“You can’t hide at this stage of the season. At this point, you have to be able to play through everything because if you’re trying to hide a guy or a guy is not performing for you, it’s going to show offensively in the playoffs and it’s going to be magnified … We all know Carlos did not play at the level the team needed him to and that that hurt them more than anything because they couldn’t rely on him.

“The flagrant foul, the pushing calls, the inability to finish strong around the basket. Now you’re a liability. We can’t hide you and now we have to take you out of the game.”

The flagrant foul in question was a swipe to LeBron James’ face late in the third quarter of Game 5. The Bulls had been up 11 but the Heat quickly cut it to 5. Of course, the Bulls got that back up to double digits late in the fourth quarter before falling apart. Pippen also took swipes at Joakim Noah for not stepping up in the playoffs. Notice that both of those guys were on the bench when Chicago needed a game-tying shot late in Game 5.

Pippen is right, Carlos Boozer did not step up with bigger and better games in the playoffs. Jazz fans would have told you to expect that. But Boozer also is not guy who can create his own shots, he needs to be paired with guys like that. The Bulls have one of the best in Derrick Rose but until they get a second guy who can create on the perimeter the Bulls will be vulnerable in the playoffs.

Sorry Chicago, we in Utah watched this for years. Carlos is Kleenex soft on the defensive end and is crazy inconsistent when the bright lights are on him. I know Chicago was desperate for a big man, but years of video review should have shown decision makers in Chicago that you got the same Boozer that he has always been. His performance should not be a surprise to anyone at this point. He will be a nice big for the rest of his career but never a dominant, game changer nor a franchise cornerstone. His best performances in Utah were disguised because he played with an primarily perimeter big (Okur) who cleared out the paint for him.

As a jazz fan, I would like to ask boozer a question. You said you left Utah to go to a place where you would be the star and win a title. Is it worth it to have two fan bases pissed at you and no ring?

Boozer does deserve some blame for disappearing, as he has a penchant for doing in the playoffs, but it’s unfair to heap it all on Boozer. The Bulls were right there in almost every game. They couldn’t score in the 4th quarter. Derrick Rose was the only one who could create a shot. What about Joakim Noah’s complete inability to score a basket? He is someone who should work on his offensive skills a bit. I think what they needed more than anything is another perimeter creator/shooter. That being said, yes, Boozer needs to work on his defense so THAT doesn’t become a liability. Hard to argue that flagrant foul wasn’t the turning point in Game 5.

“No Tippin'” Pippen sure has been shooting his big mouth off during the playoffs. It’s a known fact that Pippin, who’s rumored to be broke after having earned over $100M during his NBA career and being one of the biggest cheapskates in all of sports (adding to the irony), is a very bitter guy.

What you see is what you get wtih Boozer though; he’s a “B” player and I think actually acquitted himself well with the effort that he just put out in the just completed series. After all, if you don’t have the physical ability to play above the rim. That doesn’t make him a liability or a bad player though; it just underscores the fact that neither of the centers who play with him can put up any offense.

Seems to me that Pip forgets how he faded into the woodwork with his migraines during the Bulls-Pistons series. He has some nerve calling out Bulls players, deservedly or not, while taking money for being an ambassador to the team…