Iverson to Detroit for Billups and McDyess. I just don’t see what it adds for Denver except maybe instead of getting knocked out of the first round as the 8th seed they’ll get knocked out of the first round as the 6th seed. The impact on Detroit is two-fold. It improves their scoring and in some circles they might be considered a stronger threat to contend this year. More importantly, they clear 20M in cap space this summer as Iverson’s contract is expiring. This summer is also when Rasheed Wallace’s 13M salary expires and next summer is when Richard Hamilton’s 11M are freed. Naturally everybody including our very own Michael Grange is saying that this is all positioning to take a swipe at Chris Bosh.
I don’t care nor do I want to even talk about it. My feeling is that if we keep our own house clean and build a positive winning atmosphere we won’t have to worry about our players bolting off to other seemingly greener pastures. That’s exactly what Colangelo’s thoughts are about the situation:
“You’ve got to be aware of what’s out there. But if we take care of our own business, build a competitive team and treat people right, players should want to stay here.”
There you have it. Let’s stop looking over our shoulders at who’s about to grab our superstar and focus on not giving them a reason to leave. If you want more there’s Chad Ford who is calling Bosh Detroit’s most realistic target. All I got out of that article is that Joe Dumars has really let himself go. That’s all I got to say about the trade but you can have at it.
Chris Bosh was named NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week after averaging 26/10/3.7 and leading us to our oh so perfect record. The Pistons also happen to have a 3-0 record after beating Charlotte last night with some extremely balanced scoring. Now if you thought that we were going to catch a break with Iverson not playing you’re wrong, the Raptors will be his first opponent in a Detroit uniform and I wouldn’t want to have it any other way. Last year’s Raptors team beat the bad to average teams but consistently lost to the good ones. On Wednesday night we’ll face our biggest test of the season and should we pass it then all the enthusiasm around the club might be warranted. If we lose in the same way we lost to Detroit last year it means the team’s not there yet.
This will be a tough game to win simply because it’ll be the best defense we’ve faced so far and relying on Bosh heroics alone to pull us through against Pistons’ team defense isn’t going to work. It never has. Ever. Look it up. We’ll have more on the game tomorrow but it suffices to say that the preparation that has to go into a game against Detroit is significant because they do so many things well. Unlike the Warriors, we can’t just worry about transition defense or unlike the Sixers we can’t just focus on shutting down their wings. Whenever any team plays Detroit they have to shut down Detroit as a unit by troubling their well-oiled offense and cracking their disciplined defense with patience and perseverance. We just can’t focus on one area of the game, to beat a true team like Detroit we’ll have to play as a team and not just clear out for a player or two. It’ll be tough.
Tim Chisholm’s seeing all kinds of technical things that are right with out defense so far including traps, man-to-man schemes and matchup-zones. He’s right but the underlying theme in all that he’s pointing out is strong interior defense. You can’t play aggressive man-to-man defense without being assured that there’s a safety net in case your man blows by you for playing him too tight nor can you trap players without accounting for what would happen if they split the trap and get into the lane. Yes, I’m working towards giving Jermaine O’Neal’s presence some credit here but that’s not to take anything away from Moon and Parker’s hard work on the perimeter. So far we haven’t felt the slightest effects of having one of the worst SF rotations in the league and that’s just amazing. Eric Smith’s also talking about team defense in his latest blog and says Jermaine O’Neal’s asking people in the organization to tell him what the franchise records are so he can break them. Nice.
The rebounding numbers this year just don’t jive with out record and that’s mainly because we’ve been able to hit our threes, get clutch fourth quarter scores and manage to get key defensive stops. Getting outrebounded by an average of 12 rebounds is not a sustainable way to go and Sam Mitchell realizes that:
“We got some work done today. We still have a lot to clean up. Our rebounding is something we continue to talk about. Something we have to get better at. The weird thing about it is we get them when we have to go get them. In the second half we have rebounded when we had to rebound. You look at the Milwaukee game, we got every big rebound we needed to get. That last rebound Jamario got, you look at that on tape, that was a tough rebound to get. He came over the top of a couple of people.”
