Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer hasn’t lived up to his $80 million contract. (GETTY IMAGES)

Tom Thibodeau’s defensive scheme can most likely keep the Chicago Bulls afloat until superstar point guard Derrick Rose returns from ACL surgery. But as good as Thibodeau is as a defensive wizard, he’ll need one of his overpriced starters to help on the offensive end.

That means you, Carlos Boozer.

Boozer has been a model of inconsistency during his time in the Windy City. He often disappears in playoff games (sometimes an entire series) and he struggles against guys with length. In short he hasn’t lived up to his five-year, $80 million contract he signed three seasons ago as the Bulls’ big-splash acquisition in the summer of 2010.

For much of his career, Boozer has been able to ride on someone else’s back whether it was LeBron James in Cleveland, Deron Williams in Utah, and now Rose here in Chicago.

But because Rose won’t be ready until January or February, Boozer will need to step into the lead role.

“To me it all comes down to Carlos Boozer,” TNT analyst and Hall-of-Famer Reggie Miller said. “He has to find a way to regain that all-star form that he had in Utah. If he can do that, combine with Luol Deng, they can stay afloat but it’s gonna be very difficult.”

As a member of the Utah Jazz from 2004-09 Boozer averaged 19.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, and shot 54.4 percent from the field. Since signing that massive free agent contract with the Bulls in 2010 Boozer’s averages dipped. He’s only averaging 16.2 points and 9.0 rebounds, and his shooting percentage is now at 52.1 percent.

“If you’re Tom Thibodeau you’re going to have to run the offense through Carlos Boozer. But he’s gonna have to want or demand the basketball as well,” Miller said. “He’s had more of a supporting role the last couple of years playing behind Deng and playing behind Rose. This is a chance to be a star again.”

When Boozer was in Utah, he got a lot of easy baskets off Jerry Sloan’s flex offense. If Boozer can do something well consistently it is set screens.

When Boozer and Rose are on the floor together Rose tends to use screens to free himself instead of looking for the roll guy. Thibodeau will need to dust off Sloan’s flex offense to get Boozer more touches. When Boozer gets involved he goes harder on the boards.

Expect a big bullseye on Boozer’s chest this season because the entire Bulls franchise needs him now more than ever to hold down the fort until D-Rose returns.

Projected finish in Central Division: Second.

Reggie Miller played his entire 18-year NBA career with the Indiana Pacers. (GETTY IMAGES)

Basketball is king in the state of Indiana and Reggie Miller is the undisputed prince of the Pacers.

Very few basketball studs play their entire careers with one team, and Miller was blessed to play his entire 18-year NBA career with the Indiana Pacers. He was the 11th overall pick in the 1987 draft, but the selection was greeted with some pessimism because Pacers fans wanted Indiana schoolboy legend and Indiana University All-American Steve Alford. But it didn’t take long before Miller, who grew up in Riverside, Calif., and attended UCLA, won over the hearts of Indiana fanatics.

Miller is one of the 12 newest members of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and to honor his induction into basketball royalty in 2012, OneManFastbreak.net ranks his five greatest moments:

5-MILLER TIME IN OVERTIME

Even though he was approaching the twilight of his career, Miller proved he could still raise his game in the biggest of stages during the 2002 NBA playoffs. The No. 8-seeded Pacers stretched the top-seeded Nets to five games in the first round, and Miller was at his absolute best in Game 5. He sent the game into overtime with an improbable turnaround bank shot from behind the 3-point line and sent the game into a second overtime with a driving dunk (and Miller rarely drove to the basket) past Kerry Kittles. The Nets eventually won the game and advanced to the NBA Finals, but Miller carved out another special playoff performance.

4-PUSHES JORDAN, BULLS TO THE LIMIT

Reggie Miller gets away with a shove on Michael Jordan in the 1998 Eastern Conference playoffs.

