When Stephen A. Smith recently reported that Chris Bosh had informed the Toronto Raptors management that he wouldn’t re-sign with the franchise in 2010, the news struck a familiar tone for Raptors fans. Smith, the ESPN basketball analyst and resident loudmouth, stands behind his reporting despite denials from Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo, head coach Jay Triano and Bosh himself.
Regardless of whether Smith’s reporting registers as shady, he claims his source comes from within the organization. Despite his information not coming directly from Bosh or Colangelo, the fact remains that Toronto has historically lost their superstars and fan favourites.
Over the course of their 14 years, a number of dissatisfied stars, such as Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, have left the cozy confines of the Air Canada Centre for Stateside environs. Bosh could be next.
Through Saturday’s action, the Raptors sit at a putrid 19 wins and 34 losses, good for the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference and well below their pre-season expectations. Outside of Andrea Bargnani’s mild improvement, Bosh has once again been the lone highlight with season averages of 23 points and nearly 10 rebounds per contest.
So when Bosh becomes available in the summer of 2010, look for him to follow in the footsteps of previous superstars and head below the 49th parallel.
The Raptors roster, in its current construction, is a veritable mix of stolen money (Jason Kapono), injury-riddled former stars (Jermaine O’Neal), and even a 22-year-old Australian guy with heart problems (Nathan Jawai). Many holes exist in their line-up, but the biggest might be at the small forward position, currently manned by the lackadaisical combination of Jamario Moon and Joey Graham.
Another hypothetical situation for Bosh, suggested by Smith, is to play alongside Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat, another perennial All-Star due to become a free agent in 2010. The one significant link between Bosh and Wade is that they share a sports agent, Henry Thomas, who might encourage his top two clients to sign with the same franchise.
The biggest issue which could work against the Raptors franchise is that Toronto, with some NBA players, still holds the stigma league-wide that it negatively effects a player’s marketability in the U.S. While the stigma is unfounded, history proves that NBA players have a tenuous relationship with Canada.
Steve Francis, for example, who the former Vancouver Grizzlies selected with the second overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft, refused to play for Vancouver and forced a trade to Houston.
In 1998, the Raptors traded star point guard Damon Stoudamire to the Portland Trail Blazers for Kenny Anderson, who also refused to play in Canada and forced Toronto to trade his services to Boston. In perhaps the most ignorant move by an American player, former Raptors centre Antonio Davis expressed dismay in the media that his children were learning the metric system in Ontario public schools.
Fortunately for the Raptors faithful, Bosh seems to be a more cerebral guy than Anderson and Francis, both of whom could be serving you french fries within the next five years.
Ultimately, Bosh’s decision will come down to where he can win basketball games. Right now, that place isn’t Toronto.