He’s also talking about inflated numbers like I pointed out after the Philly game – you know, Samuel Dalembert doing his Moses Malone impression by getting 6 rebounds on one play.
I’m happy to report that Joel Bosh is a member of the Raptors Republic group on Facebook. See, we’re on our way to something big. Surprisingly he’s got more friends than Chris Bosh.
One more day to gameday. I’m happy to tell you that aside from the All-Star break there’s only two other occasions (once in December and once in March) that we get starved for three days straight this season.
We’ll have a special guest tomorrow morning to preview the Raptors and Pistons. We might make a post a little later in the afternoon introducing a new feature but that’s dependent on whether I actually have any work to do at work. Damn job.
52 Raps
Bottom line ,in regards to Bosh leaving at the end of his contract? it will be his call,and his call only,we can offer him all the money in the world,he is going to do what he is going to do period.
In the meantime,Grange can relax and enjoy the big guy for as long as we have him,can be for a short time or a long time.
Grange hasn’t written shit in over a week and all of a sudden the conspiracy theories start.
Chris Bosh is one smart man (for a jock !!!!!)I can remeber when every team in the nba were blowing Tracy…his mind was already made up !!!
VC stuck around,but played or didn’t play his way out of T.
For us fans,its an emotional decision,for one CB4 it will become a rational decision.
SO !! for the time being,lets let it go.
Go Raps
In the NBA,
“No Rebounds; No Rings.” – Pat Riley
It just doesn’t get any more simple than that.
When exam time comes, against the very best teams in the League … in isolated regular season games and, specifically, in the Playoffs … if your team cannot hold its own on the glass, it is going home early [with the occasional exception, here or there].
With the Iverson for Billups + McDyess + Samb trade now complete, tomorrow night’s match-up with the Pistons no longer qualifies as an early ‘exam’ for the Raptors.
what? bosh is leaving?
oh my god!
You can shower players with positive winning atmospheres, cash, clean houses, reasons not to leave and all the “Who’s the Bosh” signs you want, but, at the end of the day, they do what they want and what is best for them – not the team they are with. See: Posey, James; SJax; Elton, Brand; Davis, Baron and countless others. Ignoring the issue will not help anything. This is like Cleveland fans crying LeBron is not going anywhere for the last year, only to find out this year he is very much interested in leaving. I will be very surprised if he doesn’t leave. Again, the Raptors are i)a team where players finish their careers (JO) ii)a team players use as a stepping stone to greener pastures (Bosh). I am looking forward to BC letting him go and getting nothing in return ala Mo Pete.
If the Raptors make it to the EC Finals two years in a row, Bosh will not go anywhere. If we suck and miss the playoffs or get booted out of the first round he’ll have more reason to leave. I’m not dropping any knowledge here just saying what makes sense.
He strikes me as the guy who loves to win and doesn’t care where it happens. From EVERYTHING I’ve seen of the guy he loves Toronto and has no issue playing here. I think fans who keep suggesting otherwise are the ones with the inferiority complex, not the players.
ec finals? lets try and get to the second round. but you’re right, if we take care of business, bosh wont go anywhere.
god willing.
His video making ventures and frustration with losing in prior years leads me to be believe he’s the one with the inferiority complex.
I think you, unlike previously stated, are very much an optimist and like to see the good in everyone and everything until proven otherwise. Again, we all have different approaches. As I have stated many moons ago… it’s a glass half full/half empty situation – to each his own.
If wining is everything and people don’t care about where, why would Posey or Jax have left teams with “postive winning atmospsheres”? Re: TO – because acting unhappy and voicing displeasure would help him how exactly? And making the EC Finals does not mean at all he will stay.. not in the least. It would only raise his stock.
