Breaking up is hard to do for Jazz, Booz

Youwouldn'tbelievewhatjusthappened. It's so random. They go through this totally messy breakup and, obviously, they never want to see one another again, 'kay? They, like, completely creep each other out. But what happens?

They end up in the same class this semester.

Omigosh! How, like, awkward.

The Jazz open training camp with a media session today at Zions Bank Basketball Center, and guess who's back together. Carlos Boozer and the Jazz. Talk about an elephant in the room. Most people thought by now this relationship would be history. But they're committed, at least for now, and it's not going to be all that comfortable. How comfortable can it be when your are so ... over?

Boozer is good for a double-double most games. There have even been times when it looked as though he and the Jazz belonged together. But that ship has sailed. Now it's time for camp, and things look a lot like they did when Utah exited the playoffs last spring.

Same parties, same uneasy arrangement.

You won't see a blowup — Boozer is too guarded for that — but you won't see them exchanging friendship rings, either.

Decisions, decisions. Paul Millsap has been anointed the power forward of the future, with the multiyear contract he signed this summer. Then there's Boozer. It's not like you can ignore him; he's a former All-Star. So the question is whether the Jazz should go with their future or their past in the starting lineup.

Do you display Boozer, hoping to up his trade value, or bury him on the bench and build for the future? Do you placate Millsap by reminding him the situation can't last beyond this season, when Boozer becomes a free agent, or do you say nothing?

Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan will surely utilize the guy who's playing best; the other will just have to deal with it.

Since they'll always get effort from Millsap — and they need to keep Boozer's trade value high — it's likely Boozer will start.

Whether to play Millsap at small forward or bring him off the bench at power forward can be worked out.

Heaven knows, they've had plenty of time (three years) to think about it.

Reviewing how things got to this point is complicated, except to say Boozer has had his foot in his mouth so long, his toes are wrinkled. He said he would opt out of his contract and become a free agent, because he was guaranteed a raise. Then he didn't, mainly because the raise never materialized. He said he wanted to stay with the Jazz, then told Miami and Chicago radio stations he would love to be playing in their cities instead. He claimed he and the Jazz had agreed to work out a trade, but it's unclear whether that conversation even occurred.