The essential Boozer is as elusive as true love. He has the body of Atlas, yet lands on the injured list if someone sneezes on him. He went to college at highbrow Duke, and speaks in a soft, educated voice, yet his heavily tattooed arms and menacing stare place him straight from the streets. Actually, he's from Alaska.

He is neither rude nor accommodating, uncommunicative nor expansive. He doesn't completely dodge the media, yet rarely pauses for more than three or four questions, offering up brief, disinterested answers. Whether he's talking about a 25-point night or a season-ending injury, he does so with the same faraway stare and dispassionate tone.

Coaches and teammates insist Boozer is a stand-up guy, and it's true he's not out getting arrested. At the same time, the story of how he got out of his contract in Cleveland so he could sign with the Jazz remains fuzzy and suspicious.

He says he's happy in Salt Lake and wants to play for the Jazz, yet buys (and later sells) a house in Los Angeles. He also did a considerable amount of injury rehab work in L.A.

We here at Enigma Central admit to not knowing all the answers. For now, there appears no way of telling what he is thinking or even how his career will turn out. But we do know one thing: When it comes to case studies, we've got ourselves a keeper.

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E-mail: rock@desnews.com