A Call for Bosh's Heart...

[ben]

*IF YOU ARE NOT GOING TO READ THIS ENTIRE POST, DONT READ AT ALL. IT STARTS OFF NEGATIVE AND ITS PURPOSE IS SUPPORT BOSH, NOT TEAR HIM DOWN

have you been asking yourself these same questions about bosh since allstar break?

“where has the passion in his game gone?”
“where’s his confidence?”
“why are the notorious “oven mitt” hands back?”
“has he been losing some of that much talked about “strength and size he gained over the summer”?”

I’m sure im not the only one who has recently been expecting Woody Harrelson’s character from the movie zombieland to suddenly jump out of the stands at the ACC and try and knock bosh’s head off with a shovel....or maybe im just sick like that

if you have been paying attention to bosh the last weeks/month you’ve probably noticed he’s a totally different man than he was before allstar break. His mannerisms, his eyes, and his overall game are reflecting something sadly similar to another “great” that faded into the sunset in a raptors jersey. He may not be saying the same things as this other “great” did, but he’s sure acting the part.

i’m convinced something happened at allstar break. i dont know what that “something” is but whatever it is it’s effecting the very core of his existence in a raptor uniform. I speculate guys chirping in his ear about playing with them next year, an off-hand comment from family/friends on how silly it would be to stay in Toronto, or maybe something inside him, consciously or unconsciously, changed a belief about his ability to lead a team by himself. I really dont know and its all speculation and mental masturbation.

what is not speculation is we’ve been dealing with a different bosh ever since. whatever happened that weekend, whether it was an external comment that he took to heart, or whether it was something that came from within, its affecting his play.

Not to go all metaphysical on you but i would even hazard to say that this new heart belief he may have taken on could have played a part in him getting injured. I can hear the jeers now, “blasphemy! shit just happens”. Well, yes and no. I believe that our hearts can also draw us into self destructing things/circumstances. Im, not saying this is the case here, but im not NOT saying that either. All i know is the “spark” is not there and thats evidence enough for me that something deeper is going on just beyond bad play and losses.

Did you see the game last night against Denver? Did you see the passion the raptors were playing with? Even mr. pouty pants himself Jarret Jack was jumping around excited and giving happy headlocks to his teammates. Where was bosh in all this passion and excitement? walking around, not looking teammates in the eyes consistently, stoic, sucking basketballs into his blackhole of an offense (please dont tell me that him holding the ball for half the offense set, waiting for the double team, then either passing out, shooting a jumper, or turning the ball over is a good thing.) Yes, he had a few emphatic dunks but they didnt have the swagger of a guy with belief.

Now for the positive part...

This guy has been great for this franchise. He’s worked hard, had a good attitude, and been a player that any raptor fan can be proud of. IF there is really only 11 games left in his career as a raptor, im going to enjoy it for all the things that he’s done for the team over the years, and not for what I’m experiencing right now. I’m still holding all hope and expectation that something is going to change, and that either the enthusiasm from his teammates will effect him, or he will find it within himself to finish this year as the player we’ve known and grown to love....if he does finish the season that way, i would love more than anything else for him to return to a raptors jersey next year. If not, BC better get smart and think of life after CB4.

So Bosh, if you’re out there and listening, believe in yourself, because we believe in you, and start taking it to the MOTHER F#@!$%$ HOLE ALREADY!!!

My name is Tom and I'm a raptors fan, and i still love Chris Bosh... (toms not my real name)

[LBF]

mental masturbation? bahahaha

[Bendit]

Ben?, Tom?, Nobody?,

Huh?

[playmak3r5]

In all seriousness, I agree with your point because he doesn't really seem to hold himself accountable for his turnovers/bad jumpers although his passing seems to have gotten better because he only drives on like 10% of his possessions.

It's like if he blames himself for some of our losses, his value in the free agent market will decrease.

Oh well, I am hoping we get a legitimate, heavy center(Perkins/Nene type of guy) in a S&T or something else, so Bargnani can play along side him at his natural PF position.

[KakashiPrince]

In all seriousness, I agree with your point because he doesn't really seem to hold himself accountable for his turnovers/bad jumpers although his passing seems to have gotten better because he only drives on like 10% of his possessions.

It's like if he blames himself for some of our losses, his value in the free agent market will decrease.

Oh well, I am hoping we get a legitimate, heavy center(Perkins/Nene type of guy) in a S&T or something else, so Bargnani can play along side him at his natural PF position.

I don't really get "Bargnani playing his natural PF position"

every game he plays he goes to the arc (offensively) as a center so ... going to his natural PF position he will still be in the arc..so whats the difference?

He probably defend other PFs instead of centers right?

[Arsenalist]

It's the 6th year in a row that fans are wanting him to "take it to the *&^%*ing hole" and this year he was finally doing it; I think the guy deserves a break for his performance against Denver, because without him we're bottom three in the East.

