Heading into the off-season, there was optimism for the Los Angeles Lakers with ample cap room available to pursue superstars in free agency. While the franchise was in contention for Carmelo Anthony, they eventually had to move on to Plan B which featured trading for Jeremy Lin and being awarded Carlos Boozer.
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Before the start of every season, the ESPN Forecast panel makes their predictions and believes the former All-Star forward is the worst newcomer with 67 votes:
ESPN Summer Forecast, Worst Newcomer (1st place): @MisterCBooz. #ESPNForecast http://t.co/9T94FLXHGK pic.twitter.com/9TZigkss7W
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) August 14, 2014
Joining Boozer on ESPN’s worst newcomer list includes Lance Stephenson (41), Darren Collison (34), Ben Gordon (29), and Raymond Felton (26).
In his final season with the Chicago Bulls, Boozer was limited to 28.2 minutes per game in favor of Taj Gibson. As a result of his lowest minutes per game since his rookie season, Boozer only averaged 13.7 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting a career-low 45.6 percent from the field.
After being waived, Boozer looks to rebound from the worst season of his career and will likely play significant minutes for the Lakers. While there are low expectations for the Lakers heading into this season, there are numerous players on the roster who have a chip on their shoulders.
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