Reggie made 2,500 threes throughout his illustrious career, but none bigger than the one he hit in Game 4 of the 1998 playoffs against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The play began with Miller running Ron Harper through a screen. Once he got free at the top of the key he saw Jordan and brushed him off with an obvious shove. Miller admitted it was an offensive foul, and he was just as surprised a foul wasn’t called. That non-call greatly benefited the Pacers as Miller got a clean look and buried a clutch game-winning 3-pointer. The Pacers extended the Bulls to the fullest, only to lose in seven games. However, Jordan certainly got a little dose of his own medicine in the hard-fought series.

3-DROPS 57 POINTS VS. HORNETS

The highest scoring game of Miller’s NBA career occurred on Nov. 28, 1982, when he dropped 57 points on the Charlotte Hornets to set the Pacers’ all-time franchise record. Reggie put on a show at Charlotte Coliseum, abusing Hornets guard Dell Curry for most of the night. Pacers announcer described the scoring spree as a volcanic eruption. Miller exploded for 23 points in the third quarter and knocked down 21 consecutive free throws for the game.

2-EIGHT POINTS IN 8.9 SECONDS

Reggie Miller drives on his nemesis, Knicks guard John Starks in the 1995 NBA playoffs.

Miller enjoyed playing in New York’s Madison Square Garden and absolutely loved tormenting the Knicks. His stunning performance in Game 1 Eastern Conference semifinals in which he scored eight points in 8.9 seconds only heightened New York’s genuine disdain for him. After hitting a three with 13 seconds left to cut the N.Y. Lead to three, the Knicks had trouble inbounding the ball and the ball found Miller in the corner after getting away with shoving Greg Anthony to the ground. Miller stepped back and buried another three to tie the game. The Knicks had a chance to regain the lead but John Starks, Miller’s nemesis, missed two free throws and then Patrick Ewing missed a contested 12-footer in the paint. After grabbing the rebound, Miller was fouled and knocked down two free throws to complete an improbable Pacers comeback.

1-SHUT UP, SPIKE!

Miller described Indiana’s Game 5 win against the Knicks in the 1994 East finals a watershed moment for the Pacers franchise. The Knicks were considered the bullies of the East and heir to the throne vacated by the Chicago Bulls when Michael Jordan retired. The Knicks-Pacers series was a classic major-market team versus small-market squad. Miller had had enough of Pat Riley, Patrick Ewing, and the rest of Knicks, who had eliminated the Pacers in the previous two seasons. So Miller took it upon himself to lift an entire franchise with one incredible quarter. He scored 25 points in the fourth, knocking down three after three right in the face of his nemesis John Starks and Hubert Davis. Miller, who finished with 39 points, was feeling so good he got into a running smack-talk with longtime Knicks fan Spike Lee, who was sitting courtside. The chatter turned into a huge spectacle when Miller kept staring down Lee with each cold-blooded 3-point shot. And when Miller swished a trey from near midcourt he looked at Lee’s direction, with his arms cocked back, and uttered a few expletives (if you can read lips he said “Shut the f*** up, b***h!”) while grabbing his throat to signify the choke sign. Lee claims Miller also grabbed something else besides his throat but it wasn’t caught on video. Even though the Pacers lost the series, the game turned into one the most memorable moments in NBA playoff history and it catapulted Miller from being Cheryl Miller’s younger brother to a bonafide superstar and one of basketball greatest villains.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Reggie Miller played his entire NBA career with the Indiana Pacers. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Clutch. Cocky. Loyal. Those three words defined Reggie Miller’s NBA career.

Clutch is for all the incredible game-tying or game-winning 3-point shots he buried throughout his career. Cocky is for the way he carried himself on the court, using anything and everything in the English language (filled with a bunch of expletives) to get an edge against his opponents. And, last but not least, his loyalty toward the only franchise he ever played for in 18 years says a lot about his love for the state of Indiana and its basketball-crazy fans. When you think about the Indiana Pacers, you can’t help but think about Reggie Miller. He is without a doubt the face of the franchise.

On Monday, Miller joined longtime NBA coach Don Nelson, former UCLA and Lakers great Jamaal Wilkes and former Houston Rockets star Ralph Sampson as part of a 12-member class that will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September. Miller’s sister, Cheryl, was enshrined in 1995.