Flux, I believe money talks and bullshits walk. Match the money, match the winning and you’ve done 90% of the work involved in retaining a player. Now a player might be fucked up enough to leave because of weather alone but that’s just stupidity on his part and we can’t account for that. I’m not an optimist, I’m a realist and my opinion of Bosh is such that he’ll stay if the situation is right. If you had asked me the same question about Vince Carter, I would’ve responded very differently. It works on a player-to-player basis really, can’t paint every player with the same brush.
Bosh will stay and we’ll get Lebron because he won’t win anything with Cleveland management, will do even worse with NJ and Detroit’s a smaller market.
Book it.
I’m really on the fence with this team, at this point in time. I want to believe, but don’t want to be disappointed. Constantly, I’m going back and forth. I think openly I’m being realistic(pessimistic) and secretly delusional (optimistic).
You logic is valid, not denying that. I guess I am more along the lines of the BC quote. A) You gotta keep your ear to the ground. B) If you want to keep a player you gotta take care of business and that SHOULD (big massive one) keep the players here, meaning C) there are not guarantees, like yourself and other seem to think.
Again, it seems the team is a revolving door. And maybe I am wrong in thinking that, but when I look at the history -that’s what I see.
Anyone who has read what I’ve written about Chris Bosh should know that I think he’s a special player in the NBA, if he’s used properly by his franchise. That said …
In the age of Free Agency, individual players need to be viewed as ‘assets’ for their pro sports franchise, which should be trying to win the League Championship.
In the coldest, harshest way possible … all Chris Bosh should be to the fans of this team is Raptor #4.
Raptor #4 has inherent value to this team’s chances of ever winning a NBA championship.
If the day should ever come that Raptor #4 is no longer a member of this team, then, what will matter most of all is … who are the other 15 or 14 or 13, etc., players on the Raptors’ roster at that time.
Nothing more and nothing else.
This is what ‘the game’ is about.
IMO, Chris Bosh is the type of player a professional basketball franchise in the NBA can build around, if it legitimately intends to win the League Championship, in the not-too-distant future; but, if he he decides it is better for himself to go elsewhere … in pursuit of his personal goals & objectives … then, there are other fish to fry in the hoops’ ocean that are just as capable as Chris is, if they are used to their maximum capacity.
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What the best pro sports organizations do not do, however … is allow their best and most productive players to ‘leave’ for greener pastures elsewhere without getting ‘fair value’ back in return, i.e. which is what the Raptors have failed to do with the likes of Damon Stoudamire, Marcus Camby, Tracy McGrady, Doug Christie, Wince Carter, Alvin Williams, Antonio Davis, Mike James, Morris Peterson, Jorge Garbajosa and [even] Carlos Delfino.
Btw … for an example of maximizing a specific player’s ability to help a team win, please see the recent work of Dumars.
Fellas, gals .. yer all missing the point re Bosh going to Detroit. That’s not the entire story because Detroit are also going after LBJ !!!!
That would create a LBJ-Bosh duo and a charge to a Championship a la Boston. Neither Bosh nor LBJ could pass up that opportunity (unless LBJ goes to NY and pockets that $50 Million from Nike).
The Celtics bought their championship by stacking their team with Garnett and Ray … and now that is the championship formula in the NBA … stack your team with two all-stars and adding them to your other all-star.
Just imagine a Detroit team stacked with LBJ, Bosh and … AI maybe who is filthy rich but no championship ring ..???
I would be shocked, SHOCKED, if Bosh were to leave the Raptors. He has embraced the city, he has bought into the team being a national franchise, and he is a tireless worker behind the scenes. I know someone who works in the agency that handles a lot of his marketing and community (non-Raptor related) affairs and to say he loves it here is the understatement to end all understatements. I know for a fact he has twice cancelled trips home in order to stay back and fulfill some commitments that he could have easily said no to.
