By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
(Archive)

Here are some fresh dribbles of chatter from the NBA grapevine, as collected in arenas, on the phone and via electronic transmissions of all kinds from various team officials, players, coaches and well-placed league insiders:

Having just spent some quality time with the Toronto Raptors while they were in Texas for a few days, I can assure you that Chris Bosh is thrilled LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have been at the heart of all the 2010 talk lately. Bosh got sick of 2010 questions — from media gnats and fellow players — long before it dawned on James to announce he’s no longer taking those questions.

Yet that doesn’t preclude us from updating Bosh’s status at this still-early stage, because an update appears to be in order even if he’s determined to avoid the subject as much as he can for the next six or seven months.

As recently as mid-September, I think it’s fair to say the consensus was that Bosh was the big name most likely to leave his current team in the summer. But all of our checking with Raptors insiders suggests otherwise.

Teammates Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani recently have made public declarations of their belief that Bosh loves Toronto as a city and doesn’t want to leave, which meshes with everything I’ve heard in the past week. The distinct feeling I was left with is that Bosh wants to be the undisputed star on his team and wants to play in a happening metropolis he enjoys. The Raptors and Toronto can make those things happen.

In Dallas, where Bosh was raised, there are folks who have known him for years who remain convinced Bosh and James are a lock to sign somewhere together in 2010 free agency, with the metropolis of New York ranking as the primary option, followed by the idea that Bosh could/would join James in Cleveland. All of that, though, was based on the outdated premise that the Knicks or Cavs would be able to afford James and another max free agent. No team in the NBA, at present, expects to have that kind of cap room this coming summer.

So I believe the fresh guidance I’ve been given, which suggests Toronto — as we stand some 230 days away from free agency — is Bosh’s most likely destination for the 2010-11 season and beyond.

If the Raps’ season unravels and they fail to make the playoffs — after an expensive summer of renovations highlighted by the acquisitions of Hedo Turkoglu and Bosh’s best friend from college, Jarrett Jack — things obviously could change again. And I don’t think anything written here will prevent teams from lobbing in trade offers for Bosh between now and the trade deadline in February, which always could change the Raptors’ plans.

But if you’re asking me today to predict what will happen with Bosh next summer, I say he stays. Every indication I get is that Bosh likes his current setup in Canada much more than we Yankee outsiders imagine

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-091114-15

The reference is to lack of success (i.e. winning games) on west coast road trips.

Now that sounds like a better promotion.

This is a very tough early season road trip while the Raps are still figuring things out and haven’t developed any consistency.

But maybe this is what they need?

I don’t know about winning in Utah but it might be possible to get one win between Denver and Phoenix. Both teams like to push the ball, especially Phoenix.

At Denver in addition to Calderon guarding an aging Billups who will guard Carmelo? That is who will guard him, not who will be assigned to guard him?

The Phoenix game is Sunday so if the Raptors can get an easy win tonight and are able to rest their starters then I can see a relatively fresh Raptors team out running and gunning the Suns.

If we don’t win the Clipper game, I shudder to think what might happen.

I think the Denver and Utah games will be very, very tough and I don’t see anybody on the Raptors being able to stick with Billups, Nene, Deron Williams and those guys. This will get worse before it gets better. I just hope that even if we lose we have a good showing so that morale of the team doesn’t suffer.

Just outright jealousy.

The three cities in America with the most beaustiful women are Los Angeles, Dallas and Miami. Add a touch of So. CA Weather, beautiful beaches, skiing in the winter (on real snow on real mountains, though a bit small), all the sports you could want, exept for a NFL Team and So. CA is a great place to live. It is all the better if you are fluent in Spanish.

There are more than enough people and lifestyles for everyone. I would even say that Los Angeles give Toronto a good run for its money when it comes to Jazz.