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I get paid ridiculous amounts of money to write for Jazzhoops.net, so why then do I really care about Carlos Boozer?

It’s just a job, man.

Collect the money, buy another house or Bugatti Veyron. A black and red one. Maybe I’ll travel to the Italian Riviera for the Holidays, rent a Gulfstream and invite twenty of my closest friends. Wait, I don’t have twenty friends. I used to, but that was before I started caring only about myself.

What good is money to burn, when you’re only an object? A means to an end? A wayside stop in the middle of nowhere? It’s no wonder I’m not happy here any more, money can only do so much.

Besides, who is this Carlos Boozer guy anyway? Yeah, I understand he shows up to collect his paychecks from Larry Miller. It’s nice to see those six figure deposits on the bank statement.

I’m sure glad I’m not some poor slob worried about getting my old heap inspected so I can drive to work five days a week. Or worry about paying for the kid’s braces, or the wife’s hospital stay last summer, or even the paltry loan on the family residence, the only family residence. No second or third home for this poor slob. Maybe if I’m lucky the family will travel to Disneyland for a couple of days, and then I’ll worry about paying the credit cards off for the next six months.

So is it any wonder there isn’t a lot of sympathy for Carlos Boozer here? In Salt Lake? In Cleveland?

There is no sympathy here or there for Carlos Boozer. Not now, and never will be.

Never mind the fact he’s a miracle of a physical specimen, almost a foot taller than the average man, and has less fat on his huge body than the average hamburger drips in the frying pan. Never mind he has footwork that would make a ballet dancer jealous, or the fact he could intimidate lesser mortals in the NBA with a single glance, if he ever bothered to really care. Never mind he could dominate games both defensively and offensively, it’s just a matter of caring, anyway. Why bother?

The money, man. Those checks keep coming.

You have to wonder sometimes why someone with the body and physical skills of Carlos Boozer isn’t a defensive marvel. Then, you think about it for a while, and it becomes clear. Defense is a state of mind. Scoring points and grabbing rebounds look good when the time comes to sign the dotted line. Now we’re talking about a 130 million dollar contract, for someone who only cares about that bank statement, and not about winning. The ultimate paycheck, the big kill, the set your family and their descendant’s future for the next hundred years kind of deal.

No. Just say no.

It’s not because Carlos isn’t a wonderful basketball player, because he is. Twenty-ten guys are in short supply in the NBA, and always will be. It’s not easy to do, and those who can do it are valued. He can score with the best footwork in the game, and clean the glass as well as anyone. He’s probably one of the top twenty five or so guys in the game.

It also isn’t because Carlos is a bad guy. I think, in fact, he’s a nice guy in most respects. Maybe too nice. He cares about his family, cares about not hurting anyone by accident or heaven forbid with a little malice, as he could easily do with that incredible body. He’s a monster in person, and if I was an opposing point, just looking at him in the middle is enough to scare the you-name-it out of you……Unless, as is the case, you already know he’s a pussycat who just happens to look like the big, bad, junkyard dog.

He’s drawing ire from Jazz fans and I suspect the Jazz organization with his attitude towards playing hurt. I suspect it’s because he knows this is his year to cash in, get that huge contract, and then relax knowing you can afford to feed your family. For the next twenty thousand years or so.

Karl Malone, John Stockton, or more importantly, Paul Millsap he’s not. Each of those player had and have a T in the middle of their names, and it stands for tough. Carlos Boozer is not tough, and if a man as huge and strong as he can be logically called soft, then that’s the word that fits.

Can the Jazz afford to lose Carlos Boozer? No. Losing him would be like the Spurs losing Duncan, or the Lakers losing Kobe, Boston losing KG. And in the worst scenario, to lose him without anything in return just compounds the loss to incredible lengths.

It’s a nightmare, a major league setback for the Jazz in any respect you care to look at it. It’s taken a proven contender for the title to a team fighting to stay afloat and make the playoffs. The way it’s going, I can easily see them not making the playoffs at all. The injuries just keep piling up, and I suspect we’ll never see a healthy Jazz team for a long, long time this year, maybe not until next year. Which brings up a very important point.

The Jazz roster next year could change a great deal. I thought it would stay much the same, because Larry Miller wouldn’t shake up a team that actually contended for the title by losing key players.

Now, I’m not so sure. Now, I’ll be surprised if there aren’t four or five new players on the Jazz, and maybe not in a positive fashion. If you were Larry, would you go into the Luxury tax for a team that can’t stay healthy? For a team that maybe has the stuff, maybe doesn’t, but a team that hides its true identity behind the injury card?

I wouldn’t. Here’s what I would do, and I’m glad I’m not Kevin O’Connor, because there are some tough decisions ahead.

First, I’d make sure I signed Paul Millsap, and I’m positive the Jazz will. There aren’t enough teams with cap space to sign him for what he’s really worth, and I suspect the Jazz will get another bargain with Paul in the six to seven mil a year range. That’s a bargain.

Secondly, I would try and trade Carlos Boozer for a high draft pick and a young power forward with some upside. It’s not that the Jazz are ever getting his real value in return, because they won’t, but they absolutely have to get something for him. I would do it as soon as I could, and try to salvage something from this situation. I’m looking at the free agent market, and there is a slight chance the Jazz could actually sign Carlos for far under the 130 million dollar range if they wait, but it’s a deadly game, and could hurt the Jazz for years to come if the strategy fails.

Third, I’d sign Memo Okur to another contract, and I think Memo likes it enough here to sign at a reasonable amount, not to mention the paucity of teams willing to spend big this year.

Fourth, I’d sign Kyle Korver, but watch the money very closely. If anything, he’s slipped a little this year, and doesn’t deserve a big contract. If not, adios.

Fifth, I’d start playing Kouf more minutes right now, because he’s the big man in the middle for years to come. We all can see that, so why not just take the plunge? Sure, he’ll struggle, and rile Jerry once in a while. At the very least, he wants to play and is in shape.

Everyone from the fans to the Jazz themselves were terrified of this summer, and what assaults it would bring on the Luxury Tax. Perhaps the injuries have a silver lining, in clearing and identifying the path the Jazz should take.

If anything, it’s time to carefully consider the Carlos Boozer situation, and not let it ruin the Jazz’s progress for years to come.

I’m sick of players holding NBA teams at gunpoint and committing felonies during the contract negotiation. It has to stop somewhere, and it has to stop here.

Larry, just say no.