I also firmly believe that if taking less money to add a piece will help his team, he’ll do it. Jose laid the groundwork for that this year and every indication says that Chris would do the same.
Yes, he hates to lose, but he strikes me as the type that knows not every player wins an NBA championship.
My god, if we could land LeBron, I would say it’s practically a done deal – a Championship dynasty for however long Bosh and James’ contracts last. Of course, it will never happen – not in Toronto anyway. We’ve got the market, but we dont have the coaching, the smaller pieces or the desire from free agents to come play here.
Let’s skip ahead to 2010. JO comes off the books and let’s say for the sake of argument Bosh resigns (how much? I don’t know) – We have Bargnani, Calderon and Bosh, some leftover pieces in Ukic, Humphries and some other dudes. In the available free agent pool, who are we going to throw offers to? I’m curious about your takes – and while this is extremely premature, I think it would be neat to have an article reviewing the possibilities.
in order to fit in…i’m 100% positive, no shadow of a doubt certain, that bosh will leave. or stay. or something. c’mon, someone pay attention to what i think! hmm…maybe if i put *words in bold* for no apparent reason, my message will have more punch.
and c’mon khan…sure, mike james left without getting anything in return…but THEY GOT RID OF MIKE JAMES! wasn’t that alone worth it?
Not to be argumentative AltRaps, but I think his (or any players) community involvement has little to do with how he may feel about the franchise in the future. Many players leave teams and stay active in the community because they love the city. Also, as I understand, he has involvements in many other cities, one of them being Detroit where someone close to him runs the show. You could make the argument that because of this tie he would want to play in Detroit, no?
He strikes me as a “ring chaser” and winning is all to him,IMO. Not sure if you remember this, and pardon the Hillary Duff music, 2:20 mark to 2:27.. dude is crying on the bench.
and:
“We had to clear some things up and Coach and I came to a middle ground,” Bosh said. “I hate to lose and he hates to lose and we just talked about it.
I don’t care what he’s doing off the court,IMO, he’s not MoPete who would have stayed if this team was 0-82. If this team is eating the playoff exits.. he’s gonzo. IMO that is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlT9w6OHokg
Two things regarding Bosh:
1. Bosh is his own man and wants to lead his team to the NBA title, and be the MAN,and win the MVP, not play 2nd banana to, James/Kobe/AI etc.
2. Colangelo will have $50/60 mil (subject to the Lux tax in 2 years) if Bosh should opt out via his ETO after ‘09/10, to be used to sign free agents, Bosh included. Also BC can offer more $ and a longer term than any other team, to Bosh, if that is important.
The media, Grange included, will have a field day with this situation for the next 2 years, but he pointedly ignored the Rap’s Lux tax situation potential in 2 years, as will everyone else.
Nothing to worry about, that’s Colangelo’s job to manage, and he’s not a rookie as a GM. Raptors currently have commited to 5 players for ‘10/11 Bosh/Kapono/Humph included, with ETO’s and the other 2 being Calderon and Ukic, giving total flexibilty, under current commitments.
If people on this site start talking 2010 now they are crazy. What if Lebron leads Cleveland to the promised land this year or next? What if one of the holy trinity blows and ACL? What if basketball is made illegal by President McCain? Although the snowball’s-chance-in-hell fantasy of Lebron signing in Toronto always cheers me up.
But what about AI? One of the best players of his generation is moved to a rival. What impact does he have this year? Will he stay beyond this year? Why did they just extend Rip? Is there anyone even close to being as good a GM as Joe Dumars right now?
I have no idea of the answers to any of these questions except the Dumars one – maybe Pritchard is close. This trade could go either way for Detroit although the beauty of it is the franchise is set for the long term no matter how it goes. I might like BC but I’d trade him for Dumars in a heartbeat.
BEAT!! THE PISTONS!!
BEAT, BEAT THE PISTONS!! (WHAT!!!)
