"Shortly after 5 a.m. Tuesday, Carlos Boozer tweeted his early-morning workout plans.

"Go Time!!!!" Boozer's missive read, in part.

Six hours later, Boozer's offseason received another boost. General manager Gar Forman strongly defended the preferred punching bag for Bulls fans frustrated by his inconsistent postseason.

"Carlos had a very good year for us," Forman said. "Even from a statistical standpoint, he was 18 points, 10 boards and shot over 50 percent. He was a key component to the success we had."

Boozer actually averaged 17.5 points and 9.6 rebounds while shooting 51 percent in 59 regular-season games. Those averages dropped to 12.6 points and 43.3 percent shooting in 16 playoff games, though Boozer did supply 9.7 boards per game."