Boozer arrives a motivated man

A tumultuous and disappointing 2004-05 behind him, Utah Jazz power forward Carlos Boozer indicated on Monday at Jazz media day that he's going to get it right for 2005-06.

"I just want to take it to a new level. I want to be part of that elite power forward group, and that's what I'm looking toward," he said, adding that he sees his own role on this team that began preseason workouts today in Boise as "Huge."

"We've got to go to the playoffs, man," he said of his motivation.

He added that fans will see a "totally different" Boozer now. "Absolutely."

"I want to be one of those guys everybody can look up to in times of need and come through for them," Boozer said after spending summer getting into the kind of shape that might make such a presence possible.

"That's the role I want to assume. When you're in the trenches and need somebody to help you get out of it — I want to be that person," Boozer said.

"I'm going to do my best to assume a leadership position on this team and make sure everybody is ready to rock and roll and try to be an extension of coach (Jerry Sloan) out there if I can," said Boozer, who missed 31 games last season with a strained right foot.

Somewhat before then, said Sloan, Boozer realized he needed to be better, and Sloan saw real progress in his 23-year-old in the first season of a six-year, $68-million contract. "I felt terrific about it, and I told him so. Then he gets hurt," Sloan recalled on Monday.

Sloan reserved much of his opinion on Boozer for after he's seen him run the court hard, but he did say he is likely in better shape than he was when he first came to Utah last summer. He's pleased Boozer listened to post-season counsel to come back improved. "I tell every player, but not every player responds," Sloan said.

Boozer said his body fat percentage dropped from 6.8 at the end of last season to 6.1 to start this new season, and Sloan said it's down four to five points from this time last year. "That's a tremendous change," Sloan said.

Boozer started the offseason still wondering whether his foot needed surgery. He went to his doctor in Los Angeles to find out and trained there until word came that he'd be fine without an operation. Already into a routine that had him up at 6 a.m., in the weight room at 7 and playing pickup games for three hours with other NBA players six days a week, Boozer decided to stay in L.A. all summer.

By the end of June, when he realized the foot no longer protested, he and wife CeCe went out for a little celebration, but he kept up the work ethic that has chiseled him physically and helped his defensive possibilities with better "hand speed" and agility.