Booze is fine with his smaller role on the Jazz (only playing basketball on one end of the floor).

If all the players are 20+ scores, naturally it'll come down to who can play defense.

That being said, Boozer should make himself a nice little spot on the pine. Hopefully he gets the clue before the regular season begins.

"Everyone on the team is a 20-point-per-game scorer or more, so all we have to do as a team is work hard defensively," Boozer said.

It would be nice to see Boozer work hard defensively for the Jazz. The Jazz have several 20-point-per-game scorers too.

"We're winning...The key to us is that we're seeming to play great defense." THat's why the team is sitting you on the bench, Booz! Excellent point. You are a horrific defender, so you're not playing. That's why the U.S. is winning. You're so intelligent!

maybe he will learn to play defense

Hope Jerry finally sits him when he is not playing defense for the Jazz. Bet he would not be happy with that in an opt out year.

Maybe if you played some "D" you would find yourself on the court!! AK is twice the player you are!!

That last paragraph scares me! IF Boozer had that same mindset while wearing a Jazz uniform we would be a much improved team. I guess Carlos thinks international ball requires more D than actual NBA.

Great comments by Boozer; a class act. Jazz fans need to stop bashing him. He was just as bad at D as Okur, Brewer, Harpring and even AK. AK got torched but he's got a rep as a defender so he gets a free "bad defense" pass.

I'm sure Jerry is happy with Boozer's reduced role. Also, did you see A.K. go right around Booze when they were matched up. Come to think of it, he went right around Carmelo as well which isn't a suprise....cause he is just like Booze. If Booze and Melo are on the court at the same time, the USA will be in trouble......Memo to Booz, if you want to be a great player, you have to play both sides of the game not just one!!!!!

Yeah man yeah

Team USA needs defense so Boozer sits. Team USA needs speed so Boozer sits. We can figure this out, can he??

When he does play, he does not dominate at anything he does for Team USA. Rebounding or scoring. One would wonder why he is there if he has nothing to offer. One would also wonder why he is going to get so much ridiculous money from some team, hopefully not the Jazz overpaying, next year when he opts out.

He is a better NBA player than International for sure but somebody will offer him far more than he is worth next year--I hope it is not us because he is not a max player. Sloans offense and D-Will have made Boozer into the NBA all-star he is.

Does anyone really believe he would be performing at this level if he was still in Cleveland without a good PG to get him the ball in just the right places? He came for money and because Sloans offense would make him look better than he really is.

Mission accomplished.

He might leave next year but he will never be as good without D-Will/Sloans offense.

Boozer is a horrible defender and doesnt have to guard the quicks 2's and 3's in the league! Boozer made Luis Scola look like an all star in the playoffs and Lamar Odom like a superstar! Explain that one to me? He needs to get with the mailman and learn how to play defense! We could have beat the lakers, but due to his lack of "D" and showing up, we lost! Hope Boozer can prove us all wrong, and if not, please TRADE the guy! Millsap can be just as good if not better! He actually plays "D"!!

Offense sells tickets defense wins championships. If Boozer doesn't play D , trade him or let him go to Miami for all I care.

Get used to it Carlos!!!

Love jazzrule's comment about not getting much playing time (with the Jazz) in an opt-out year. Most clever comment so far today.

Too bad Sloan isn't smart enough to motivate his players by benching them. Boozer gets enough rebounds and points in the NBA's pick-n-roll environment to keep him out there, so it won't happen.

It'll be interesting to see if Millsap can take some of Booz's time away this coming year. He wasn't as spectacular as his previous year, but should get better each year. Maybe knowing he can get big bucks next year will motivate him to consistently show some stuff this year.

D-Will likes Booz, but will play with anyone who wants to do what it takes to win. D-Will knows which side of the bread is buttered. (Boy, are we lucky to have him!)