BEAT!! THE PISTONS!!
BEAT, BEAT THE PISTONS!! (YEAH!!!)
I’ll be at the game. (And I’m insane in the membrain!!)
For me, it’s Halloween at every Raps home game!! ;D
The difference between Chris Bosh signing with Toronto and another team for a maximum contract is something around $30+ million of guaranteed money. Free agency is stacked in favour of the holding team, the Raptors can offer an extra year and larger increases per year which is something along the lines of $30mil.
$30 million of guaranteed money ….. Bosh would have to leave that on the table to sign elsewhere. That’s why he stays.
How upset would Bosh need to be to walk away from that? It would have to be one desperate situation and there’s no reason why the Raptors should be in that situation. It’s not impossible that Bosh leaves but the likelihood is very very small.
Lots of teams will be looking to acquire Bosh that summer.
Let’s just hope the Raps win a lot before Christ Bosh leaves. And if he does, than the Raps will get to rebuild again and that’s always tons of fun – high draft picks, cool rookies. I would rather have highs and lows than be a good, but static team like Detroit (which is why I love the AI trade). I mean, sports is about entertainment, so let’s win now with Bosh and worry about 2010 when it happens.
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re: “I mean sports is about entertainment”
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For some, sports is about Excellence not ‘entertainment’.
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When your team can play without its Captain & starting PG, plus an established Big Man, AND still put a major hurt on the Bobcats, in Charlotte, to the following tune, which include a dominating performance on the boards … then THAT says a lot about the QUALITY of your team.
It’s not just about ‘entertainment’ with a man like Joe Dumars at the helm in Motown.
Q?) Why did Brand leave the LAC?
A!) Because the Clippers only made the playoffs once during his entire tenure there.
Q?) Why do most UFA re-sign with their present teams?
A!) 2 Reasons: Better money and/or ability to “continue winning”.
Q?) What will impact Bosh’s decision to stay or bolt (in 2 YEARS)?
A!) 2 Reasons: Better money and/or ability to “continue winning”.
If this team stays competitive, Bosh will not leave.
6 Reasons why Chirs Bosh will decide to re-sign with the Raptors:
1-Max Money
2-Past/Future Playoff Success
3-Bryan Colangelo
4-Jose Calderon
5-Jermaine O’Neal (who expect will be re-signed for half his current salary)
6-Miscellaneous (star player status)
If we make it far in the playoffs the next 2 years JO would be a BIG part of it. And he can use that as contract leverage to get a big deal. It would be interesting to see if Chris re-signs, if JO demands too much money(as he did n Indy) and heads elsewhere.
Yeah, Khandor, sports is about “excellent” entertainment!
What I’m trying to say is that who cares if Chris Bosh leaves? I mean, I love his game and I like this team. But if he leaves in 2010 than we just start over, which is fine by me. I loved Carter when he was here, until the “unpleasantness”, but when he left I didn’t really care. Except for the fact that we didn’t get many draft picks. I hope Christ Bosh stays, but if he doesn’t than so be it. I am willing to enjoy the next couple years and leave it at that. Although speculation is fun too…
The naiveté in Toronto is really irritating. This is a business…and Bosh is not an idiot. It will hurt him business-wise to stay in Toronto even if the team gets better (which is NOT a given yet….it’s only been 3 games for god’s sake)….his endorsement/business opportunities just aren’t the same without the exposure to American network TV…..and the Raptors will never have major American network exposure….
He only averaged 10 minutes a game in the Olympics and he certainly wasn’t the reason they won the gold, but he was SEEN by everyone and that has made him a star “where it matters”. He won gold because he was backing up the best players on the planet….not playing 43 minutes a night (even on back to backs) and CARRYING the team.
If Bosh gets a chance to play with a great team, maybe with another of his rookie class Olympic teammates, no one could blame him for taking it. Even if Iverson doesn’t play on Wed, Detroit has a very good chance of beating Toronto…that is a good team…take off Iverson and Rasheed….add Bosh and one other solid free agent, and that is a contender.
