So now it is official (at least according to Stephen A. Smith) that unofficially Bosh wants out of Toronto. Truthfully, how can anyone be surprised by this? I mean, what has this team done since they traded Carter and made him the guy? Let us not kick a dead horse and go over again how Colangelo has made no significant free agent signings, trades, or draft choices (that have worked out). That has been talked about in great length for months.
Instead, let us focus on the last 4 months when everything fell apart. After all, it is safe to assume that this past summer, Bosh may have been unhappy about his two headed point guard fighting and eventually being broken up, and he may have been unhappy about getting made to look like a school-girl at prom (all dressed up and ready for action but unsure how to make it happen) for the second straight playoffs… but, he sure did look happy when the JO deal was made.
So where did we go wrong? Well, it’s no secret that Jose Calderon’s thigh injury has had the biggest impact on “the season-gone-wrong.” And certainly, JO hasn’t played enough games to make a difference. Losing Humphries hurt. And having no real depth, and therefore being forced to depend on Joey G and AP to be your starting backcourt for ¼ of the games this year is nothing to be proud of. But here are the real reasons why Bosh wants out:
- Triano
- The lack of movement to save the season
- The boo-ing
Triano
Look, I have said it before and I’ll say it again, this guy is not a legit NBA coach AND THERE IS NO CITY IN THE LEAGUE WHOSE FAN BASE WOULD HAVE ACCEPTED THIS MOVE. We were only a pair of games under.500 when SMITCH was fired in what was supposed to be a 50 win season? How then does this organization justify the Triano hiring? Really, I mean everyone needs to stop defending this choice. Doug Smith from the Toronto Star was on the local radio station Fan590 this morning and it was sickening to hear him defend the Triano hiring. ENOUGH! Put down your Timmies double-doubles and your hockey sticks for a second and stop the flag waving. The only reason he is the coach IS BECAUSE HE CAME CHEAP AND BEING CANADIAN WOULD KEEP RAPTORS FANS QUIET. This was a big, fat, admission that the season was over. And Bosh knew it. He had too.
The lack of movement to save the season
The only thing worse than the Triano hiring was that it was followed by….nothing…absolutely nothing for more than 100 days. I mean York University TAs went on strike and went back to work in the time between Colangelo fired SMITCH and made his next significant transaction. If making Triano the coach wasn’t an admission of giving up, then certainly, letting the team fall to 13 games under .500 over the next 3 months while MAKING NO MOVES certainly speaks volumes to this organizations commitment to winning. And Bosh knows it. He has too.
The Boos
Look, I’m with you, boo this team. Boo them every possession until the organization stops giving us the Maple Leafs treatment (that is putting out garbage teams year after year and selling us nothing but hope) but remember, that Bosh is just a nice guy. And while he shouldn’t take it personally, and he should just suck it up (because he has 14 million reasons to stop crying about the fans booing) he is upset because he is trying to win. He is trying to carry a franchise that is not committed to winning. a franchise that has a high school coach and a roster of D-Leaguers. He knows the organization doesn’t care about winning, is lying to the fans, and he is the one being forced to take the blame for it.
So does he want out, hell ya! And you know what, I would want out too. So, as I mentioned last spring, TRADE BOSH NOW!
Just do it already. Stop selling us false hope. Blow it up.
Trade Bosh and JO and start the process of rebuilding around Il Mago and Calderon. Will this mean we will be a better team this year…no. Does it mean we are closer to winning a title…no. But come on, we can’t be much worse. We are second last in the Eastern Conference and almost as bad as Washington. This is an embarrassment.
So send him home to Dallas (with Kapono- and this should be the rule, that anyone who wants Bosh has to take Kapono) for Josh Howard, JKidd’s expiring, and a pick. Or send him to Miami (as Chad Ford at espn.com reported) for Beasley, Marion’s expiring, D. Cook, and a #1. Or send him to Cleveland for Wally’s expiring, Sideshow Bob and a couple of picks. Heck, send him to Chicago for Deng, Noah, Nocioni, and #1. Any of these options or other will do.
Likewise, with JO, send him anywhere, to anyone, who will send us an expiring contract in return (even to the Knicks for Marbury and a pick)
The goal now should be to be at least 40 million under the cap entering this off season’s free agency period. Here are the 2009 NBA free agents.
With JO (22mil), AP (5mil), Garbo (5mil), Bosh (14mil), Kapono (6mil) and Joey G (2mil) all off the books, the Raps could have more cap space this summer than some team have in salary entering an offseason when teams will be lining up to dump contract (even of good players) to be able to make room for the class of Bosh, Lebron , and Wade. And since none of those guys will be coming here in 2010- its time for us to acknowledge the future, and start to be sneaky players in rebuilding this franchise.
Lastly, the rumours of Amare, wanting out of Pheonix are crazy and won’t stop. No one could offer the Suns a better package than Toronto if they were so inclined to include Bosh. So maybe Colangelo is really trying to rebuild his Suns. After all, all he would have to do is this.
Certainly that would make Triano and Raptors fans happy – at least for a few months – until it fails like everything else Colangelo has done since he’s been here.
As always, standing in the key, I’m the Dr. I’ve got my feet planted and I’m planning on taking a charge! phdsteve.
