Carlos Boozer Loves Mike D’Antoni

Enough to compare the Knicks’ coach to a clever rapper. Says the NY Post, after they hounded Boozer about his impending free agency: “Surely, Boozer, who played for D’Antoni at the Olympics, is on the Knick list. ‘I love D’Antoni, he’s the dope,’ Boozer said. ‘Spending time with him in the Olympics, his offensive mindset is unbelievable. He’s got the best plays I’ve ever been around — on a whim. It’s like rappers when they come out on the top of the dome with quotes. He’s got plays in the back of his head with plays for that moment.’ D’Antoni said he was reluctant to talk about Boozer because of tampering, saying only, ‘Anyone on the US Olympic team is one of the top 20 players in the game. He’s definitely up there.’ Even though Boozer got snubbed from the All-Star Game, the chances of the former Duke NCAA champion re-signing with the Jazz is stronger than when the season started. Utah is a Western Conference force again, with a 48-26 record, in fourth place, ready to make the playoffs for the 24th time in 27 years. That is an astounding stretch considering the Knicks, after being mathematically eliminated Sunday night, having missed postseason eight of the last nine years.”