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SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah Jazz and Carlos Boozer had a tumultuous summer. Many thought the all-star power forward would be traded before the start of a new season. But now that the season is underway, Boozer is back, and everyone seems to have put of the drama behind them.
Last May on SportsBeat, Utah Jazz CEO Greg Miller questioned Carlos Boozer's toughness and leadership ability. In July, Boozer opted into the final year of his contract, but then asked to be traded and did radio interviews in Miami and Chicago talking about how much he would like to play for the Heat or the Bulls.
Well, on Sunday night, Miller returned to SportsBeat; this time wearing a Carlos Boozer jersey.
"This is just a ‘Welcome back, Carlos.' I want to make him feel welcome. I'm glad he's here. I want to let him know that whatever happened over the summer's water under the bridge, and it's all about winning and going forward," Miller said.
At Monday morning's shoot-around, KSL asked Boozer about the gesture, but he changed the subject to Monday night's game.
"Everything's cool, man. We're looking forward to tonight's game. Had a good game against Houston. Lookin' forward to playin' and playin' well," Boozer said.
Miller went on to say that Boozer is doing everything he needs to do to win back the fans and the organization.
"I believe that Carlos has done whatever fence mending needed to be done. I think the teammates, his teammates, have embraced him. I think the coaches have embraced him. And I think that his attitude's good, and I think he's going help us win ball games this year," Miller said.
He also didn't rule out the possibility of a new contract for Boozer after the season, when Boozer becomes an unrestricted free agent.
"I wouldn't rule it out. There's no personal hard feelings against Carlos. And if we could come to terms economically, and Carlos wanted to be here, and we felt that Carlos was still at a point in his career where he could help us win, we would absolutely entertain an opportunity to bring him back," Miller said.
"We'll wait ‘til the season's over to talk about it then, if that's the case," Boozer said. "We're gonna worry about the season right now, get wins, and look forward to playing our best basketball."
E-mail: jjensen@ksl.com
