2010 couldn't come quick enough for the NBA. Perhaps the best group of free agents in the history of the game will be up for grabs. At least that is what the NBA wants its fans to thinks. Having a good crop of free agents gives fans in every city reason for hope or in some cases heartburn, indigestion and diarrhea.
The fans in New York couldn't be happier, they relieved themselves of Isiah Thomas, have dropped many of the contracts that were burdensome and have created enough cap space to sign any free agent in the summer of 2010. The object of their affection - LeBron James. If you are a fan in Miami, you might not be as happy. Although, you have cap space for 2010, your marquee free agent, DeWayne Wade may not want to stay and win you another championship. If you believe in conspiracy theories, Wade might actually join James in the big apple in a scheme they hatched while in Beijing during the Olympics.
The other big name free agent in the class of 2010 is Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh. Bosh has been the face of the Raptors since he joined as the 4th pick in the 2001 draft. He has carried the franchise to the post season, but hasn't been able to help the Raptors break through as an elite franchise in the Eastern conference. Should they let the big man walk or does Colangelo break the bank and sign Bosh to the max contract?
This has become an even bigger question in the last couple of days when ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith said that Bosh had talked to him and said that he told GM Bryan Colangelo that he wouldn't be re-signing in Toronto. Bosh and Colangelo both spoke to the media and said they have not had this conversation. Smith struck back, saying that he stands by his story and that the Raptors have a history of not being able to sign players that wanted to stay in Toronto like Damon Stoudemire, Marcus Camby and Vince Carter - he forgot to mention Tracy McGrady.
So what to do with Chris Bosh? Colangelo (if he is still around) needs to sign Bosh. He has developed into a dominant player. Athletic, a leader in the locker room and a scoring threat. The big issue with Bosh, besides his hair, is that he has immense difficulty creating his own shot and we still aren't sure what position to play him at. Is he a big forward or a small centre? On the Raptors he has to be the big forward that controls the game, scores baskets and the player that the offence goes through. On the all-star or Olympic teams, he can be the small centre who comes off the bench for Dwight Howard, but that is only once a year.
Besides signing Bosh in 2010, the Raptors need to use his "star power" to lure other potential free agents to Toronto. We can only dream of a pairing with Wade or LeBron in a Raptors uniform, but if that doesn't materialize a back-up point guard, starting centre or shooting guard to replace Anthony Parker when he leaves to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv would be nice. If Chris Bosh's plan really is to leave Toronto I just hope the next number 1 overall pick we get is closer to LeBron than Andrea.
Bosh is gone...simple as that (and what a great crop of FA's there will be in 2010!)
ReplyDeleteI think it all comes down to the marketability of a player in a certain market.
No matter what he does, how funny he is (his hilarious YouTube vids would be getting much more play if he was playing in the States)...he'll never get the push to be the face of Sprite or Gatorade or Nike...unless he's in the States.
Really good interview with SAS on The Score last night and he made some really good points about why Bosh will leave and how he stands behind what he reports (SAS is a loudmouth...but knows his shit.)
And when he does...GOOD LUCK bringing in any other big name players to replace him.
It's all about the benjamins...which you would appreciate BLT!
Bones
Although I think marketability does come into play a little...Would Bosh rather be the #1 endorser in Canada or #20 in the US?
ReplyDeleteAs for bringing in big names to Canada, I think they can do it. If you are willing to spend th money the Free Agents will come. If the Raptors want to put fans in the seats, sign Nash, Yao, and Yi!