Veteran forward Carlos Boozer has been given a second chance to prove his worth after the Chicago Bulls parted ways with the two-time All-Star using the amnesty clause last summer. The Los Angeles Lakers were able to acquire Boozer with the winning bid of $3.2 million, giving the team a player to help fill the void left by Pau Gasol.
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Boozer recently made an appearance on the latest episode of “Connected With…” on TWCSportsNet to talk about becoming a Laker. Boozer emphasizes a need to prove himself in Los Angeles:
“[I’m] excited to be here, [there’s a] huge challenge in front of us, in front of me, and I’m looking forward to it. There’ve been people that wrote me off already and think I’m done…and I’m not. And I’m looking forward to showing that.”
Unfortunately, Boozer has gotten off to a slow start in his new surrounding. The 32-year-old forward is averaging 10.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game over the course of the first five games of the season. Not since Boozer’s rookie year with the Cleveland Cavaliers has the forward averaged less than 13 points a contest.
With only five games in the books for the Lakers, it is a bit early to criticize Boozer for his play. Although many Lakers fans are already unhappy about the move to acquire the forward, there’s 77 games left to play and plenty of time to redeem himself after a poor start.
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