I was watching the Road to Redemption on ESPN 2 a few nights ago and I was happy that Coach K told Boozer not to lay the ball in to dunk it. On the next posession Boozer threw the ball down. He needs to do that more. I'm sick of his little pansy lay ups and hook shots from his knees. Grow some balls and dunk the ball down their throat.

I love Millsap as much as the next guy but anyone who thinks he is as good or even BETTER than Boozer is off his rocker

The bashing Booz comments are really old, non unique, rehash of other comments, many lacking perspective. Without Booz the Jazz are observers in the playoffs. The best coaches in the land selected him. The Jazz's best player in Williams likes him, apparently they know something you BooBoozerBirds don't know. I appreciate the class act he is and for being with the Jazz. Hopefully he ignores the negative comments. 2 time US Olympians are not a dime a dozen. I appreciate his commitment to team USA and for not only representing our country but our state as well. Many players yawn at the oppotunity to be in the Olympics when to rest of us it would be a lifelong dream, bash them. The first few years of his career were injury plagued and it is nice to see the player he has developed into. Go Jazz! and, go U S A ! ! !

Some of you "Jazz fans" need to stop bashing boozer. Last year it was AK, now its Boozer. There will always be someone that "has to go." If you guys seriously think Millsap is better than Boozer, then why isn't he the starter/All-Star/All-NBA/Team USA guy? Get real!

The Lakers have already put a "W" in the column for all the Jazz games boozer plays in 2008-2009.

FYI everyone...Boozer was an all star in Cleveland before coming to Utah. He does need to play better D but at the same time why isn't anyone bashing on Memo? He made Odom and Gasol look like all stars just as much as Boozer did. I have liked Boozer since he was at Duke and continue to like him and want him on my favorite team(the Jazz of course) not because I like him but becuase he is an All Star and and one of the best power forwards in the league. Now I just wish we could get Battier from Houston. Him Booz and Williams would be an incredible trio. I think the coaches know a bit more than fans do about players. I mean the fans did vote Yoa, Melo and Iverson to start in the All Star game. I mean come on, 2 starting all stars and you barely make the playoffs and then you get swept? Denver is overrated and Houston is better without Yao. They big winning streak was done mostly without Yao. I would take Booz over the majority of forwards in the league.

listen rookies.

The reason the usa loses is because they don't play well together. 15 all stars = 15 ball hogs pushing their own agendas, and please, j-kidd shouldn't even be on the team. he is so 1990s and over the hill. he needs to sit, and paul and williams need to play the whole game these are the facts, and I am the guru. J kidd will never lead a team to a title.

For all the booze bashing, you guys rather have Walley S or Chris Minh? huh? they were going to trade boozer for those trash, be glad KOC came to his sense, so don't whine about D! guy give us 20 and 10 good enough for me!

I will continue to say that Boozer's bad defense has been INCREDIBLY overstated, and it is absolutely due to the fact that we have NO 7 FOOT SHOT BLOCKING DEFENSIVE PRESENCE IN THE MIDDLE. The Power Forward position is not traditionally where the best defense comes from in the low post guys. Tim Duncan is an exception, but he is a Center playing the power forward position so he's a little bit of an anomaly. Booz's one on one defense in the post is fine (not great, but fine). It is his help defense, etc. that sucks. But it wouldn't be an issue AT ALL if we had an interior defender playing the Center position. Not to mention that our Team Defense overall is pretty bad at times. If we get a big man and play better team defense, we can have our cake and eat it too (i.e. get Booz' 20 and 10 a night and at the same time not have him be a liability on the defensive end) Beyond that, all I have to say is that some of you yahoos need to learn B-ball, plain and simple. NUFF SAID.

All team fans are looking for a fall guy when they don't go all the way. Like BP says, the Jazz's help D sucked, especially during the Lakers series. Everyone needs to stop being butt-hurt, grow up, and move on to the next season. Haters can say what they want about Booze, AK-47, or Sloan, but it doesn't change the fact that the Jazz are still a serious playoff contender.