Dumars can’t lose here (Iverson’s contract is 21 mil and he’s done at the end of the year)…Colangelo has a LOT to lose….O’Neal has TWO years left (23 mil next year…who EXACTLY is going to take him and give up anything worth getting??) Iverson is an iron man….O’Neal may not play 50 games and frankly Maxiell can probably give you everything O’Neal is going to give….it will be interesting to see how O’Neal does against Detroit…because if he can’t help enough to WIN against Detroit, Orlando, LA Lakers, Boston, the Hornets and Cleveland, he is officially USELESS.
nunya,
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re: because if he can’t help enough to WIN against Detroit, Orlando, LA Lakers, Boston, the Hornets and Cleveland, he is officially USELESS.
————————————–
After 3 games, all W’s … Do you see Jermaine O’Neal helping “enough” to WIN against those teams this season for the Raptors?
[not just here and there but with some degree of consistency]
nunya – well, you could counter that it would be a bad business decision with the fact that TO can offer him an extra year & more $$ in a guaranteed deal…essentially, going elsewhere would mean leaving money on the table. for sure, he may be able to make that up in a ‘bigger’ american market (though isn’t TO the 4th largest market in north america?)…he could also get swallowed up amongst dozens of other star players. truth be told, he may have the charisma & personality to cross lines, from being a star in the sport to being a household name, but his game doesn’t necessarily grab attention, at least not in the way those stars whose name recognition has crossed over (bron, kobe). so, i take all the business stuff & figure it’s a wash – would he really be able to become that much more of a star in the states, and if so, would that correlate to sufficient endorsement opportunities that would make up for leaving all that $$ on the table.
to me, and, it seems, to many, it comes down to whether he truly feels he can win in TO. if there’s any doubt, then he’ll be gone…as long as the team he goes to does give him that feeling.
ah, khan, i was wondering when your ‘rip JO’ moment would come. and the answer to your question is, uh, yeah. the difference in attitude defensively is palpable, and since i know you’re the kind of guy to look past stats to see the bigger picture, i’m surprised you wouldn’t notice that. but hey, they ARE gonna lose some games this year, and i’m sure there will be guys who are to blame for those losses (player & coaches).
I would agree, that this early on into the season, that JO’s contribution is greater than we had expected. The presence provided on the defensive end that has been lacking for several season’s appears, once again after 3 games, to of been addressed.
How can anyone not see this.
How can you possible assess the degree of his contribution after a)3 games and b) (more importantly) against lower competition? Dude, he’s made as big of a difference, thus far, as any average big man taking up space in the middle would have. His stats show that. Not to mention, he didn’t even play at the end of one 4th q. And please spare me the “swagger” argument, because that’s complete B.S. The extent of his contributions, thus far, by certain individuals have be greatly exaggerated.
Believe that I stated the season is still early, actually twice.
Yet, you say it was greater then expected. Then again, I suppose it depends of your level of expectation and that, clearly, has varied amongst everyone. Also, you said “how can anyone not see this” – I highly doubt people are blind – implying, IMO, that the impact has been astronomical. Hardly the case, at all.
RAPS vs. PISTONS = Battle of two unbeatten 3-0 teams.
This is gonna be a very exciting game and a very interesting assessment of where the Raps stand in the present EC hierarchy.
RAPS FANS ARE YOU REAADYY!! (BOH!!) LORDAVEMERCY!!
Why does nba.com always p!ss on the Toronto Raptors. They talk up all the other Stateside teams and ignore the Raptors. Now they are stripping Bosh from the Raptors and giving him to the Pistons according to this report on NBA.com:
http://www.nba.com/video/channels/nba_tv/2008/11/03/nba_20081103_aldridge_iverson_trade.nba/
David Aldridge: “It’s my belief the Pistons are targeting Chris Bosh in 2010.”
