-I know that, officially speaking, this is when NBA fans are supposed to be hating LeBron. Having said that, can we take a second out of our busy anger schedules to get a little pissed at Chris Bosh?
I’m not saying that Bosh isn’t a great player. He’s an absolute force offensively. He can score efficiently from multiple spots on the floor. He can play pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop. He’s a quality rebounder. I even think he can become a plus defender if he has the right center behind him, like Rashard Lewis did when he came to the Magic. He’s a fantastic player, and the best thing about him is that he’d only be more effective on a good team.
However, it may behoove us to take a look at Bosh’s NBA career to date. He was drafted in 2003, just like LeBron was. He has won a total of three playoff games in seven seasons. He has not played a playoff game since 2008. He has been named to the All-NBA second team once. He has fewer player of the month awards than LeBron has MVPs. He was the starting power forward for the worst defensive team in basketball last season.
This dude is NOT a franchise player, but he’s become part of the “LeBron-Wade-Bosh” trinity because he’s a very good young big man in the summer of 2010 and doesn’t have Amar’e Stoudemire’s baggage.
Since he’s become a free agent, Bosh has made it clear that he won’t return to the team that drafted him, and isn’t returning his former GM’s calls. He’s made it equally clear that he won’t settle for anything less than the absolute max. Now he won’t join LeBron James in Cleveland because he doesn’t like the city enough. He could become the second-best player on a potential NBA dynasty, but he doesn’t want to spend a few months out of every year actually living in Cleveland.
Yeesh. Obviously, Bosh has every right to try and get as much money as he can and go to a city he wants to live in, but could somebody hold him a little bit accountable for it? LeBron has been acting like a jackass throughout most of this free-agency process. This I do not dispute.
But when it’s all said and done, LeBron has been trying to stay in his home city and take the team that drafted him to the promised land. Chris Bosh has come off as much less of an attention whore, but his priorities are a max deal and an apartment in or near a city he likes.
I’m not just saying this as a Cleveland fan; If I were a Chicago fan and a LeBron/Bosh pairing didn’t happen because Bosh demanded the max, I’d be pissed about that too. Or a Miami fan hoping to see a LeBron/Wade/Bosh superteam. Or a Houston fan, if he doesn’t end up pushing for that sign-and-trade. This dude is not a superstar, but he has the power to make one team truly great this off-season. And he’s dragged his feet up to this point. I’ll wait to see how everything plays out (and hold out some hope that an 11th-hour CLE-TOR sign-and-trade comes through), but right now Chris Bosh is not my favorite athlete.
In other news, I’m very sad that the Clippers went with Del Negro over Casey. Casey just can’t get a break, and he can really coach. Just another example of how the Clippers were/are non-players in the LeSweepstakes despite the fact they can put tons of talent around LeBron and play in Los Angeles. That’s all for tonight. Tomorrow, LeBron Eve.
Jeez, could not agree more on Bosh.
I am full of questions right now. The vision of lbj and bosh playing together in Cleveland made so much sense to me. But I wonder just what this recent news all means. Bosh is stupid to not even CONSIDER playing for the Cavs. it’s not Miami, Chicago, New Jersey or New York, but you won’t find too many more passionate fans nor many other organizations ran better than Cavs. Imo, New jersey may be the likely destination for him and lbj if it isn’t Cleveland. Maybe they’re keeping his true intentions under wraps and he winds up here. But at this point, Bosh’s apparent refusal is not good news.
I would believe that lebron wouldn’t publicly renounce his hometown of AK, Cleveland, and home state for the same espn that has basically thrown the small market Cavs under the bus repeatedly, salivating at the thought of him going somewhere bigger. But the other part of me wonders if he’d be doing it to open his brand to a larger market in the event of his departure. I’ve really had to reduce my intake of sportscenter because they essentially downplayed or dismissed any scenario of lbj staying in Cleveland.
My comments aren’t posting?!?!
Bosh and Wade goin to Miami… not good news for Cleveland.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5360134
Broussard again. Likely pretty good news, my take is LeBron likely stays and sees what Cavs can do with some sort of S &T or other deal. Bulls aren’t that much better than current cavs roster without picking up Bosh as well. My guess is if Bosh is committing to Wade in MIA then he knows that LBJ is staying home and really doesn’t like CLE.
This is too funny. All the superstars in the league can get quality teammates from the front of the draft and Lebron is stuck with garbage.
Eric, dude, go troll somewhere else.
What I find hilarious is that New Yorkers think their team is in the lead…with NO regard to the Bulls. If LeBron leaves, he’s going to the team with a better roster..and that means no New York. Stop fooling yourself dude.
Yea David that is how I take it too. The ONLY scary scenario to me was Bosh heading to Chicago. That’s it.