After a standout career at UCLA, Miller became one of the best perimeter shooters in the history of the game. He was part of the 1996 gold medal-winning Olympic team and played more games with one franchise than any player except John Stockton and Karl Malone.

But Miller’s signature moments came against the New York Knicks, for years the biggest rival of his Pacers. Who could forget the choke sign he flashed at Spike Lee when he kept dropping threes in the 1994 Eastern Conference playoff game at Madison Square Garden. And for an encore, he blitzed the Knicks again in the 1995 playoffs with eight points in 11 seconds.

Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird, who coached Miller with the Pacers, said any player can shoot a 3-pointer when the game is tied but it takes a special player to shoot a 3-pointer when his team is down by two points. Few could match Miller’s late-game heroics.

Here’s a video tribute of Miller’s Hall-of-Fame career:

NBA players union executive director Billy Hunter (GETTY IMAGES)

Back in 1998, the NBA suffered a huge financial setback and public relations black eye when the league wiped 32 regular-season games and the best it could do was put together a 50-game schedule that started in January. Union executive director Billy Hunter was asked who won or lost in the collective bargaining war and explained that neither side came out unscatched.

“Did we blink? I guess we both blinked,” Hunter said hours after a new deal was reached in January of 1999 to save the season and the playoffs.

Fast forward to 2011 and we are in the same place again. Deja vu!

It’s like a bad Hollywood sequel. “The Lockout II” stars David Stern, reprising his role as the commissioner, and Hunter returns as the union’s embattled executive director. “The Lockout II” introduces a couple of new characters, Derek Fisher replaces Patrick Ewing as the union president and Adam Silver takes over for Russ Granik as the league’s deputy commissioner. However, the storyline and plot remains the same. Ultimately, the big dramatic final scene the players are expecting won’t reach the cutting room floor because the ending has already been written.

Even the script from the league hasn’t changed, just needing some very minor editing. Granik took the podium and addressed the media in 1998 and said the current system is broken. Silver didn’t have the benefit of a podium in 2011 but his message was basically the same. He said on Monday that the current system is broken.

Contrary to what Hunter said 13 years ago, the big winner from the 1998 lockout were the players. Let’s face it, from 2000 to 2010, the players – especially the superstars – enjoyed the fruits of the very long and hard labor debate of ’98. If the players didn’t think they won the last fight, then check out these numbers:

— $19.2 million for Gilbert Arenas.

— $21.2 million for Kevin Garnett.

— $21.3 million for Tim Duncan.

— $22.1 million for Rashard Lewis.

— $25.2 million for Kobe Bryant.

Those were the estimated salaries earned by each player last season. Kobe certainly earned his paycheck but you can argue that the other four were severely overpaid. Arenas was a bit player for the Orlando Magic and has never been the same since multiple knee surgeries. Duncan and Garnett are well past their primes and Lewis’ contract was like stealing money and is the very reason why the system has severe flaws.

The players will argue that nobody put a gun to the owners’ heads when they wrote these massive checks, so the players have a very good argument there. However, the owners will argue that under the current system overpaying for talent is the only way to stay competitive.

Two former NBA players who lived through the 1998 lockout were Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller. Barkley, who now works as a studio analyst for TNT, recently said on NBA TVs “Game Time” that besides revenue distribution the one gigantic issue hovering over this year’s lockout is competitive balance.

“We can’t have all our stars playing in just the major markets. It’s not fair to the game, it’s not fair to the system,” Barkley explained, an obvious strike at LeBron James’ highly debated decision to leave Cleveland for Miami last summer.

“This thing is about competitive balance,” Barkley continued. “Commissioner Stern, who I tell people is the best commissioner in sports and it has been that way for a long time, he’s not gonna let the NBA [become] like pro baseball where it is top heavy. All the teams with the most money get all the stars and then we have 10, 15 franchises dormant. He’s not going to let that happen.”

According to NBA insider David Aldridge, the Los Angeles Lakers’ team payroll reached $110 million last season. Meanwhile, the Sacramento Kings had an estimated team payroll of $44 million.

