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t’s a dangerous path to go down, that of questioning a player’s motives, effort or heart. No one but a player himself truly knows if he is giving it his all or stopped caring long ago. When a player goes into a slump, is it due to him quitting on his team? Or is it due to some nagging physical ailments hindering his performance? Or perhaps it can just be chocked up to plain old fashioned luck rearing its ugly head?
So when Bosh’s team needs him the most – in their current struggle to hold onto the eighth, and final, playoff spot in the East, the star’s production is falling off. Bosh is also getting to the charity stripe three times less per game in March than the rest of the year - it’s this apparent lack of aggression that is leading some pundits to accuse Bosh of bailing on the Raptors.
In fairness, he hasn’t been healthy much since after the All-Star break. And it was Bosh who recently lambasted his teammates for their lack of effort.
Is this really a case of a player giving up on his team, or are injuries playing a factor? Or is it just the natural ebb and flow that pretty much all player’s experience during a long season. To an outsider looking in, these would appear to be more legitimate explanations for his play of late rather than it being a case of him tanking it.
But, if you are a longtime Raptors’ fan, the thought of Bosh quitting on the team is totally believable. You see, the Raptors have a rocky history with their star players. Damon Stoudamire and Tracy McGrady both had ugly exits out of town and were both Public Enemy No. 1 in T.O. anytime they took the court in the visitor’s colors. But nothing compares to the case of Vince Carter, the best Raptor of all-time and the reason Bosh is getting all of the grief he currently is.
Yes, despite leaving town over five years ago, Air Canada Carter still casts a large, dark cloud over this franchise. Despite signing a long-term contract with the team, Carter decided he wanted out of town in 2004. And most observers agree that he tried to expedite this process by giving, how should we say, “less than 100 percent effort” for the Raptors that season. In his 20 games in T.O. in the 04/05 season, he put up very un-Vince-like numbers of 16 points, three boards and three assists per game.
Compare that to what he did after he got shipped to New Jersey – 28 points, six boards and five assists per contest – and you have a pretty strong case that he was dogging it. This goes a long way to explain why fans (and writers) have been overly critical of Bosh’s play of late. They’ve been burned before by a star player and aren’t interested in it happening again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
So are Chris Bosh’s bags packed and does he have one foot out the door already? Has his frustration at his teammates’ effort and play caused him to quit on his team? Unless you are inside Bosh’s, brain those questions will remain unanswered. But, as the old adage goes, “winning fixes everything”, so if the Raptors’ star can get the team back on the winning track and into the playoffs, all will be forgiven and forgotten.
That is, at least until he signs with another team this summer.
Is this really a case of a player giving up on his team, or are injuries playing a factor? Or is it just the natural ebb and flow that pretty much all player’s experience during a long season. To an outsider looking in, these would appear to be more legitimate explanations for his play of late rather than it being a case of him tanking it.
But, if you are a longtime Raptors’ fan, the thought of Bosh quitting on the team is totally believable. You see, the Raptors have a rocky history with their star players. Damon Stoudamire and Tracy McGrady both had ugly exits out of town and were both Public Enemy No. 1 in T.O. anytime they took the court in the visitor’s colors. But nothing compares to the case of Vince Carter, the best Raptor of all-time and the reason Bosh is getting all of the grief he currently is.
Yes, despite leaving town over five years ago, Air Canada Carter still casts a large, dark cloud over this franchise. Despite signing a long-term contract with the team, Carter decided he wanted out of town in 2004. And most observers agree that he tried to expedite this process by giving, how should we say, “less than 100 percent effort” for the Raptors that season. In his 20 games in T.O. in the 04/05 season, he put up very un-Vince-like numbers of 16 points, three boards and three assists per game.
Compare that to what he did after he got shipped to New Jersey – 28 points, six boards and five assists per contest – and you have a pretty strong case that he was dogging it. This goes a long way to explain why fans (and writers) have been overly critical of Bosh’s play of late. They’ve been burned before by a star player and aren’t interested in it happening again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
So are Chris Bosh’s bags packed and does he have one foot out the door already? Has his frustration at his teammates’ effort and play caused him to quit on his team? Unless you are inside Bosh’s, brain those questions will remain unanswered. But, as the old adage goes, “winning fixes everything”, so if the Raptors’ star can get the team back on the winning track and into the playoffs, all will be forgiven and forgotten.
That is, at least until he signs with another team this summer.
Good article from Hoops Hype writer Jeff Fox. So do you guys agree with Jeff?
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