Boozer Rumors Still Going Strong

Carlos Boozer is the latest obsession in the Bulls fan sector, much as Amar'e Stoudemire and Chris Bosh have been in the recent past. The rumors have continued to swirl about Boozer's potential destinations, especially since his club, the Utah Jazz, have matched Portland's offer for Paul Millsap. The Jazz can't afford to keep Boozer without facing the daunting luxury tax, so it seems only a matter of time before Boozer is moved.One of the latest rumors, which surfaced on Monday, has suggested the possibility of a 3-team deal that would send Chicago's Tyrus Thomas and Jerome James along with Utah's Kyrylo Fesenko to Houston, the Rockets' Carl Landry and Shane Battier to Utah, and Boozer to Chicago. Sam Smith of Bulls.com is quick to point out, though, that while this deal would be great for the Bulls (getting Boozer for a one year trial for relatively little), the Rockets would pretty much have to be willing to give up on the coming season for them to make such a move. Battier is an incrediblly versatile player with good range, excellent defense, and perhaps the highest basketball I.Q. in the league, and Landry is an efficient rebounder off the bench, and, while Tyrus could turn out to be a steal for them, his career to date doesn't suggest that he will ever achieve his high potential.Everyone knows the Bulls need an inside scoring threat. This has been the case since Elton Brand's departure in 2001, and rumors of the Bulls landing star power forwards and centers have flooded the media for the better part of the decade. While Boozer seems to have Miami as his first choice at the moment, I believe that the Bulls have more interesting pieces to offer than the Heat in trade scenarios, who have little to offer beyond Dwyane Wade and Michael Beasley, both of whom I doubt they would consider trading. Boozer has expressed interest in playing with Derrick Rose, so I'm sure he would be happy to play in Chicago, even if it isn't his first choice. Plus, he could always help the team lure Dwyane Wade to Chicago the following summer.The Jazz aren't just going to give Boozer away. In fact, he's a valuable player and they hold his rights for the season, so I'm sure they would have no problem keeping him if they don't find an offer to their liking, as TNT's David Aldridge has already noted. At any rate, I'm not sure I believe that this latest rumor is very credible, but if the Bulls have any chance of making it happen, I would be entirely supportive of the effort.