Would You Be Upset If Bosh Stayed in Toronto?

[Multipaul]

Sigh... why do we even need to ask this question? The question should be "How Far Would You Go To Keep Bosh In Toronto?" There's a reason he's mentioned in the same category as LeBron and D-Wade: he's a damn good player and teams will go to great lengths to get him. 25-year-old all-star PF's don't grow on trees ya know, we're lucky to have him in the first place.

Ummm..yeah, that "mention" is normally like this:

"Bosh is not as good as Lebron or Wade"

And...we are "lucky" to have him...dude...the guy DOES NOT want to even be here

[ebrian]

I wouldn't mind Bosh staying if Bargnani is gone. I think if you give Bosh a legitimate shot-blocking and rebounding center, who has no outside game whatsoever and sticks in the paint 100% of the time, we'll have a better team overall.

[heinz57]

I wouldn't mind Bosh staying if Bargnani is gone. I think if you give Bosh a legitimate shot-blocking and rebounding center, who has no outside game whatsoever and sticks in the paint 100% of the time, we'll have a better team overall.

i'd almost argue that the raps would benefit more if you gave bargs that exact same kinda center to play with..

bosh has alpha-dog syndrome... i dont think he'd be able to accept another big man being the go-to guy in the paint...

[Multipaul]

I wouldn't mind Bosh staying if Bargnani is gone. I think if you give Bosh a legitimate shot-blocking and rebounding center, who has no outside game whatsoever and sticks in the paint 100% of the time, we'll have a better team overall.

By this statement you are basically saying you do not want Bosh to play inside, and instead have a center in the paint at all times. Which means that you want Bosh to play outside and shoot jumpers. Is this a strategy for success?

[TheGloveinRapsUniform]

No, I would not be upset if Bosh stays.

The bottom line is that I (we?) want to win games and be entertained. It doesn't matter what Bosh does, it's what the Raptors do. I am a basketball fan first and foremost. I don't care if a player is going to be an allstar or has a decade old nike commercial. I refuse become one of those dilusional fans that puts players before the game. I want my team to win and to be proud that I support them.

i had a tear in my eye after reading this. but seriously, i feel the same way.

[Jive]

By this statement you are basically saying you do not want Bosh to play inside, and instead have a center in the paint at all times. Which means that you want Bosh to play outside and shoot jumpers. Is this a strategy for success?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNzJ6l4MwtM

[Apollo]

The best chance this franchise has to be successful in the longerterm is to move away from having a PF as our go-to guy.

You can build through the draft without having high choices. Below are some examples:

Karl Malone, drafted 13th overall in 1985, 1997 & 1999 MVP
Kobe Bryant, drafted 13th overall in 1996, 2008 MVP, 2009 Finals MVP
Steve Nash, drafted 15th overall in 1996, 2006 & 2007 MVP
Dirk Nowitzki, drafted 9th overall in 1998, 2007 MVP
Paul Pierce, drafted 9th overall in 1998, 2008 Finals MVP
Tony Parker, drafted 28th overall in 2001, 2007 Finals MVP
Tracy McGrady, drafted 9th overall in 1997, 2003 & 2004 scoring champion
Ron Artest, drafted 16th overall in 1999, 2004 defensive player of the year
Ben Wallace, undrafted, 2002 & 2003 defensive player of the year

Now obviously some of these players have a longer list of accomplishments than this but above are a few of their biggest. If the Raptors draft smart and buy some picks they can be on the rise like the Blazers very quickly.

[Nick]

I was kinda bummed heading into this offseason with the disasterous way the Raps finished, but now, things are actually looking awesome. It is very apparent to me now, that Hedo single handedly killed the Raps 09/10 season, he was a cancer. I'm starting to get the feeling though that Colangelo has a dagger up his sleeze. Apparently he already has a suitor for Hedo lined up for draft day. I think its going to be HUGE and will be engouh to have Bosh stay.

[hateslosing]

I got to say, I am a little shocked at how many people think he should be gone. I myself have been a supporter of moving him out and trying Bargs as our number one scorer, but there is no way I would be upset if Bosh came back. In another thread today there was a lot of talk about Bosh leading a team to a title and I made a list of three things he needs to get there. They were

1. Defensive improvement
2. Passing
3. Leadership/Accountability

now I don't know if he will ever develop those three qualities, but I am going to take a moment and defend Bosh just for the sake of saying that I did.

Firstly, if Bosh leaves we are expecting Bargs to take on the scoring load. For one, why is it any more likely that Bargs develops a scoring game anywhere near as efficient as CB4's than it is that Bosh learns to lock down defensively? Bosh has shown the ability to be a good team defender with team USA, why couldn't he do it here? Also, Bargs is never going to be a prolific rebounder, which is exactly what we have in Bosh, so that's automatically a big negative.

Secondly, people say, "well Bargs is cheaper". I don't know about the rest of the republic, but I really don't care how much we pay the best player on our team. You want to know why? Becasue he is the best player on the freaking team and should get paid! It's not like this guy is Rashard Lewis or something.