Should the NBA website be undermining the Raptors with this kind of unsubstantiate crap? If Dumars said such a thing, he would be heavily fined, but the NBA.com website can say this and try to destabilize the Raptors during the regular season.
If commissioner Stern allows this to go on, it will signal that the Toronto Raptor franchise may going to the USA .. after protectionist president Obama is elected.
Bosh will resign for the max deal, and he can only do that here. We can keep Bosh, but we’re gonna have to pay him. His company is called Max Deal Technologies. I think he signed the shorter deal to take advantage of the CBA and, try to make more money. He’ll sign a max deal. Cash rules everything around Bosh. Creab.
Isn’t Max Deal Technologies just the company that designed his website? Bosh’s agent is Henry Thomas.
Vince had no problem being recognized in the states.
Winning = Popularity
Every real fan know Bosh can play.
So far Bosh has earned himself 3 allstar appearances, a gold medal, 2 playoffs, max money, #1 player on his team, an Atlantic title, a new Nike shoe deal, Leno appearances, youtube star, player of the weeks, player of the month, Baron Davis video competition and interviews on NBA TV and Canadian TV and now being mentioned as a possible MVP.
Bosh can write his own ticket of course but he’s not as unknown as American media lead us to believe.
David Aldridge was called out by Gary Paton saying Bosh and Wade liked being in Toronto and Miami.
I’m not a mind reader so I will not spend any more time on this subject.
Hopefully Bosh looks at the paths former superstars took out of Toronto looking for money and glory. Vince Carter is now wallowing in mediocrity after a few brief stints in the playoffs (ultimately useless). McGrady did the same in Orlando with not a lot of success and his move to Houston has been even rougher despite playing with a monstrous centre in Yao. Maybe this year will be slightly better, but it doesn’t look that way – despite adding Artest.
If he wants to win and BE the cornerstone, he can’t go to another guy’s team, not to mention there is really no guarantee of winning outside a few teams which don’t have the necessary cap space to sign him (Boston, LA).
Enough of the Bosh thing, leave it to the media to speculate, its TWO years away, and a lot of water under the bridge by then, O’Neal also.
Johnn19,
Agreed, re: the possibility of CB4 leaving the fold in 2 years time.
What should be of more concern to this team right now is …
What, if anything, is going to be done to stem the tide of this current ‘Rebounding Differential’ problem, before the resulting losses have a chance to set in and marr what’s been a productive start to the 2008-2009 campaign.
Contrary to popular belief, in the NBA, at least, the best time to repair your vehicle’s transmission difficulty is not once it’s broken down, in the first place, but while it’s still running relatively well … but with the ‘Red Warning Light’ beginning to blink, periodically, on the dashboard.
My guess is Bosh will return to his home in Texas and play for one of their teams. That would be a nice way to end one’s career … playing bball close to the family. Who would deny him that happiness … and Bosh has said ‘happiness’ is most important for him now.
This and next season and that may be all for Bosh in Toronto. By then Bargnani should be the main man.
cb4 isnt stupid.he’s the brightest star the raptors have ever had…his name isnt vince or tracy….why would he leave toronto for detroit?…cmon idiots.i can see bosh taking a deal for less to stay her like jose did.
paps – c’mon, you can’t seriously be comparing bosh & wince in terms of their recognition stateside. wince was a polarizing figure because of the WAY HE PLAYED – above the rim, highlight reel stuff game-in & game-out, dunk contest, ‘it’s ovah, ladies & gentlemen,’ taking a former crappola team to the brink of the EC finals, repeated game-winning buzzer beaters, etc. etc. i’m not talking about quality of play, or quality of person, but the style of play, and how that relates to popularity (or anonymity). there is no way that bosh, despite his ‘net popularity & on-court accomplishments, can even touch what wince was in terms of sheer marketing capability (or opportunity). even now, with wince on the downside & bosh on the precipice of being an all-nba type player, wince still has more brand appeal…whether bosh moves to the states & plays in a large market won’t, i don’t think, change that. it might, who knows what’ll happen down the road, but i can’t see it.