Let’s see here, the Knicks will still suck, the Nets will still suck, the Heat really doesn’t have much of a team anymore outside of two players who may play well together so I’m sure it is going to suck, the Bulls don’t look that great, and there’s really no one in the West to challenge LA. Meanwhile, if the Cavs retain LeBron, they really are just gonna be what they were last year: a top five team with a slight chance at winning it all, but still not as good as they could be and this time with a different coach.
by the way John, this post was SCATHING. Never seen this side of you before. Keep it up.
I don’t see the Miami scenario as too bad. Only danger is that LeBron feels left out and wants a superstar teammate of his own and bolts for NY/Chicago. But I don’t see how either of those teams is that much better than the Cavs, especially NY. I think the fact that the Cavs have been a 60+ win team for the past two years has gotten lost in all of this. They had a lot of problems in the playoffs last year that weren’t really talent-related, and as we saw the Celtics were playing extremely well at the time. I’m actually pretty optimistic about the Cavs’ chances if they can re-sign LeBron. I like what I’ve heard from Byron Scott so far, and the team has some flexibility to bring in some more pieces. Miami would be a tough opponent, but not the sort of powehouse that Chicago with Wade/Bosh would have been. It seems Cleveland still offers LeBron a pretty good chance at a championship.
Not trolling Rich, just laughing at how delusional alot of you are. And when did I mention the Knicks?
Never bash an athlete for taking max money — just look at all the athletes that are broke after they are retired. Remember at the end of the day Life > Basketball. And you’re right about Bosh he should not be mentioned in the same breath as Lebron and Wade. (Wade on the other hand IS just that GOOD).
Obviously the reason people are bashing on Lebron b/c he makes Brett Favre look like a recluse during his retirement process.
You’re just that obvious, Eric. Have fun cheering on Amare and Toney Douglas for the next six years.
So in deciding where he wants to work for the next 5 years, Bosh is considering earning potential and quality of life? Bastard! I mean, where does the guy get off?
charles barkley has said in the past that its only lebron and wade as the main guys in FA…everyone else is piggy backin on those two….bosh being the biggest one….bosh is just seeing what wade or lebron do and just follow them….he’s like that guy who follows around the star or popular kid just to say he has ‘connections’ and is ‘really cool’. i find that lame as hell…
in regards to the lebron special tomorrow night…thats retarded…an hour long…its apparent lebron is an attention whore..makes brett farve seem tame which is not easy to do….ive always questioned the fact that lebrons goal is to win a championship…i dont think it is…he wants to be a global brand and all this attention…frankly, we are all getting sucked into it…
Leo,
You’re right about getting sucked in. That’s what entertainment does to a populace. We’ve been had!
Guys, let’s be honest. Bosh would have made a lot more extra if he had done a sign and trade with CLE instead of just signing outright with MIA. It’s 100 percent about the city.
Some people on here have serious schadenfreude regarding New Yorkers. God forbid they want the best player in the world on their team. He belongs to Ohio because Ohio had him first! (No, I don’t think he’s going to NY)
@Jon: No I believe people’s problems with NY can be summed up by the article published in the NY Post yesterday titled “Cleveland does not Deserve Lebron.” New Yorkers tend to think that they are the only ones who really matter, that their fans are so amazingly awesome, and their city is so uber sweet compared to everyone and everything else that anyone would be crazy to not go there. They tend to overlook things like (1) their team sucks. Seriously, Amare is a nice player (not worth the max, especially when it is all guaranteed), Danillo Gallinari is a more competent version of Jason Kapono (who happens to play Lebron’s position) and then they have??? TonY Douglas? Wilson Chandler? Lebron already has a lineup of role player in the Cleve.
I didn’t know the NY Post represented all New Yorkers. Good to know.
“New Yorkers tend to think that they are the only ones who really matter.” <– This says far more about your feelings about NY than it does about New Yorkers. New Yorker's are people like anyone else, not cartoon cartoon character east coast elitists.
Ok, I keep hearing that if these FA’s switch teams withOUT a sign/trade, they’re leaving money on the table, in Bosh’s case $29million. Isnt it just semantics though? They already left money on the table by signing 3 year deals. Additionally, Bosh misses out on a 6th year with Miami that would be valued around that $29m figure. But compare a 5 year max contract deal and then compare 5 years out of a sign/trade (discount the 6ht year). Over the course of those 5 years, its basically a couple million off only (to us, a lot of money but not to them).
