Scratch Carlos Boozer off your MVP ballot.
Boozer's breakout season hit a major snag Wednesday when MRI results taken over the weekend revealed a hairline fracture in his left knee. He'll be out at least a month.
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| The Jazz will miss Carlos Boozer's 22.1 ppg and 11.8 rpg, but they have other options. (AP) |
Boozer, likely to be named to the All-Star team by Western Conference coaches when reserves are announced Thursday night, will certainly miss the game, opening up yet another spot on the West team. That means you should expect Shawn Marion to make a victorious return to Vegas, his old college town.
The All-Star Game would be the least of Utah's worries, considering they will now be forced to hold off Denver and Minnesota in the Northwest Division without their top scorer and rebounder.
This is where the Allen Iverson/Carmelo Anthony combo is supposed to step in and barge through this opening. Two of the league's top three scorers, with a month of practice time and a few games of action under their belts, are expected to overcome a five-game deficit when they're chasing a team that loses it's go-to guy.
The Timberwolves, still shaking out after a coaching change and fueled with confidence after becoming the first team this calendar year to defeat Phoenix, are looking at this as their chance to make a surge, too.
Let me be the first to tell them both to save it.
While Iverson and Anthony might be able to start clicking enough to get their team rolling, it won't be enough to catch Utah, despite all the banter that's gone on in recent weeks, and despite this Boozer setback. The Jazz still have plenty of talent remaining, and over the next six weeks, they play only 15 games. That sounds like the length of your run-of-the-mill Carmelo Anthony suspension.
Another fortunate break for the Jazz is that nine of those 15 will come at home, giving them the opportunity to land on their feet after this bad break. Sure, Deron Williams and Boozer have been like a new-look Stockton/Malone throughout much of the season, making everyone's job easier. But there's plenty of capable talent remaining, and they're just going to have to work harder.
It all starts with Williams, who should be an All-Star given his steady play all season. He's been the second-best point guard behind Steve Nash in the West. He'll manage to keep everyone involved and will likely end up calling his own number more often. Mehmet Okur, an All-Star candidate in his own right, now becomes the primary option. Considering he's often cast in that role late in games, it won't be a difficult transition.
Andrei Kirilenko, who has been craving a few more touches in the offense, will now get them. That will keep his energy level up, improving the Jazz on the defensive end. Replacing Boozer in the starting lineup will be rookie Paul Millsap, a rebounding machine who has averaged 15.5 points and 14.5 rebounds in the two games filling in thus far. He's undersized but muscles his way under the boards and usually gets what he's after. Millsap is a special young player, and that's about to become obvious.
Jerry Sloan can also count on veterans Matt Harpring and Derek Fisher to increase their production when called upon.
