Boozer's return to Utah Jazz not as good as news might sound

Carlos Boozer will be with the Jazz for another year and what do we hear? Mostly groans.

He didn't ransack anyone's retirement account, didn't raise the price of gas, either. All he did was opt in for the final year of his contract.

It's just that it's hard to love what you don't trust.

Boozer's career added a chapter Tuesday when he stayed put. Theoretically, it's good news when a good team keeps its All-Star level forward. But this is Boozerland, where things aren't always as they appear. On one hand, he says a lot of nice things. On the other hand, he makes you want to check for your wallet.

In reality, his decision Tuesday was bad news for the Jazz, despite their comments to the contrary. Now they'll have to pay the luxury tax to sign restricted free agent Paul Millsap — a player they vowed to retain. Meanwhile, Boozer did what he does best. He took care of himself and complicated things for everyone else.

The situation is straight out of an espionage novel — intrigue, misdirection, love, hate, greed. The Jazz said all along they intended to sign Millsap. But it was clear if Boozer, Kyle Korver and Mehmet Okur didn't opt out, that could limit how much the team could spend on Millsap.

You could say Korver and Okur — who also opted in Tuesday — bear as much responsibility as Boozer for the Jazz's cash-strapped predicament, except for two things. First, their combined salaries for 2009-10 are only about $1 million more than Boozer's alone. Second, Boozer unequivocally said he would opt out, then didn't.

Changing fields has long been a Boozer trademark. Last fall, he said he wouldn't talk about free agency, yet in December he did, telling ESPN, "I'm opting out. No matter what, I'm going to get a raise regardless."

Upon discovering Jazz fans were upset, and that the free agent market was slumping, he was soon backtracking.

This month, Boozer told national TV host Jim Rome he wanted to remain in Utah, but "I put the ball in their court."

If he was a pending free agent, and could opt out at his discretion, how was it in the Jazz's court?

Sounded a lot like Boozer talking out of both sides of his mouth.

He left Cleveland five years ago amid accusations of disloyalty and dishonesty. In that case, the Jazz have only themselves to blame. They must have known what they were getting. Or not. Boozer can be convincing.

Maybe that's why he is the Jazz's most disliked player, even as fans buy his replica jerseys. (Actually, an on-court kiosk at the team's draft party Thursday showed no Boozer jerseys for sale.) Not since Greg Ostertag has someone drawn so much consistent fan and media ire.