Usually, it would be rough for the Bulls this time of year, being away from Chicago on a five-game road trip that takes them from Los Angeles to Oakland to Portland to Salt Lake City to New Orleans before coming home on Feb. 15 to face the Bobcats.
But I imagine that most of the Bulls have to feel happy to be out of the blizzard conditions that still have a lot of Chicago at a standstill this evening, and in the pleasant near-70 degree weather in Southern California.
There. Made you jealous much?
Anyway, today Carlos Boozer, who missed 15 games at the beginning of the season, said he felt he deserved All-Star recognition:
"I hope so," Boozer said before the Bulls played the Clippers on Wednesday night. "I know I missed some games with my broken hand. I feel like I am deserving of an All-Star appearance, but if not, I'm not going to be disappointed. There's a lot of guys that feel that they're deserving of the All-Star Game. There's so many good players in the NBA. Guys that want to be there that won't be there, and if I am there I'll be extremely happy I'll tell you that."
It wasn't all about him, as you can see, and he went on to say that it would be an honor to represent the Bulls along with Derrick Rose. Despite missing that much time, Boozer has helped the Bulls this season, missing only four games since his return; in the 29 games he has played the Bulls are 22-7 and Boozer is averaging a double-double, with 19.9 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.
Most important tonight is Boozer's ability to stop hot Clippers rookie Blake Griffin and avenge an embarrassing 100-99 loss to the Clippers at the United Center on Dec. 18.
Tonight's game begins at 9:30 p.m. CST and will be televised on CSN Chicago.