And as long as he doesn’t have a bad injury, doesn’t die or his skills erode drastically, the new contract he signs after the 5th year will be comparable (again, maybe $1-2m off) to a 6th year in a sign and trade. The media and fans are making too much of a big deal out of possibly throwing away $30m!!! If the possibilty were true that he was throwing away ANYTHING close to $30m, he or any other FA for that matter would be signing so fast with their original clubs that none of this nonsense would have come to be. But I’m sure they don’t mind being portrayed as wanting to play on a winner so much that they’ll give up $30m.
And for the record Eric, I didn’t think you were trolling or care if you’re a Knick fan. Your comment made absolute sense – Lebron is stuck with garbage or has beens. I’m sure he’s tried his damndest behind the scenes to get one of these guys to join him in CLE and the one he wants the most (Bosh) just won’t go for it. Has happened every year with the top FA’s.
Last, from what I see and have heard, Bosh has been the biggest media whore of this whole process. And he’s just riding the coattails of the other 2. Even Wade has said more publicaly than Lebron. But Lebron gets crucified if he talks, stays quiet or whatever. Granted, the press conference live on ESPN is way way way over the top but uptil this point, he was the quietest of the 3 but getting ripped from all angles by everyone. But then again, if he comes back to CLE next year and plays like a man possessed and has teammates show up in the playoffs to help him and a coach willing to lead, this will all be forgotten.
Lol, so when one of your major papers publishes an article that basically says what we all know about how New Yorkers feel…well then claim that it doesn’t represent you.
Right. Just go read a Knicks blog and tell me that doesn’t represetn 95% of the people there. They can’t actually give a basketball reason as to why Lebron would go to NY…so they resort to “WELL OUR CITY RULEZZ.”
For the dude who talked about Bosh looking at earning potential. Not in Miami bro. Smaller market than Cleveland. Fans don’t even attend the games. Earning potential has nada to do with his decision.
Here is a question New Yorkers should answer…why would LeBron go the Knicks, when he could go to the Clips? The Clips have more talent. They have a better city…..so whats the hold-up boys? When you can’t even use your city arguement, what are you left with?
And for every non-Cavs fan here, I dunno what you’re expecting when in 30 hours all bets are off. You aren’t going to find anyone willing to talk rationally with you here.
Jimmy..new CBA + skills can easlily diminish. No, it isn’t 30 million..but could easily be 10-15 million.
LeBron staying in Cleveland keeps them as one of the top teams in the East with the Celts and Magic. The current Bulls and the Heat (with Bosh) are right on the brink of the other three teams. However, if you take Bron and put him on either the Bulls or the Heat, they immediately become the favorites in the east. I think because of depth the Bulls would be the best team and give Bron his best chances of winning a ring though.
However, is there anyway the Cavs can get another strong player/star like Boozer or David Lee? And by adding Boozer to the current Cavs, would that be enough to make them the favorites in the east? I don’t want to write the Cavs off nor do I want to give them too much credit. But they did win over 60 games last year with the current line-up so adding one quality player could make a huge difference. This hasn’t really been discussed much. Boozer or Lee in Cleveland, maybe even add a Jermaine O’neal or Haywood to the roster as improvements over Big Z. Not Bosh ‘hype’ trades/acquisitions but considering no team has really done anything to make themselves clearly better than the current Cavs roster, seems like a viable direction to take.
I don’t know the situation behind Boozers ro Lee’s contracts but is there anyway we can get someone like that? If we did, wouldn’t that make/keep the Cavs as the favorites in the East? Amare in NY and Bosh in Mia make those teams better, but ATL, ORL, CHI and BOS haven’t really done anything (yet this FA season), so it seems that ‘all’ the Cavs still aren’t far off – even if we don’t have the big time FA.
I just caught up with the threads from the last few days and one post caught my eye….regarding Lebron leaving and posted by someone who lives on this blog 24/7 (and no, not Krolik or Pestak)
“The whole thing is a mistake no matter what he chooses. However, someone can live with being a tease. Hard to live with being a stone-cold killer with basically no sympathy or passiong for your hometown fans.”
Kobe Bryant was just descibed perfectly in that comment. Proves my point of Lebron not being given a fair shake until he finally wins something. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t. I blame the guy for looking like he quit against Boston, I blame the guy for his ESPN gig tomorrow but everything else that has been thrown out there from the end of the season to now is just piling on for no real reason other than he hasn’t won. He’s gonna get booed like crazy next year in every arena except the one where he signs. Once he wins, poof, all gone or will never be reported on with this intense degree of hate again.
I think people are way overrating Bosh and Wade on a roster with nothing else.
The Heat team that won the title had Wade, Shaq (better than Bosh, even then), Gary Payton, Atione Walker, James Posey, and Alonzo Mourning. They won 50 games.
Wade, Bosh…and Chalmers???Joel anthony? Not going to cut it.
Jimmy, the line was in reference to the TV special. He didn’t have to do that. He choose to be an idiot and do this special, so in that case, yes, damned if he either way.
