Owner rips Boozer - Akron Beacon Journal - Fri 2/11
Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller, who signed former Cavalier Carlos Boozer to a six-year, $68 million contract in the off-season, told the Salt Lake Tribune that he's unhappy with Boozer and the 16-33 Jazz. ``He has been terrific some nights. Some nights, he has looked like he didn't care that much,'' Miller told the paper.
``I like Carlos a lot. I try to remember he's only 23. But he's here because we need a big presence at power forward, and I just hope he will play the way he ought to 82 games a year. If you go just on his performance, season to date, there's an argument that we overpaid a little bit, from what we expected. He's a talented player; I don't know how tough he is... It's hard for me (to tolerate) anybody who doesn't play up to his physical capability, especially defensively. (The contract) thrust him into a position where it certainly would suggest he should be a leader on the team, both as a basketball player and an emotional leader, and that was a role he wasn't used to being in. We're still expecting him to step up and be at least one of the leaders we hope would come forward.''
