside with he and Hill some bodies to bang with . Even tho Boozer is a downgrade from Gasol he might well be a better fit for the Lakers roster in the long run. Gives us some inside offense and some muscle and can transition to a key reserve ala Mychal Thompson back in the day. Gasol definitely could have filled both roles better but this is a better overall value option because Boozer while a notch below in game does not command the salary.

    The Lakers must show the Tier 1 free agents in the coming few years that they will have a competitive team. We will need a good solid roster with at least 8 to 10 solid NBA caliber players who can really contribute to the rotation on a nightly basis. We are not there yet but while I have questioned some of our moves I can say this the Lakers win always strive to win.

    Continue to build the roster draft some youthful talent,sign some key free agents and maybe a trade or two. I have faith Mitch! Lakers Baby!

  25. Anonymous says

    I wonder if the front office got the memo, defense was the problem not offense.

  27. Nick Van Exile says

    A list of Rob Pelinka’s clients that are on or were on the Lakers:
    Kobe, Boozer, Ariza, Fisher, Vujacic, Wes Johnson, Kaman

    Two of Pelinka’s newest clients:
    Andre Drummond and Dante Exum

    Just stating facts lol

  29. Aevi says

    Thank god for plan B, right? Ugh… SMH. At least we can try trading him as an expiring after 30 days, maybe near the deadline to a contending team. Not the worst idea in the world to have Randle come off the bench, to play bullyball against other teams’ 2nd string bigs.

  30. bryan S. says

    Okay, sorry! Back from talking a blogger off a ledge . . . .

    My best spin: Another vet big who can still score, set screens and run the pick and roll. If this team makes the playoffs, the half court game becomes much more important and Boozer might help there. Defensively he might be able to play some 5, a la Sacre, having the requisite ballast for it.

    And maybe, just maybe, the Lakers, and some people here (myself for sure) see Randle as a power three with point forward skills who could play minutes with Boozer and other bigs.

    I am also thinking that R. Kelly might also be a three; with his good mobility, length, decent shooting range and excellent team defensive ability.

    So, there might be room for this old guy, and it won’t hurt the development of young guys. Further, he can always sit next to Nash.

  31. Ryan says

    Huh? Ryan Kelly is complete garbage as a player. I don’t want to see him play one minute. What would the Lakers be developing him for? The team in Europe he ends up on? Sorry dude but young assets are only good if they don’t suck.

    I don’t care that much about Boozer either way but the Lakers need 12 players and they got him for cheap. I’ll say this, if he’s such an awful player how come he’s ALWAYS on good teams. IMO the most important stat is wins.

  32. Fern says

    This is a head scratcher, i have a looot to things to say about this but i keep them to myself. Major turnoff and looks like a panic move. Just stupid. What? They are going to bury Julius on the bench?Kelly the new guy Davis? Because those are the guys that will suffer. Unbeliavable, i mean, whats the rationale behind this?He is not an expiring contract so he is bot even an asset that can be traded.

  33. Rolando says

    Great addition for 3.25M. I think he Will start over Randle because has more experience and JR had a lot of work ahead of him. Besides Boozer can have a lot of minutes at center, leavin’ plenty for JR. Nice fit, i was stunned when i first read About CB. Good job, Mitch!

  35. dxmanners says

    Not a bad pickup. Guys get hurt (Hill), get into foul trouble (I’ll bet Randle), guys can’t score and foul (Sacre). Can pick and roll with Lin.

    Two time All Star, still only 32. This added depth also enables you to move some guys at the deadline for future picks. 20 minutes a night, I’ll bet he contributes. If he was part of the Pau trade, people wouldn’t be screaming so much.

    Lakers biggest problem for the foreseeable future is that they’re in the Western Conference, it’s a killer…

  36. Aevi says

    Stein: “ESPN sources say that Lakers won Carlos Boozer auction with a high bid of $3.25 million”. A little over $3M for a $16.8M expiring isn’t bad.

  37. T. Rogers says

    Couldn’t the Lakers have taken Boozer back in a sign and trade for Gasol and possibly got a pick as well? If it is simply about “getting bodies” why not do it that way? At least they could add to their draft picks. And a first rounder would have been really sweet. They didn’t like what Chicago was offering apparently. But they end up with Boozer anyway. Major head scratcher here.

    I just hope this doesn’t take floor time from Randle and Kelly. If the team is going to be bad, then let the young up and comers make their bones on the floor.