One way to combat the disparity between the have and the have-nots is having a bonafide superstar in each market. “You can have a bad team in a small market, but at least if you have a star that team can make money,” Barkley said. “You’ve got something to sell to the public. But if you are not gonna have these stars in these small markets they are not gonna survive.”

Miller, who also works for TNT, agrees with Barkley but has a pointed message for the owners. “Stop overspending on these mediocre players!” the former Indiana Pacers guard said on NBA TV. “Maybe you should hire better general managers who can evaluate talent better. There’s no way you give Rashard Lewis $120 million, a 30-year-old shooting guard in Joe Johnson $130 million, Travis Outlaw five years $30 million. Start looking at your general managers. That’s the reason why we are in this mess in the first place because you can’t assess talent well.”

Miller predicts the players will blink and there will be a 50-game season, starting in January. However, Miller also said he wouldn’t be surprised if the whole 2011-12 season is wiped out. Barkley sees a lost season if the players don’t agree to the 50-50 revenue split on basketball related income.

“If they get a 50-50 split they can make money. If they get a hard cap that can work, or they can have a better revenue sharing system,” Barkley said. “The NBA has been preparing not to play this season for two years. When they went through the whole LeBron thing for the whole season, then the Chris Bosh thing happened. Then you have the whole ‘Where is Chris Paul going next, where is Dwight Howard going?’ You can see the NBA saying ‘We’ve got to stop this.’ ”

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him @onemanfastbreak.

Ray Allen broke Reggie Miller’s NBA record for most 3-pointers in a career. Allen now has more than 2,800 3-pointers in his illustrious and soon-to-be Hall-of-Fame career. However, despite having the distinction of being the NBA’s all-time 3-point king, is Ray Allen the best pure shooter in the game today? Moreover, where does Allen rank among the all-time great pure shooters in NBA history? There’s sniper from the Bay Area who may have an argument. Let the debate begin.

OneManFastBreak.net examines the 10 best pure shooters in NBA history. Editor’s note: As much as we’d like to include Michael Jordan, Jerry West, Pete Maravich, Kobe Bryant or even Dirk Nowitzki on this list, they’re more great scorers than pure shooters. A pure shooter is someone who is more about quality than quantity. They don’t need to dominate the ball to have a major effect on the game. They often rely on screens and excels in an offense that highlights ball and player movement. Pure shooters can also stretch a defense with their ability to make jump shots from beyond 23 feet. And they can go for long stretches without touching the basketball, yet when given the opportunity they rarely miss. #snipers

10. Drazen Petrovic
It is unfortunate that Petrovic died at 28. The basketball world only saw a short trailer of the Croatian sensation’s made-for-TV career. Petrovic was a natural-born shooter and his impact in the NBA, even though it was shortlived, was undeniable. His game blossomed after he was traded from Portland to New Jersey, instantly becoming the Nets best scorer. His range was unlimited, and he oozed with remarkable confidence for someone who was totally out of his element. During the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Petrovic was the only player who stood up to Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the rest of the U.S. Dream Team.

9. Glen Rice
You want “Minute Rice” or “Instant Rice?” That was the question posed by Glen Rice to teammate John Salley before the start of the 2000 NBA Finals. It’s not boasting when you own one of the sport’s deadliest jump shots. The man used to be known as G-Money was a pure gunner who never took a shot he didn’t like. Once Rice got off the team bus, he was open. He was an absolute sniper. His range was unlimited and his form was almost perfect. It was a stunner whenever he missed because it seemed like every shot he took looked good coming out of his fingertips. Rice averaged more than 20 points per game six times during his career, and drained 1,559 3-pointers.

8. Peja Stojakovic
Stojakovic was drafted in the first round in the 1996 draft by the Sacramento Kings, one of Geoff Petrie’s major draft gems. His 1,760 3-pointers ranks in the top five all-time and is a 40% shooter from behind the arc for his career. Peja’s incredible shooting was one of the reasons the Kings were one of the best scoring teams in the NBA from 2001-05. He’s made more than 100 threes 10 times in his career – 240 in 2003-04 with the Kings, 231 in 2007-08 with the Hornets. He’s currently a key contributor to the Dallas Mavericks as a sniper off the bench. At 6-foot-9, Stojakovic is a shooting guard in a forward’s body, which allowed him to shoot over any defender. He loved to drift to his left side to set up his jump shot, a step-back move that became his signature shot.