Thirdly, do we really want to do this again in 5 years? Let's pretend that Bargs is the all-star power forward super player we want and in 5 years he comes into BC's office and says, "Ciao Bryan, I want to play in a bigger market, Toronto is great and all but my girlfriend wants to move to New York. They have great pizza. Could you S&T me?". Do we really want to go through that? If Bosh is willing to stay, I say great. Guys who show loyalty like that are rare in pro sports and I for one appreciate it.

Fourthly, what if Bargs sucks? It's a possibility that some people think is almost guaranteed and we're trying to make this guy our star? Crazy. Even if Bosh never learns what his game is missing and steps up, at least we know he is pretty good. Bargs, and DeRozen for that matter, are both relative unknowns.

Lastly, Bosh is Toronto's first star star who didn't demand a trade and take off on us like a little bitch. He stuck by, signed extensions, and never said anything bad about Canada or the Raptor fans.Whether he stays or not, this is not Vince Carter we're talking about, this is a guy who was a class act from day one, and despite his silly tweets, he should be thought of as the greatest Raptor in history to date (IMO).

So that is my argument for Bosh.

[jrdyck]

Ummm..yeah, that "mention" is normally like this:

"Bosh is not as good as Lebron or Wade"

And...we are "lucky" to have him...dude...the guy DOES NOT want to even be here

This list says it all: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/04/06/t...a-free-agents/

Whether you agree or not, the media (incl. ESPN) has always referred to the "big three" of free agency as LeBron, Wade, and Bosh. Rarely do they mention Joe Johnson, Amare, Boozer, etc... It just goes to show how respected CB is in the basketball world, enough that he's placed ahead of the other 47 guys on that list.

And yes, we are lucky to have Chris Bosh (at least his value), I know some people have a hard time with that, but it's true. There are probably 20 other teams that would trade their franchise player for ours in a heartbeat.

[Buddahfan]

Apollo:

I am okay with giving a short term contract to Bosh, say 2 years with a 3rd and/or 4th year team option. However, no five or six year deals for him given his injury history problems.

[sunndog]

Wow, a lot of opinions on the Bosh situation. Might as well throw in my two cents

I think it's important to look at everything in context. 15 years into the franchise's history we haven't accomplished anything. One trip to the Conference Semis, but outside of that very little. We've had a steady stream of young talent which we've acquired through the draft, but rarely have we been able to capitalize on that talent by surrounding it with the proper support. The Raptors have, with the exception of a few glorious years, been soft. And when I say that I mean both on offense and on defense.

Team management philosophies aside, it's clear that the Raptors have been unable to retain talent. A great deal of this is due to the team being located in Canada. That can't be downplayed. Although Toronto is an amazing city, the weather, tax system and sheer distance from players' respective homes make the Raptors seem, on the surface, like an unappealing location to be. However, I think that tradition plays an even bigger role in the problem. Free agents don't want to play for a team with a history of losing. When was the last time the Clippers, Bobcats, or Grizzlies signed an elite level free agent? The point is that Toronto needs to focus on building a winning tradition. That needs to be the goal. Win and the players will come and more importantly, the players will stay.

This is a fairly critical point in the franchise's history. I know fans say that every summer, but it really is. The Raptors are on the brink of losing a 20/10 guy for nothing. Even if a S&T happens the team isn't likely to get an enormous amount in return. Unless BC does indeed have a "dagger up his sleeve" then we're looking at a serious rebuilding mode.
I don't think there's any doubt that Turk and Jose are on their way out of Toronto. The next few years rests on what Colangelo is able to get back. He's always found a way to shake things up in the offseason, so I have no doubt that he'll find the best possible deal. The most likely scenario is that we get back some young talent, but not enough to keep Bosh in Toronto. If this happens then we're looking at a young team building towards a championship. And that is most certainly what it's all about. If Colangelo can follow a blueprint that's led RJ Buford, Sam Presti and Kevin Pritchard to success then we could be looking at a contender in 3-4 years. I'm willing to wait for that as long as there's visible progress.

I think we should let Bosh go. We need to S&T him to avoid a massive mess cap wise, but we should let him leave. The Raps have committed to Il Mago. Let's accept it and move on. Bargs belongs at the four and Bosh plays a game too similar for them to be able to work in tandem.

I'm just throwing this out there, but what if the Spurs are the potential destination for Turk? Any chance the Spurs would be willing to let go of DeJuan Blair and his bionic knees? Wouldn't that be a great fit for a maturing young Raptors team?

[Multipaul]

Blair is a beast, that would be awesome

[Apollo]

Apollo:

I am okay with giving a short term contract to Bosh, say 2 years with a 3rd and/or 4th year team option. However, no five or six year deals for him given his injury history problems.

2 years with some optional years isn't even realistic. It's not worth talking about. Also I'd like you to explain to me what's wrong with his health. I've shown that he's played in 89% of all regular season Raptors games over the past seven years, with no major injuries to the joints.

[ebrian]

i'd almost argue that the raps would benefit more if you gave bargs that exact same kinda center to play with..

bosh has alpha-dog syndrome... i dont think he'd be able to accept another big man being the go-to guy in the paint...

How do you figure? Is this based on some stretch of games where Bargnani has proven he can be relied upon consistently? I'm curious as to why you think Bargs will be a better PF than Bosh. This is a real head-scratcher for me.

All I said was Bosh needs a shotblocking center. That guy doesn't have to score more than 10 points per game.