  39. sufian says

    I really would like the Lakers to keep Ryan Kelly. It will be a mistake if we let him go, i believe he has the type of IQ and skills to be a great 7th man on a championship team.

  40. KO says

    He cost Lakers $3.25 million. Guess U didn’t see him enough last year but isen’t ‘ the ok for 10 and 5 playing 16 to 18? Can’t have Randel playing 40 a game especially with questions about his ankle.

    Besides we all might need a guy called “boozer” next year.

  41. Anonymous says

    bryan S. July 17, 2014 at 3:15 pm

    Further, he can always sit next to Nash.

    ———————————————————-
    Right, let’s not forget people were mentioning Bynum and Oden (apparently seriously!)

    At least Boozer can play a little. Is it only a one year deal? Please.

  42. rr says

    Not seeing why they did this. I will give the FO the short-term BOTD and see if it is setting up something else, but as it stands it seems like a poor use of resources.

  43. Fern says

    So he is going to take valuable minutes from Randle,Davis and Kelly, someone clarify this for me, he is an expiring contract right? I know the Bulls are the ones eating his salary but what salary counts against our cap? Whatever we pay him? Or the money Chicago owe him, because if what counts against our cap is just what we will pay him, i think its a stupid move. As stupid as offering Nowinsky a max salary, that must be one of the dumbest decisions i seen the last 10 years. We dodged that bullet loaded with stupid.

  44. Shaun says

    Randle playing the 3 depends on his shooting but kelly can definetly play the 3 as a bigger 3 instead of beasley… im guessing beasly option is gone and Henry might be our last signing

    I like the boozer signing – gives randle a sparring buddy in practice + could be our starting pf if randle isnt ready – to me this makes davis our backup c ….. I wonder if daviss camp is pissed now since he will be splitting time at pf/c with hill and randle and boozer as a 4 man rotation instead of 3

    Overall I find our team is full of cast-offs who will all be getting the chance to prove that they are worth it, the energy should be up at all times with the team – hollins would have been an awesone coach – still think karl would be great but with boozer it makes sense is bryon gets hired … but if he does I worry about the rookies getting developed

    Boozer at 2mil is a great signing -as much as the zach lowes of the world wanna rail on him boozer still has talent and his per from last year when the paint was clogged for every chicago game without drose isint really a good representation – boozer on a team with kobe, lin, clarkson and maybe nash creating space for him could be great and he could possibly bring us 70-80% of what pau brougt to the team

    Great job front office

    As of now that brings us to
    Pg – lin, clarkson, nash
    Sg- kobe (lin), (clarkson)
    Sf – young, kelly, (kobe), (randle)
    Pf – randle , boozer
    C -hill, davis, sacre

    1-2 signings left – lets see if the remaining fas now like our team and want to come on our side

    Personally the bad thing is, in my view we are actually better than houston now, and may give pheonix our pick this year

  45. rr says

    KO,

    ISTM that splitting the frontcourt minutes among Randle, Hill, Davis, and Kelly, with some occasional Sacre blues, would be the way to go here. Boozer will be 33 years old in November, and he just isn’t a particularly good player anymore.

  46. Kenny T says

    Agree with Justin’s post. Not crazy about Boozer, but the Lakers need bodies. If he’s cheap, and a potential trading chip for a draft choice or two moving forward, I can live with it. My biggest concern is that the Lakers have a bunch of power forwards who will be be forced to play center because Robert Sacre is the only big with the size an NBA center should have. The Knicks supposedly picked up Jason Smith, who was the sort of available big that that Lakers need. The team needs a center. Duh!!

  47. Francis Hearn says

    I see Randle as more of a 3 offensively for sure. Right now he is quick enough to guard most 3’s on the wings as well. A Power lineup could be intriguing to start with:

    Lin
    Kobe
    Randle
    Boozer
    Hill

  48. barry_g says

    Do we get the full value of Boozer’s expiring contract, or is his expiring contract only worth the $3.25M we paid? If the former, then that could be a huge asset as we approach the trade deadline and teams have pressure on them to make moves.

