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08-10-2005, 03:29 AM
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Is the 'Curse of Boozer' Ruining the Jazz?
 Kragthorpe: Curses! Jazz paying heavy price for signing Boozer By Kurt Kragthorpe Tribune Columnist It's the Carlos Curse. What other way is there to explain everything that has happened to the Jazz in the year since they signed forward Carlos Boozer to a six-year, $68 million contract? By attaching themselves to Boozer's scheme of leaving Cleveland for way more money than the Cavaliers could offer, the Jazz subjected themselves to a series of plagues that added up to their worst record in 23 seasons and just keep coming. The Cavs believed Boozer had promised to re-sign with them if they failed to exercise a contract option, allowing him to become a free agent. All the Jazz knew was that Boozer was available, and they grabbed him during last summer's shopping spree. Did the Jazz do anything wrong? Technically, no. Cosmically, yes, judging by everything that subsequently hit the franchise. Some mystical forces are obviously making the Jazz pay for dealing with Boozer. Just look at what has happened since last July: Andrei Kirilenko, the franchise cornerstone, was injured twice and missed half of the season. The Jazz went through four point guards. They lost ground in the draft lottery, meaning they had to trade up to a better position. One free agent after another keeps rejecting them and joining some other team this summer. They even lost Greg Ostertag, one of the winningest players in team history, who temporarily departed for Sacramento. Applying some Old Testament logic to this thing, if the Jazz are being punished, they must have done something wrong. The troubles extend to the U.S. Olympic team, which added Boozer the same day he agreed to terms with the Jazz and then lost three games in Athens last August, settling for a bronze medal. And Boozer himself missed the last 2 1/2 months of the NBA season with a foot injury, while the Jazz limped to a 26-56 record. Jazz owner Larry Miller told The Tribune last summer that he had to be convinced of his team's innocence before approving the Boozer deal. Boozer also said his conscience was clear: "I know what really happened, and I know I'm a man of my word. And that's all that matters." No, what also matters is that based on recent setbacks, it's becoming clear the Jazz never will make the playoffs as long as Boozer is playing for them. It's like finding a Titleist ProV1 in the fairway, looking around and deciding it could not be belong to anyone, teeing it up on the next hole - and hitting it into the lake. It's ill-gotten gain, and so is Boozer. He must be, or the Jazz would not be having all of these problems, would they? Everything seemed so promising as of this time last year. The Jazz were adding Boozer and Mehmet Okur, Carlos Arroyo looked like an exciting point guard, Matt Harpring was healthy and Kris Humphries and Kirk Snyder were intriguing rookies. That was before things started crumbling. And so it was that the signature moment of their 2004-05 season came the day after the last game, when Boozer reported to the final meeting and announced that he was healthy and ready to play. That was nice, except they did not have a game for six months. I want to like Boozer, although I sometimes wonder if he's one of those guys who likes being a pro basketball player more than he likes playing pro basketball. He's personable, intelligent and says all the right things about wanting to help the Jazz win. I was impressed with him during the Olympics, watching him support his teammates, rebound, play defense and generally make the most of his minutes. As a complementary player, he's fine. He's not a franchise guy; then again, the Jazz would not need him to play at that level as long as the other pieces are in place. Boozer and the rest of the team struggled when Kirilenko and others were injured last season, and they also had trouble when Boozer was out. So now that everybody's back, they have a highly regarded rookie point guard and presumably will find a free-agent shooting guard somewhere, everything's looking up again, right? Not necessarily. Something tells me the Carlos Curse is still intact, and not even the return of Ostertag can reverse it. Signing Boozer apparently came with a price. This team is bound to keep going wrong before it goes right again. Link
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08-10-2005, 07:10 AM
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#2 |
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RE:Is the 'Curse of Boozer' Ruining the Jazz?
Geez....Kragthorpe forgot to mention Mrs. Sloan's cancer.
Dipshit of an article. |
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08-10-2005, 02:07 PM
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#3 |
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RE: Is the 'Curse of Boozer' Ruining the Jazz?
Imagine the Cavs now with Boozer in the starting lineup.
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The wind rises electric. She's soft and warm and almost weightless. Her perfume is sweet promise that brings tears to my eyes. I tell her that everything will be all right; that I'll save her from whatever she's scared and take her far far away. I tell her that I love her. The silencer makes a whisper of the gunshot. I hold her close until she's gone. I'll never know what she was running from. I'll cash her check in the morning. ~The Salesman |
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08-10-2005, 02:34 PM
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RE:Is the 'Curse of Boozer' Ruining the Jazz?
that is a dumb article. it should be the okur curse
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08-10-2005, 06:11 PM
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RE:Is the 'Curse of Boozer' Ruining the Jazz?
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08-10-2005, 06:11 PM
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RE:Is the 'Curse of Boozer' Ruining the Jazz?
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08-10-2005, 06:11 PM
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RE:Is the 'Curse of Boozer' Ruining the Jazz?
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08-10-2005, 08:01 PM
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RE: Is the 'Curse of Boozer' Ruining the Jazz?
Well, if I were a Jazz fan, I would just greatly wish that Kurt Kragthorpe is right in hoping that Utah's reaquisition of Big Greg Ostertag might bring just enough good luck to dispell or mitigate the many, manifest woes that the cursed Boozer has inflicted upon his new team...
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What has the sheep to bargain with the wolf? |
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08-10-2005, 08:01 PM
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#9 |
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 7,788
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RE: Is the 'Curse of Boozer' Ruining the Jazz?
Well, if I were a Jazz fan, I would just greatly wish that Kurt Kragthorpe is right in hoping that Utah's reaquisition of Big Greg Ostertag might bring just enough good luck to dispell or mitigate the many, manifest woes that the cursed Boozer has inflicted upon his new team...
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What has the sheep to bargain with the wolf? |
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08-10-2005, 08:01 PM
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#10 |
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 7,788
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RE: Is the 'Curse of Boozer' Ruining the Jazz?
Well, if I were a Jazz fan, I would just greatly wish that Kurt Kragthorpe is right in hoping that Utah's reaquisition of Big Greg Ostertag might bring just enough good luck to dispell or mitigate the many, manifest woes that the cursed Boozer has inflicted upon his new team...
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What has the sheep to bargain with the wolf? |
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08-11-2005, 07:12 AM
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#11 |
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RE:Is the 'Curse of Boozer' Ruining the Jazz?
I'm just happy that the Jazz suck, regardless of the reasons why.
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08-11-2005, 07:12 AM
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#12 |
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RE:Is the 'Curse of Boozer' Ruining the Jazz?
I'm just happy that the Jazz suck, regardless of the reasons why.
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"People do crazy things in ads, like eat at Arby's" - Marge Simpson |
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08-11-2005, 07:12 AM
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#13 |
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RE:Is the 'Curse of Boozer' Ruining the Jazz?
I'm just happy that the Jazz suck, regardless of the reasons why.
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