Remember the mid-point of Chicago’s 2013-14 season, when then-Bull Carlos Boozer was asked about his repeated fourth quarter benchings?
“I think I'm very productive in the limited minutes that I am getting so I can do even more if I was out there more. But as long as we're winning, that's the main thing. But yeah, I do want to be out there in the fourth quarter. Let's make that clear."
Remember the official Chicago Bull reaction, via general manager Gar Forman?
"I'm disappointed that Carlos didn't keep that in-house.”
Disappointingly, Boozer has continued his harangue as a current member of the Los Angeles Lakers. From a discussion following Tuesday’s practice:
"The times that I'm not (on the floor), as long as we win I can be OK with it. But I still want to be there when we're playing for the money. So it's just me, who I am, who I've been, and who I want to continue to be. I understand where it's coming from. There's dialogue and we understand each other … I want to be on the floor 48 minutes. I know I don't have to be, but at the end of the day when the game is played and it's down the stretch I like to be on the floor."
Actually, because you already read the headline (and because you might know that Boozer played nearly all of the fourth quarter minutes in his team’s last game), you know that it was Pau Gasol that said this. That it was Pau that pointed out that, yeah, he’s a competitor that would prefer to be in the middle of the action during the game’s most important moments.
Will there be any reaction from Forman this time around?
Hell no. The reason Forman won’t react is because the Bulls are winning at a far greater rate this year with Gasol sometimes sitting out nearly the entire fourth quarter, and because Gasol is a far better player than Carlos Boozer ever was with the Bulls. Forman won’t even be asked about this.
That shouldn’t be the reason that Forman doesn’t raise a similarly-toned hackle, however.
The reason for the silence should be because Forman should have stayed silent in the first place, in regards to Boozer. Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau was absolutely right to bench Carlos Boozer for entire fourth quarters at a time, but Carlos Boozer was absolutely right to honestly tell a reporter (that asked) that as a professional with a competitive streak in him he’d really, really like a chance to help his team in the fourth quarter.
What you don’t want in that situation is a check-casher that comes off as blasé about his 12-minute demotion. Boozer said the absolute right things, and the Bulls continued apace.
Carlos Boozer had many faults as a player, so many that the Bulls will eventually pay him over $13 million to not play for them this year, once his Los Angeles Lakers checks clear. He’s an easily mockable guy for various reasons, and we’ve all had our fun with him over the years … but he wasn’t wrong here.
Gasol?
He’s not being shut out of fourth quarters completely, as Boozer was almost by definition (only a playoff injury to Taj Gibson forced him into fourth quarter action during Chicago’s final 2014 playoff game) last season. On average he plays less than half of the fourth quarter, a sound move considering the 34-year old is playing his highest minutes per game average in three seasons. It’s hard to argue with the results, either, as Chicago remains the NBA’s best fourth quarter team. Taj Gibson remains an underrated low (really low) post scorer, and Joakim Noah is rounding into shape after a poorly-diagnosed knee injury.
Gasol ain’t arguin’, though. Neither was Boozer. They were just being honest about something that must be pretty fun – standing in triumph on the court, as opposed to in warm-ups on the bench, when the final buzzer sounds and John Deacon’s bass line from “Another One Bites the Dust” kicks in. It’s a sweet gig to begin with, but playing a decisive role in a win makes things so, so much sweeter.
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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops
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