Carlos Boozer to Miami "Heat"ing Up

Carlos Boozer has enjoyed an unlikely rise to NBA stardom to say the least. After falling victim to the myth that took form at the turn of the millenium that Duke players couldn't hack it in the NBA, Boozer fell to the second round of the mediocre 2002 draft. Despite falling in the draft, it quickly became evident that Boozer would join the Elton Brand school of NBA Blue Devils instead of following the footsteps of such Duke draft busts as Trajan Langdon and William Avery. In his first year in Cleveland, Boozer made the All-Rookie Second team and followed it up with a sophomore effort which saw him put up 15.5 PPG and 11.4 RPG. To this day, the only player to average more PPG than Boozer alongside LeBron James is Zydrunas Ilgauskus, and since his departure from Cleveland, Boozer has established himself as the superior player to Ilgauskus.  In one of the strangest twists in modern NBA free agency, Boozer became a member of the Utah Jazz in July of 2004. After Cleveland forwent the ... (link)