7. Kyle Korver
There are only three players in the NBA’s top-10 list who shot the 3-ball better than 40 percent: Steph Curry (43%), Ray Allen (40%), and Kyle Korver (43%). Korver has made more than 2,200 threes in his 15-plus NBA career. Korver’s best years came with the Atlanta Hawks. He set a then-NBA record by hitting a 3-ball in 127 consecutive games until Curry obliterated that mark. Korver doesn’t need a lot of space to get his shot off, and he is nearly automatic on the free-throw line. Korver led the NBA in 3-point percentage four times and holds the record for highest 3-point percentage (53% in 2009-10).

6. Chris Mullin
The former collegiate star from St. John’s University wasn’t fast nor flashy and wasn’t blessed with great athleticism. But he made his living by perfecting a deadly baseline jump shot, a smooth left-handed stroke that would enable him to last 16 years in the NBA and amassed almost 18,00 points. A member of Golden State’s formidable trio “Run TMC,” Mullin averaged more than 20 points six times in his career and shot 86% from the free throw line. When the 1992 Dream Team was being constructed, Mullin was called to provide the greatest team in basketball history some much-needed outside shooting. He averaged 12.9 points, which was fourth on the Dream Team.

5. Klay Thompson
Anyone who doubts the son of former Los Angeles Lakers standout Mychal Thompson belongs on this list should watch Game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference playoff series between Golden State and Oklahoma City. That was the night when Klay almost single-handedly kept the Warriors’ season alive with a shooting exhibition for the ages. Klay swished an NBA playoff record 11 treys and scored 41 points in an elimination game on the road. The out-of-this-world performance cemented Thompson’s place as one of the game’s best long-range shooters. Chris Webber said it best: “All heart and will.” In December 2016, Thompson did something that may never be duplicated. He scored 61 points on just 11 dribbles and held the ball for just 90 seconds. Talk about efficient.

4. Reggie Miller
Most Indiana Pacers fans were scratching their heads when Miller was chosen by the team in the 1987 NBA draft, especially when Indiana’s favorite son, Steve Alford, was still on the board. Well, more than 25,000 points and 2,560 3-point shots later, the Pacers were left satisfied with their pick. Miller basically invented the art of running off defenders on screens. To do so, you had to be in tremendous physical condition, which he was. Miller worked extremely hard at his craft. He was always one of the first players in the gym shooting jump shots. He also was one of the league’s best trash talkers, and he backed up his big talk more often than not (see Reggie Miller v. Spike Lee at Madison Square Garden, 1994 NBA playoffs).

3. Ray Allen
In terms off work ethic, very few in the game has worked harder than Ray Allen. Even during the twilight of his career, Allen remained one of the best-conditioned athletes and never seemed to run out of gas. Allen had incredible endurance and leg strength. Reggie Miller and Richard Hamilton were extremely fit during their primes, but Ray Allen blows both of them away. Allen has taken the art of running off screens from Miller and enhanced it with his own style. Allen also has a unique shooting stroke because his release is uncanny and hard to teach. He may have one of the quickest shots in the sport, a shot so smooth and compact that it is almost perfect. The defining moment of Allen’s NBA career came in the closing moments of Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals as a member of the Miami Heat. Allen sent the game into overtime by knocking down a corner 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds left in regulation. That 3-pointer changed the course of history. It propelled the Heat to their second straight championship, while denying Tim Duncan and the Spurs a title.