  49. MG says

    Folks should wait to bellyache till they have all the information. His #’s are far better than Davis’, yet we all cheered the Davis signing at a cheap # and bemoaned the Boozer signing at a cheap #. Looks to me like this is the precursor to something else. They needed a center, someone in the low post, for one thing. And for another, off a waiver claim, he was cheap and they only had to commit to him for a single year. This avoids having to invest significant $ or years in a center right now like Monroe or a total risk like Bynum. Instead, they can take saved $, possibly stretch Nash, renounce Kelly, and make other maneuvers to pursue a young and talented player with potential to be part of the team for some time to come in a position where they are truly weak–the wing. Specifically, it gives them the opportunity to pursue Bledsoe or Turner right now. Bledsoe won’t get a max from anyone, Suns have three other pt. guards who are cheaper ,and they want to save cap space for next year. They can maneuver to pay him a short deal more than the Suns would like and possibly steal him, giving Bledsoe a chance to try again for the big contract if he proves himself when Lakers would have his Bird rights. Failing that, if Suns kept him, they would at least help drive up the Suns spending and reduce their flexibility for next year’s FA cycle. Or, they could pursue Turner, who is very young and talented and looked promising until things went south when he was traded. His stock has fallen, not many offers. A chance to win the starting SF job for the Lakers on a short deal to redeem himself, be mentored by KB and if it works out be part of a rebuilt Lakers or win a future big contract elsewhere might be attractive to him. I think grabbing Boozer this way helps them in their pursuit of a wing player and I’d suggest that is what it was all about. So don’t lament so much folks. As with other things in life, one thing often leads to another.

  51. rubenowski says

    I think its a good pickup just in case they can get something in return for his expiring. Maybe we’ll make something happen down the line.

  52. Todd says

    Not sure about this move. Boozer did not get off the bench for the Bulls during any 4th quarter playoff action. I don’t think he has much left in the tank.

    Again, what are the Lakers doing? One day they are shooting the moon for max players. The next they adding scrubs to fill around their few gems. Now they get a veteran who they project to play serious minutes.

    In this case it really doesn’t matter. Boozer is near the end and I don’t his performance will merit much playing time beyond December.

  54. jameskatt says

    The Spurs develop their rookies into stars by giving them minutes while resting the veterans.

    The Lakers muck up their rookies so that they don’t know how to play the game. And eventually they all leave the Lakers. Kobe is the one exception.

  56. Shaun says

    He is 2 years younger than pau

    We cannot trade him as per the amnesty rules, do we gain his bird rights?

    We also have kept him off of houston,
    which makes their team worse as he was gonna head there if he cleared waivers – a cute way to make sure we get their pick + is a name we can sell most fans on (not the diehards)

  59. George Best says

    great pickup for many reasons already mentioned. too many think we are getting young and developing good players because we sign other teams washed out first rounders. Ryan Kelly,Sacre, Johnson, Bazemore et al all suck and have no business on our roster. Getting those typesare what you do when you can’t be bad enough to get a top pick or be good enough to be a contender.

    while Boozer is what he is, for the price he makes us better and unless you are wanting us to be one of the worst teams in the league this move only helps Randle and he isn’t taking minutes away from anyone that matters.

    Give the fo credit for this move.

  60. kooguy says

    Per ESPN.com,
    boozer: 6′ 9″, 266 lbs
    randle 6′ 9″, 250 lbs

    So what’s so bad about spending $3.25M on a old guy who once averaged a 20.9 pts / 11.7 reb / 3.0 ast on 56.1% FG% (07-08, Utah)? Boozer had another 20/10 season the next year.

    Boozer’s not great right now, but he can certainly teach a young guy how to score and rebound as a undersized PF. I think it’s a solid pickup at low risk and low cost and as others have mentioned, bigs tend to get injured and you can always use another 4/5.

  61. mike says

    He has strengths, rebounding for instance- 25th in the league total rebounds, and 12th in rebounds/48 among the 120 players over 2000 minutes

  62. NYLAKERS says

    Boozer is no scrub…the guy can play and has a high basketball IQ…we need a big with tenure around the league…a few months ago we all saw MDA put Wes Johnson on David West…we all know how that worked out…we actually need Boozer…i think its a great move.

  63. LakerEric says

    Lakersground mods going off on us who hate the offseason moves. LOL. They can kiss my butt with their holier than thou attitude while the front office contradicts everything they say they are doing. The Jim Buss era I was willing to give a shot but he is failing at a rapid pace. It’s so sad what this franchise has become. The Boozer claim justifies it!

  64. Patrick Lanigan says

    This signing seems to suggest that management hasn’t accepted that the Lakers are going to be a bad team next year, and the primary goal for next season ought to be to find young assets (like Davis, whose minutes will now surely be reduced–and spare me the “he’ll play center nonsense).