The difference is that Ostertag was never a star; Boozer is an Olympian. Also, Ostertag's intentions were an open book. Boozer's have always been murky.

Injuries have limited his play to just two-thirds of the games since he came to Utah in 2004. Fair or not, it makes you wonder: Was he really hurt all that time? He says he loves playing for the Jazz but rumors persist he dislikes being here. He insists he is all about teamwork, but when asked last season about coming off the bench, if needed, he flatly said he wasn't interested.

By contrast, Andrei Kirilenko, who has also been a starter, said he'd do whatever helped the team.

Jazz fans want to like Boozer, they really do. When healthy, he's a monster on offense. But there has always been an uneasiness between Boozer and Jazz fans. They understand him looking out for himself, but does he have to look so ... mercenary?

You get the impression he would cut in line on his mother if it got him in the movie sooner.

Now the Jazz must deal with how to retain Millsap. That's not Boozer's problem. He just went for his best deal. At the same time, he hasn't helped his popularity. Next year at this time he'll be signing with another team.

My guess is he won't be trusted there, either.

e-mail: rock@desnews.com