Welcome home? Not quite

When the Bulls were scheduled to play the Utah Jazz on February 9th, the storyline was already set: Carlos Boozer returning to Utah for the first time since his departure last summer. Boozer gave the Jazz six seasons of solid production. For the last four years in Utah, he averaged a double-double, including two years in which he averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds. But this had seemingly all been forgotten when Boozer returned to Utah in an opposing uniform for the first time in six years. How was the reaction to his return? Well, for one, every time he touched the ball the crowd booed loudly, and no, Utah fans weren’t saying Booz like they used to.

Did Boozer deserve this reaction? He isn’t Lebron James returning to Cleveland in a Miami Heat jersey, and it was pretty obvious that he was going to leave as a free agent. Most of the animosity towards Boozer came from him missing 138 games during his stint in Utah, including the final game of the 2010 regular season, which would have improved their playoff seed if they had won. Fans thought he could have played through some of those injuries because none of them required surgery of any kind.

I think each case of a player returning to face his former team should be treated differently. Fans get too emotional over a player’s return and tend to forget what that player did for several years. The Lebron case is an exception because James handled things pretty poorly. Boozer, on the other hand, had a little bit of a rocky ending, but that does not cancel out his six years in Utah. When he was playing there, the Utah fans could not question his effort and production for the Jazz. Since he had been an all-star in Utah and that’s where he became a star in the league, it was hard for the fans to let go.

It is obvious that role players that return to their former teams do not get the same reaction as Boozer in most cases. This was apparent when Bulls reserves and former Jazz members checked into the game for the first time since their departures. Ronnie Brewer entered the game in the first quarter to loud cheers that seemed even louder when contrasted with Boozer’s entrance. Kyle Korver received the same reception when he checked in during the second quarter. The fans were not as attached to these players, so that is why they were welcomed when they came back. 

Each scenario of a player returning to face his former team is different, and Boozer should not have gotten booed. He looked bothered by it during the game as he was forcing shots at times. He finished with 14 points and six rebounds on just 6 of 16 shooting. The Jazz fans apparently got what they wanted, though the Bulls won in the end. Boozer deserved a better reunion, especially as a long time Jazz star.

Bulls await hectic Summer of Lebron

Only one more month to go until the long anticipated free agent signing period begins. This will be the biggest sports story of the summer because of the numerous elite players available in the free agent pool. The most talked about is obviously Lebron James. Questions about where James will go after the 2010 season have been being asked for the past two years. The most talked about teams for James include the Bulls, the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, and Miami Heat along with the option of resigning with the Cavaliers.

Reports have surfaced that the Bulls is one team that James is looking at really hard. He would love to play in a big market like Chicago, but it is intriguing that he would consider playing in the shadow of Michael Jordan. It was assumed that James would not want to play in the shadow of Jordan in Chicago, but recently he says that he is interested.

Where James goes will dictate where the other major free agents go. Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson, and Amare Stoudemire are a few other players who have the option to sign with another team after July 1. Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki may also become a free agent or be used as trade bait for Lebron James, if the Cavaliers decide to do a sign and trade.

There is a possibility that one team can get two of these free agents, and that team will immediately become a championship contender. Any team that adds James and Bosh or James and Wade will become the frontrunner for the 2011 NBA Championship. The possibility of Wade and James, arguably the two of the three best players in the NBA, on the same team is just scary. The aforementioned Knicks and Bulls are two teams that have enough cap space to land two max-salary free agents.

Though the Bulls have the room to land two of the big available free agents, it does not necessarily mean that they will. They have to worry about getting one first, especially after Dwyane Wade told reporters and other free agents that the Bulls aren’t loyal to their players. Hopefully, this doesn’t sway others like James away from the Bulls.

Teams can be begin to sign free agents starting on July 1^st. All NBA fans will be watching to see where James and others will go. Bull’s fans especially will be watching because they realize that the Bulls control their playoff destiny this summer.

Will King James rule Chicago?

On May 11, Lebron James was dealt a strong blow by the Boston Celtics. The Cavaliers lost by an astounding thirty two Points, 122-88. The Celtics just dominated like they did in the postseason last year against the Chicago Bulls.  How did James and the Cavs follow up in Game Six?  They lost 94-85, even when James had a tripe double.  It wasn’t enough to lead the team to success.

The playoff defeat raises questions about Lebron James’ future. The current speculation is that the Cavs loss in Game Six has placed James’ future in Cleveland in doubt.  ESPN analyst Chris Broussard raised eyebrows by suggesting that James’ number one free agent destination might be Chicago.

But what does Jamesmean to Cleveland organization?  Right now he is their top scorer, so the Cavaliers need him and they want him. They can throw around enough money at him if he wants it. If he should leave, the Cavaliers will have hard decisions trying to fill his slot in the line up.

However, what else can you expect from a high caliber player like Lebron James? He still has a whole career left in the NBA.  Several years ago people said he was the next Michael Jordan, but what do the Cavaliers think now?  Lebron James has done wonders for the Cavaliers, bringing them to the NBA Finals. He’s been with the Cavaliers for seven years. He was drafted when he was only 19 years old and has shown his tremendous ability to make plays and to make his teammates even better.

But the whole story is where Lebron “The King” James will be next year. Will he be a Cavalier still or will he be in a different uniform, in a different city?

Bulls down 2-0 after sneaking into playoffs

The Chicago Bulls were able to win their last two games of the season to edge into the playoffs. They sneaked past two playoff teams – the Bobcats and Celtics – to ensure the eighth and final playoff spot. The Toronto Raptors were left out of the playoffs by one game. The spot both teams were fighting for seems to be who would lose in the first round of the playoffs.

The Bulls face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round, led by probable MVP Lebron James. James was the MVP a year ago and will likely make it two years in a row unless Kevin Durant somehow edges him out. The Cavaliers cruised through the regular season and finished with the beast overall record in the NBA at 61-21. They could even afford to rest Lebron James the last four games of the regular season.

Unfortunately for the Bulls in Game 1, Lebron was not rusty at all. He finished with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks. The Cavaliers cruised to a 15 point lead at the half. The Bulls came out in the second and outscored the Cavaliers by two points in the third quarter and managed to cut the Cavaliers lead to 7 point with about four minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Derrick Rose led the comeback as he finished with 28 points and 10 assists. But in the end, it was too much James and point guard Mo Williams. James converted a three point play and Mo Williams (19 points) hit a three pointer which sealed the Bulls fate in Game 1. The Cavs ended up winning 96-83.

The Bulls had to play again in Cleveland on Monday night. This time the Bulls seemed more prepared in the first half than they did in game one. Instead of trailing by double digits, the Bulls found themselves down by just two points at the half, and were tied with the top-seeded Cavaliers after three quarters. The reason for this was the improved play of Bulls center Joakim Noah. After Shaquille O’Neal pushed him around in game 1, Noah was able to find his offense and defense and finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds.

The fourth quarter was a different than the first three quarters for the Bulls. They trailed 96-93 with about four minutes left before the best player in the NBA took over. Lebron James went on to score the next 11 points for the Cavaliers which included a long three pointer. James finished with 40 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists while shooting an efficient 70% from the field. The Cavaliers outscored the Bulls by 10 points in the fourth quarter to take Game 2 by a score of 112-102.

The series heads to Chicago for games three and four. Though the Bulls have home-court advantage, the Cavaliers had the second best road record in the regular season. The Bulls need to play perfect basketball in order to defeat the Cavaliers because game 2 was close and the Bulls played about as good as they are capable. If the Bulls can manage to win one or two games in this series, it should be considered a success.