I still think he's far from the problem and part of the solution.

I can buy your theory about somebody getting in his ear and changing his take on free agency.

[jlongs]

Yeah he was finally taking it to the hole this season. But the key term there is "was." These past weeks since his return he hasn't done it as consistently and decisively as before.

I remember reading about the summer him and Jay talked about what area of his game he needed to improve on, and one of the things mentioned was about how the ball tended to "stick" on him on offense. We have seen great improvement this season, but the past weeks seem like a regression to old ways. He seems to lack the determination to dominate that he had pre-injury.

I should say pre-injury instead of pre-allstar because that game against Memphis, he was his usual self, until he got injured during the game.

We need him to be his dominant self to be successful because, people are right, without him we just plain out suck. However, where does half a Bosh put us?

[MaGIX]

anyone have the solution to unfreeze liquid nitrogen ?

[ben]

It's the 6th year in a row that fans are wanting him to "take it to the *&^%*ing hole" and this year he was finally doing it; I think the guy deserves a break for his performance against Denver, because without him we're bottom three in the East.

I still think he's far from the problem and part of the solution.

I can buy your theory about somebody getting in his ear and changing his take on free agency.

I agree, he is definitely part of the solution.

really, all i care about is his passion. the rest will follow.
when jarret jack was moping around for 2 games after being pulled from the starting lineup, it pissed me off to no end. i honestly didnt care how bad the raptors played those 2 games, it was the attitude that drove me nuts. now that he has checked himself back into the "team" i will be Jack's biggest supporter.

comon bosh, show me passion, thats all i ask

[RikkJames]

The injury probably spooked him into trying not to get hurt so close to the biggest contract signing of his career. Needs to stay healthy or NewYork , Miami, etc....wont want him...so he's just playing it out safely. His passion to win games isnt there anymore...he's shut it down for this season.

[Bendit]

The injury probably spooked him into trying not to get hurt so close to the biggest contract signing of his career. Needs to stay healthy or NewYork , Miami, etc....wont want him...so he's just playing it out safely. His passion to win games isnt there anymore...he's shut it down for this season.

If thats the case, what does that say about one's character. What does it say about what he is doing to his teammates and all the fans? And just before playoff time? While I agree he is not playing at the top of his game and making some pretty odd comments I havent heard from him before I cant bring myself to believe he is tanking it. If true he will get a bad rap in the league because players talk....and they would know.

[ws511]

If thats the case, what does that say about one's character. What does it say about what he is doing to his teammates and all the fans? And just before playoff time? While I agree he is not playing at the top of his game and making some pretty odd comments I havent heard from him before I cant bring myself to believe he is tanking it. If true he will get a bad rap in the league because players talk....and they would know.

I think there’s a difference between actual ‘tanking’ and ... just not being able to get it up (so to speak) to the level of play that got to be quite standard, really, for Bosh. It’s that ‘heart’ thing - and that you ‘can’t fake it’ - that comes into play. At this point, it’s almost not his fault, which makes it kind of futile to be actively ‘pissed’ at him ... though I certainly was when I first came to believe he’d made his decision (firmly) during the A.S. break ... but now, it’s more of a resigned disappointment. I think I said it after the Golden State game, that he’d try to play through it (at his former level) but that he wouldn’t be able to. Unfortunately, that is (I believe) proving itself to be so.

[ben]

I think there’s a difference between actual ‘tanking’ and ... just not being able to get it up (so to speak) to the level of play that got to be quite standard, really, for Bosh. It’s that ‘heart’ thing - and that you ‘can’t fake it’ - that comes into play. At this point, it’s almost not his fault, which makes it kind of futile to be actively ‘pissed’ at him ... though I certainly was when I first came to believe he’d made his decision (firmly) during the A.S. break ... but now, it’s more of a resigned disappointment. I think I said it after the Golden State game, that he’d try to play through it (at his former level) but that he wouldn’t be able to. Unfortunately, that is (I believe) proving itself to be so.

I think you hit the nail on the head ws511 (all i can picture is c3po and r2d2 right now).
but i also hold out belief and hope that if he goes inside himself that he can turn that switch. I think he needs to decide to not firmly decide yet. does that make any sense?
I think thats one of the biggest mistakes that a professional athlete can make, decide to leave your team before your time is up, especially when you are the leader. because now you are fighting with effort against your own heart, which is a futile battle in my opinion.

[ws511]

I think you hit the nail on the head ws511 (all i can picture is c3po and r2d2 right now).
but i also hold out belief and hope that if he goes inside himself that he can turn that switch. I think he needs to decide to not firmly decide yet. does that make any sense?
I think thats one of the biggest mistakes that a professional athlete can make, decide to leave your team before your time is up, especially when you are the leader. because now you are fighting with effort against your own heart, which is a futile battle in my opinion.