2. Larry Bird
In terms of technique or statistical achievement, Bird is not on par with his constituents. For his career, Bird was only a 37% shooter from 3-pointer range and never made more than 98 in one season. His career total of 649 doesn’t even crack the NBA’s top 100. Heck, J.R. Rider (667), Rodney Rogers (690) and George McCloud (920) made more threes than Bird. However, when the stakes are at its highest and the lights are at its brightest, very few can compare with Bird. Larry Legend saved some of his best shots during the postseason, helping the Celtics win three titles in 1980s. Adding to his legendary legacy, Bird was also legendary during All-Star Weekend. He won the 3-point contest three straight years. One time he didn’t bother to take off his warm-up jacket. That’s Larry Bird for you. He won’t wow you with stats or amazing highlight plays, but he is a pure assassin when it’s money time.

1. Stephen Curry
Wardell Stephen Curry is redefining shooting guard position. Yes, folks. He’s really a shooting guard masking as a point guard. The son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry could very well be the greatest basketball sniper we’ve ever seen. His resume speaks for itself. He holds the record for most 3-pointers made in a single season (402), and he has led the NBA in 3-pointers made five times. He also has remarkable range and accuracy. He can pull up from 25-feet or beyond with relative ease. He has never shot below 42% in a season from behind the arc and he shot 45% during his record-breaking season in 2015-16 when he shattered his own mark by hitting 116 more threes. NBA legend Jerry West said Curry is changing the way we look at the game. Throughout the history of basketball, the game was played inside-out. Winning the battle under the basket usually translates into championships. But Curry and the Golden State Warriors are shattering that mold. The 3-point shot has gone from a desperation move to a powerful weapon. Today’s basketball analytics say 3 beats 2 every time, and more and more teams are subscribing to that strategy. Steph has not only become the face of the NBA but he is setting the bar for a new generation of ballers.

The Los Angeles Lakers opened training camp this week and based on the sounds and images during a practice session, everything suggests that the defending NBA champions are primed and ready for another run a title – the 15th in the storied franchise’s history.

“The way this team is built, they are going to challenge the Bulls’ ’96 record of 72 wins in a season,” TNT analyst Reggie Miller said during “Real Training Camp” on NBA TV.

Miller’s sentiments are shared by many basketball experts who all feel that the Lakers have the best team in the world and have the talent and depth not only to repeat but to challenge the benchmark of 72-10 set by the 1996 Chicago Bulls. Those Bulls boasted a star-studded roster that included the best player in the game, the most versatile player, a European stud, a defensive dynamo with a flare for the dramatics and head coach Phil Jackson.

Sound familiar.

Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom are the HD version of Jordan and Pippen.

It is almost freakishly too good to be true. Kobe Bryant can play the role of Michael Jordan, Lamar Odom as Scottie Pippen, Pau Gasol as Toni Kukoc, Ron Artest as Dennis Rodman and Phil Jackson as … Phil Jackson. In supporting roles, Derek Fisher can be B.J. Armstrong, Sasha Vujacic can play Steve Kerr, Shannon Brown can simulate Randy Brown, Luke Walton is Jud Buechler and Andrew Bynum can easily be the next Dickey Simpkins.

The schedule also suggests that the Lakers should get off to a phenomenal start as 17 of their first 21 games are at Staples Center. “The way their season is built, their first 21 games, four of those are on the road,” Miller explained. “Oklahoma City…young team, a win. Houston…no Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady we don’t know, a win. Denver…OK, Denver plays great at the Pepsi Center so let’s say that’s a loss. And then they have Golden State, a young team in disarray. The Lakers can go 20-1 in their first 21 games.”

Miller added: “So yes, I think they’re going to challenge the Bulls’ 72-win season. But are they gonna win it all? If everyone is healthy, I kinda like the Boston Celtics. But it’s gonna be a fabulous matchup between the Lakers and Boston.”

Before we put Miller in a straight jacket for his bold prediction, it may not be that far-fetched considering that the Lakers won 65 games last season, has the reigning NBA Finals MVP in Kobe, the reigning European MVP in Gasol and arguably the greatest coach in the sport in Jackson.

Miller reasoned that the acquisition of Artest upgraded the small forward position and the former defensive player of the year should add toughness on defense and flexibility on offense.

“The West has gotten better, but so have the Lakers,” Miller said. “The rich get richer.”