Bulls acquire F Carlos Boozer

Basketball Betting Lines

07/08/2010 -

CHICAGO (AP) -Carlos Boozer is now officially a member of the Chicago Bulls.

The two-time All-Star forward is going to the Bulls in a sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz, giving them the dominant big man they've craved for years.

He and the Bulls agreed Wednesday to what several outlets reported was a five-year deal worth roughly $75 million dollars. Shortly after Chicago announced the signing on Thursday, Jazz spokesman Jonathan Rinehart said Utah sent him along with a future protected second-round pick to the Bulls for a trade exception.

The deal gives the Jazz salary cap flexibility while the Bulls get a major presence inside.

``I feel we have the talent here to begin competing for a title and I cannot wait to get started,'' Boozer said.

The Bulls also confirmed the draft day trade that sent Kirk Hinrich and his $9 million salary along with the rights to No. 17 pick Kevin Seraphin to Washington. They received the rights to 2006 second-rounder Vladimir Veremeenko in return. But more important, that deal put them in position to sign two major stars.

They already had an All-Star point guard in Derrick Rose and one of the leading rebounders in Joakim Noah.

Now, with the flexibility to make a big splash in free agency, the Bulls were looking for more after back-to-back first-round playoff exits.

They did that when they reeled in Boozer on Wednesday, after Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh decided to team together in Miami instead of Chicago. By landing Boozer, the Bulls ensured they wouldn't go away empty-handed.

``We are confident that his skill set, toughness and leadership are all qualities that make him a great fit for the Bulls, and he will add a low-post element to our team that we have been searching for,'' Bulls general manager Gar Forman said in a statement. ``Post players, with the skills that Carlos possesses, are at a premium in the NBA and we believe that we have landed one of the best big men in the NBA.''

Most years, Boozer might be the top free agent, but this is like no other offseason. Teams did all they could to clear salary cap room to go after the stars, and the Bulls were no exception.

They made a big move by landing Boozer, who spent six years with Utah and averaged 19.5 points and 11.2 rebounds last season. His arrival gives the Bulls a big man who will attract double-teams, taking some pressure off Rose, and another double-double player to go with Noah.

Although he sometimes clashed with management and was limited by injuries in three of his six years with the Jazz, Boozer played in 78 games the past season. His arrival in Utah came after an awkward exit from Cleveland following the 2003-04 season.

The Cavaliers, who could have exercised a one-year option after Boozer's second season, thought they had a six-year, $41 million agreement in place and let him hit the market. Boozer wound up accepting a six-year, $68 million dollar contract as a restricted free agent that they chose not to match.

The Cavaliers' general manager at the time was Jim Paxson, who is now a Bulls scout and consultant. And his brother John Paxson is Chicago's executive vice president of basketball operations.

--

AP Sports Writer Doug Alden in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million

Football Betting

In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.

And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.

Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.

So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.

Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)

The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.

As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.

The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.

In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.

Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.

And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.

So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.

There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.

So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.

And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.

There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)

Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.

Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.

Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.

So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.

NFL Betting Lines

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