Can he ‘turn on that switch’? I suspect the switch has already been bricked up. ‘He needs to decide not to firmly decide’? Pretty hard to do. Once you know something, you can’t un-know it ... and to my eyes, evidence suggests that for Bosh, whatever he’s thinking, it’s a done deal. Of course, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that I’m out to lunch on this ... and that’s actually a slim outside hope that I, myself (even) have at the start of each game ... but everything I see and have seen since I started believing he made his decision in Dallas has only, so far, further convinced me that, in his mind, it’s done.

I agree that it’s a mistake for any pro athlete - leader or not - to make a decision to leave his current team while a season is still ongoing ... but sometimes circumstances and the reality of a thing will simply trump whatever principles or ideals one might imagine one would have about it. Things are rarely as simple and straightforward as we think they might turn out to be. (Ya know?) If Bosh has indeed decided he’s going, I’d bet dollars to doughnuts he’s about as miserable with his day-to-day life as a Raptor right now as any of us could imagine.

To take it a bit further ... I’d even suspect that if Chris Bosh was LESS of the straight-up kind of guy most of us would say he’s always showed himself to be, he’d have less of a conscience about the whole ‘inner conflict’ of it all ... less, at least, than what it appears he’s been able to manage, up to this point. And to take THAT a bit further ... it’s also quite possible that we might suddenly start to see CB4 play like his old self again, which we all keep hoping to see of course (me included) ... but if that happens, it won’t necessarily mean that he ‘hasn’t really decided’ or that ‘he’s staying’. It could just as likely mean that a callus-of-sorts has finally grown over the bothersome inner conflict that to many of us, has been as apparent these last few weeks as the number four on his back. But ... whatever. At this point, I’ll take it, ‘cause I love watching good Raptors basketball ... and I’d love to see a little playoff action for this team - always hoping against hope that tides turn and we see more of what we saw Friday against the Nuggets ...for the rest of this season and maybe even for a round or so beyond that.

As I write this, I notice where I’ve kind of evolved to (to this point) with this whole thing - and partially maybe even, while just riffing on it a bit here - and that is ... let’s see some good hoops for whatever’s left for this year and I’ll worry about next year when this one is over. And first things being first ... let’s beat the crap out of the Heat tonight. (Lol.) So for now ... go CB4 and go Raptors.

[ben]

Can he ‘turn on that switch’? I suspect the switch has already been bricked up. ‘He needs to decide not to firmly decide’? Pretty hard to do. Once you know something, you can’t un-know it ... and to my eyes, evidence suggests that for Bosh, whatever he’s thinking, it’s a done deal. Of course, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that I’m out to lunch on this ... and that’s actually a slim outside hope that I, myself (even) have at the start of each game ... but everything I see and have seen since I started believing he made his decision in Dallas has only, so far, further convinced me that, in his mind, it’s done.

I agree that it’s a mistake for any pro athlete - leader or not - to make a decision to leave his current team while a season is still ongoing ... but sometimes circumstances and the reality of a thing will simply trump whatever principles or ideals one might imagine one would have about it. Things are rarely as simple and straightforward as we think they might turn out to be. (Ya know?) If Bosh has indeed decided he’s going, I’d bet dollars to doughnuts he’s about as miserable with his day-to-day life as a Raptor right now as any of us could imagine.

To take it a bit further ... I’d even suspect that if Chris Bosh was LESS of the straight-up kind of guy most of us would say he’s always showed himself to be, he’d have less of a conscience about the whole ‘inner conflict’ of it all ... less, at least, than what it appears he’s been able to manage, up to this point. And to take THAT a bit further ... it’s also quite possible that we might suddenly start to see CB4 play like his old self again, which we all keep hoping to see of course (me included) ... but if that happens, it won’t necessarily mean that he ‘hasn’t really decided’ or that ‘he’s staying’. It could just as likely mean that a callus-of-sorts has finally grown over the bothersome inner conflict that to many of us, has been as apparent these last few weeks as the number four on his back. But ... whatever. At this point, I’ll take it, ‘cause I love watching good Raptors basketball ... and I’d love to see a little playoff action for this team - always hoping against hope that tides turn and we see more of what we saw Friday against the Nuggets ...for the rest of this season and maybe even for a round or so beyond that.

As I write this, I notice where I’ve kind of evolved to (to this point) with this whole thing - and partially maybe even, while just riffing on it a bit here - and that is ... let’s see some good hoops for whatever’s left for this year and I’ll worry about next year when this one is over. And first things being first ... let’s beat the crap out of the Heat tonight. (Lol.) So for now ... go CB4 and go Raptors.

you have a solid mind there dude. damn well put.
i agree, go CB4 and the raps!