Will the real Carlos Boozer please stand up?

Ever since Jerry "Organizations wins championships" Krause dismantled one of the greatest NBA teams of all times, the Chicago Bulls have been slowly climbing back to respectability.
At the same time, ever since Elton Brand was traded for a teenage Tyson Chandler, it's been known around the league that the Bulls were missing a back-to-the-basket low post presence. The Bulls had a chance to accomplish both goals in one fell swoop when they signed Carlos Boozer to a five-year, $75 million contract last summer.

NBA fans, and Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers fans in particular, have been familiar with all the highs and lows of Carlos Boozer over the years. An outstanding post scorer and rebounder. A horrible defender. An All-Star and Olympian. An injury-plagued player. The Chicago Bulls took the risks because they needed his skills and, well, they had the money to spend.

Before the season even started, injury hit Boozer once again. A man who stands 6'9", 270 and has gone up against some of the biggest people in the world met his match in the form of an ill-placed gym bag. Down he went for the first month of the season.

Upon his return, though he would only play in 59 games on the season, Boozer was as good as advertised. He averaged 17.5 and 9.6 and was an integral part of a surprising 62-win team. Bulls fans were willing to overlook his constant injuries due to their depth, as long as he was able to produce when he did play. And with the playoffs approaching, fans were looking forward to seeing Boozer feast on the Indiana Pacer's bigs.

It was all good just a week ago...or two, or however long ago that Chicago-Indiana first round series started. Despite the fact that Chicago won the series 4-1, no one can claim it was an easy series, save for the decisive game five. No one struggled more mightily, on either team, than Boozer, who averaged 10 and 10 on 35% shooting. In fact, in game 5 when damn near everyone else were having career playoff games, Boozer had 2 points and five rebounds.

Boozer obviously has to step up against the Atlanta Hawks, and beyond should they advance. I can't think of too many other players that have been as criticized by fans and media alike as Boozer has. But while most players relish proving the haters wrong, Boozer seems content to let everyone say what they wanna say, keep doing his thing, and go into beast mode occasionally.

That won't be good enough to help the Chicago Bulls win the championship, and it's certainly not what the Bulls organization were hoping for when they signed Boozer to that contract last season. The Hawks series should be seen by Boozer as his chance to redeem himself both to the organization and his team. Will he step up or be content to do his thing..and go into beast mode occasionally?