I don’t see anything wrong with LeBron having a press conference/’tv special’ to announce his decision. Actually considering how much attention he’s been getting (although besides one LK interview he’s stayed out of the media for the last month) this is a prudent way for him to go about things. He gets to deliver the message his way and answer any/all questions about why/how he made his decision. I think this approach is way better than putting something out on twitter. Add the fact that he’s going to earn some money for a charity – then I like this approach even better. In my opinion this is the ideal way to use your celebrity status, do something good for kids while also controling how the message of your decision is delivered. This is not a ‘media whore’ move as much as a professional way to control and announce your decision. LeBron hasn’t been asking for a lot of attention this last month, it’s been the media that’s made him the #1 sports topic although he’s had a relatively low profile lately. I don’t blame him or give him any ‘hate’ over taking this approach, I applaud it.
Amen Nupe Amen!
Apparently the Cavs are pursuing a sign-and trade for Carlos Boozer, according to ESPN. Wouldn’t it be weird if Boozer was the one who came back and convinced LeBron to stay?
I think LeBron is gone. Doing his presentation from Connecticut.
rumors are that is at Alan Houston’s freaking house in Conneticut….got to say Krolic, I think it’s NY….and surprised, you being a great non-mainstream media guy – have fallen for the mainstream media drivel steering it away from the Knicks…i’m not a New Yorker, I’m a Lebron fanatic living in LA…but thinking deeply, this is the way it’s been pre-ordained for two years…..unless I’m wrong..
sounds like all that is is a rumor. there’s also a rumor that it’s at the boys and girls club in greenwich…seems more likely, houston’s house is obviously too much of a giveaway.
Maybe it’s at Vince McMahon’s house and he’s announcing he’s signing with the WWE?
I remember I read about 30 places that Maverick Carter and Leon Rose were supposed to be visiting with Knicks in New York today??What happened that awesome rumor….
LeBron will announce that he is taking a break from basketball to pursue his boyhood dream of becoming the WWE Champion. As he begins to legally change his name to “LeBRAWN”, Dennis Rodman will hit in the back with a chair, drawing boos from the crowd. Things will look bad but then suddenly Shaq will come out from backstage and save the day. The crowd goes wild as Shaq Fu fends off the cowardly assailant. LeBrawn, now completely in debt to Shaq for saving his life, asks him what he can do to pay him back. Shaq proceeds to deliver a rousing speech, eloquently tying LeBron into a narrative involving Cleveland’s greatest men and subsequently bringing himself, LeBrawn, and the entire crowd to tears. Overwhelmed by the hetero man love surrounding him, James suddenly speaks: “I’m going to sign with the Cavs…”. Crowd hoots and hollers, confetti pours down from the rafters “…I’m going to sign a long term contract with the Cavs for sub-max money.” Crowd becomes belligerent, mothers begin fainting, chants of “Rufio, rufio, rufio” are deafening. Various members of the Cavs organization come out wearing Witness shirts, joining Shaq and James in a short song and dance number that fades out to end the one hour program. The End.
So, Chris Bosh wants a max contact, in addition to choosing his primary place of residence? The nerve! Bosh should have sought the advice of Ray Allen and Ron Artest (two more “very good” players who turned down the Cavs in recent seasons) before opting against a “potential NBA dynasty.”
Here’s a wild idea: Maybe Bosh prefers to play with a guy who’s actually been to the “promised land.”
Just a thought.
Lebron has already “maxed out” in cleveland. It’s time for him to try something new whether it be NY, Chicago, Miami, or NJ.
Brandon – come on now. There are so MANY factors at play when someone wins a championship, most important of all are your teammates. Second most important is coaching. Granted, the player has to show up as well but its not soley upto him. You think Wade would have made it to the “promised land” w/o all 3 aspects being a part of their run. Oh yah, a 4th – the refs have to favor your team as well. Put Lebron on that team, take Wade off and Lebron goes to the “promised land” and Wade never comes close to sniffing one.
Switch Lebron and Kobe – you think Kobe leads these last 2 Cavs teams anywhere?
Why didn’t you say Bosh shouldve played for Houston?? Ariza has also been to the promised land. Or Detroit – they have a whole lot of folks gone there! Praising one guy over another cuz they had help and teammates who showed up is the lamest argument in all of sports.
Here’s a wild idea: Maybe Bosh preferred the bikinis in Miami over anything Cleveland had to offer. Wade is known for throwing wild orgies after all.
Just a thought.
Hahaha..what a crybaby. Poor disillusioned Cav fan aka John Krolik. Get used to seeing Lebron with Miami. Why you dissing C Bosh? He’s a smart man, who would want to live in Cleveland?