why would he leave? well, when his contract is up (or he ops-out), he’ll be 26. for slight big men, a downturn usually begins around 30, give or take (& there are exceptions), and with his knee history, it wouldn’t be far off to suggest that we could expect a decline in his level of play once he hits 31/32 or so…so his next contract should encompass pretty much the entirety of his ‘prime.’ that’s his window to be ‘the guy’ (or one of the key ‘guys’) on a championship contending team. so, he’s got to decide in the next two years whether the raps are building toward being a championship contender. if he doesn’t ‘feel it,’ why wouldn’t he consider going to a team with a history of building perennial championship calibre teams? as has been stated, the raps need to be at that level in the next year or so (or strongly show that they’re heading that direction).
yertu damkule
I’m saying it’s been done before and Bosh can do it. Guards and high flyers get the fame but Bosh is quickly establishing himself as a great player and people are noticing.
And that wasn’t a crappola team Vince had.
An elite level athlete who takes good care of his body, mind & spirit, has a window of Peak Performance which extends [roughly] from 27/28 to 35 years of age [not 30-32].
It’s the exception rather than the rule when a great, world-class athlete can successfully maintain & extend his Peak Performance years beyond this time-frame.
khan – does that hold for big men who have had repeated knee issues before hitting age 25? just for fun, let’s count the number of bigs who are in the 33-35 range & performing at what can be generally accepted as the peak of their ability. i’m not suggesting that he won’t have a longer career than that, obviously, just that seeing a downward trend in his ability/health/performance, etc., once he hits 31-ish shouldn’t be a big shock.
take KG as an example – still performing at a very high level, no doubt, but at 32, you simply cannot argue that he’s in the peak of his career…and he’s probably the best of the over-30 big man crowd, no? i’m sure he’ll continue to be a very effective player, he’s stayed injury-free & is in incredible physical condition…but to expect him to be the same impact player at 32 that he was at 24, 25, etc., is a little bit of a stretch.
TD’s another guy who’s around the same age, and while he can also still dominate, he’s no longer dominating, at least the way he was when he was in his peak. again, to expect that he’ll be able to return to the type of player he was 3 or 4 years ago is unrealistic.
these guys are no-doubt, 1st ballot HOFers, perhaps the very best examples of what a great player & teammate should be…but time waits for no man.
there, i tried to be polite.
For the information of others …
The concept of a ‘Peak Performance Ability Cycle’ works like this:
[in general terms]
Prior to 27/28 years of age … an elite level athlete is not yet at the Peak stage.
At 27/28 years of age … an elite level athlete is at the Peak stage, based on the wholistic development of his/her mind, body & spirit.
After 27/28 years of age … an elite level athlete begins to decline imperceptibly, at first, and then more perceptibly as the years begin to go by … adjusting for a changing [declining?] physiology with heightened levels of mental, emotional & skill-based control/performance.
After 27/28 years of age … the best elite level athletes can succeed in stretching out this Peak Performance stage, which begins at 27/28, to 30, or 31, or 32, or 33, or 34, or 35 years of age, depending on how that athlete chooses to manange his/her life and the injuries that athlete has had to endure over the course of his/her career in sport.
After 35 years of age … most elite level athletes show a marked decline in their production, from the stage at which they were actually operating at the apex of their abilities, as a world-class athlete.
After 35 years of age … only the very best of the best elite level athletes are capable of extending their Peak Performance stage to include this specific phase of athletic careers, as well, at production levels that closely approximate their actual Peak Performance years, i.e. which usually occur at 27 or 28 years of age.
[as in all things ... there can always be 'exceptions' to generally accepted principles]
and this is according to…?