The Chicago Bulls would be foolish to use their amnesty clause on Carlos Boozer. Ron Elkman/Sports Imagery/Getty Images
Don’t make the same mistakes that other teams have, Chicago Bulls. Using your one-per-collective-bargaining-agreement amnesty clause on Carlos Boozer seems like a good decision, but you should not do it.
Carlos Boozer is a good candidate, it’s true. He is 32 and racking up less than impressive numbers — and is set to earn another $16.8 million in salary next season. Not to mention is that he is playing for a team missing its best player in Derrick Rose, a team in other words at a critical handicap. Cutting Boozer would give the Bulls flexibility this offseason to make a run at a player like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, or Dwyane Wade. So why wouldn’t they take a chance and cut ties with the big power forward?
Because the Bulls amnestying Boozer would look an awful lot like another team who amnestied the wrong guy. Namely the New York Knicks.
Three days after the clause was put into effect, the Knicks made their choice: point-guard Chauncey Billups. Billups was set to earn $14.2 million for the 2011-2012 season, but by amnestying him, the Knicks freed up enough cap to sign their defensive anchor, center Tyson Chandler. At the time, it looked like a great move. Chandler had just won an NBA title with the Dallas Mavericks; he was the most important player on the team outside of Dirk Nowitzki. Putting Chandler in the frontcourt alongside Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony created possibly the most intimidating trio of big men in the game. But the excitement didn’t last long.
Stoudemire was entering the second year of his uninsured max deal with the Knicks — uninsured because of his history of knee surgeries. Stoudemire played his first full season in New York without any injury, and the Knicks were confident he could play another four without disruption. This turned out to be wishful thinking. Stoudemire hasn’t played a full season since his first with the Knicks, having missed 78 games over the past three seasons and is now averaging a career low 7.7 points per game. Just three seasons ago, he was averaging 25.3 PPG.
But the Knicks are stuck with him, having blown their amnesty on Billups. Stoudemire will undoubtedly pick up his option for next season that will pay him $23,410,988. And Stoudemire has uncomfortably close analogue on the Bulls: Derrick Rose. The MVP point guard isn’t yet an amnesty candidate, but that could change very quickly. After missing all of last season after tearing his ACL in his left knee in the playoffs two seasons ago, Rose came back this season. He was rusty — and he lasted only ten games before tearing his right meniscus. Two years, two different knee injuries to both knees. This does not bode well for his future. The Bulls owe Rose $60,279,192 for the following three years after this season.
The smart move for the Bulls here would be to put Boozer on the trade market. See if anyone is willing to take on his soon-to-be expiring contract and maybe collect a draft pick or two in the process. If there are no bites, at least he is healthy and playing. There is no rush for the Bulls here, waiting to see how Rose returns from his newest knee injury will be key. But it seems to be unlikely he will ever return to the level of play that commanded the salary he was rewarded with after winning an MVP. Having the amnesty available for Rose down the line could pay big dividends to Chicago. Boozer is not the worst problem here, in other words.
