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Chicago • The Chicago Bulls camp was rocked Sunday when the team announced former Jazz player Carlos Boozer will miss approximately eight weeks with a fractured right hand.
Boozer, the Bulls' major offseason acquisition from the most heralded free-agent class in NBA history, said he suffered the injury to his shooting hand after tripping over a bag at home at about 6 p.m. MDT on Saturday. The Bulls originally had two practice sessions scheduled but instead were given the day off.
The fractured fifth metacarpal, confirmed by team physicians Sunday morning, will require surgery. If Boozer misses eight weeks, he would return on Nov. 27, the day the Bulls' annual extended November trip ends.
"It was just dark, my doorbell rang and I tripped over a gym bag, tried to brace myself and it popped," Boozer said. "I jumped back up, opened the door and my hand was still a little numb.
"I'm 265 [pounds], 5 percent body fat. I'm heavy, man. I guess I had to brace myself and my weight just collapsed the bone. If I had landed with an open hand, I would've been fine. But somehow my right hand got turned over and that's what caused the break."
Boozer said the metacarpal near his pinky broke into three pieces and he will undergo surgery on Tuesday. Doctors told him that he will be "stronger than ever" once the pins are removed.
"I'll be able to stay in shape, be around the guys and continue to lead in that way," Boozer said.
"Carlos had put a lot of work in and was playing great," Thibodeau said. "But that's part of the NBA. We move on. We have plenty of guys who have started and played in big games. We have more than enough to win with right here."
Thibodeau said the team showed no emotional letdown at Sunday's two practices.
"The guys are disappointed for Carlos, but we have a resilient group that is tough-minded," he said. "We'll be ready for the start of the season."
Boozer will not, which merely adds to his reputation as being injury-prone. Boozer missed 80 games in his first two seasons after signing his big free-agent deal with the Jazz and now this.
"I don't feel like I'm cursed; just bad luck," Boozer said. "I'll get a new bag, though. And I'll have someone else answer the door."
Bulls, Noah reach 5-year extension
Center Joakim Noah and the Chicago Bulls agreed Sunday on a five-year contract extension, a person familiar with the negotiations told The AP. The Chicago Tribune reported that the deal is worth about $11 million annually with incentives that could take it higher.
About par for the course for Carlos
If Boozer misses the expected eight weeks:
It would represent 15 missed games for Boozer starting out in Chicago (18.3 percent of season).
Over six seasons with the Jazz, Boozer sat out 138 of the team's 492 games (an average of 28 percent of each season).