A bit of a rant and a bit of Bosh as the storm clouds gather

Everybody ready?

Remember when the guy said "fasten your belts?" Well, the time has come to make sure they're done up.

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You know what?

I’ve been kind of hinting at this for the past little while but since the day’s here, I want to make this point:

This sucks.

This whole idea that two or three or four free agents can get together and conspire to become teammates, demand whatever they can get from their existing teams so they can go and play together violates much that is right with sports.

The heart of sports needs to be competition:

“I’m better than you, I make my team better than yours, we play hard, we play fair and may the best man win.”

The heart of sports should not be:

“I’m not quite as good without you, it’s easier to join you rather than try to beat you and, to hell with making my own way in this world, I’m taking the easiest possible way out.”

I guess it’s simply a sign of the times and I know it’s business first and all that blather. I understand that players have earned and negotiated this right to determine their future and all the power to them for having done that.

But, and this is the big but, this smacks of taking the easy way out and that’s not what I want from the highest-paid players on my team.

I want them to be leaders not followers, I want them to forge their own way, not sit around some posh hotel lounge and say, “hey, if you go here and I go here, we can win.” I want them to say: “I’m going here and my team’s going to beat your team.”

Way back in the day, there is no way in the world that two or three of the top players would ever, ever, ever consider going to join someone else. It wasn’t the way the very best did things.

Now, maybe LeBron goes to New Jersey, Bosh goes to Chicago and Wade stays in Miami and all this palaver of the past few months will have been nothing more than an exercise in futility and frustrating. But I doubt it.

I’m not going to get that, I don’t think.

And that’s too bad.

I think you’ll see at least two of ‘em conspire to join each other somewhere, maybe three, and we can all sit around hoping against hope that it doesn’t work out for some reason or another.

End o’ rant.

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Now, Chris Bosh.

I know the hype’s all about Miami and Chicago – people in each city are certain he’s going there, which will be quite the feat unless he’s sending that used car salesman alter ego somewhere while the newly-shorn dude goes to the other place – but I do think there are other teams he’ll listen to.

And should listen to and, who knows, he might even like what he hears.

If he’s looking purely for fit and to be one of the leaders, I think he’d have to listen quite seriously to the inevitable Houston pitch and I think if San Antonio called he’d be a fool not to take them seriously.

I know there are people in the Raptors organization who hope that, too, trying to pry one of Houston’s best assets (Luis Scola in a dream scenario for Toronto) or some key player in San Antonio (Tony Parker would be the priority target if the Spurs really are in love with George Hill) and that’s what the Raptors hopes happens.

The point is this: People I talk to in the Raptors organization think the list of suitors is far longer than just the three or four cap teams we’ve been hearing about for months.

It may indeed turn out that he decides on the Heat, Bulls, Knicks or even the Nets but don’t at all count out some other franchise getting into the fray and making things interesting.

Now, I’d love to tell you how many teams he’s planning to visit with or entertain but his agent hasn’t returned an e-mail in a week from up here. We’ll try again this afternoon but I don’t hold out much hope.

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Viva Espana!

Pretty good game, no?

That was like a game of keepaway for long parts of the second half, wasn’t it?

But two days off from play now until the Black Stars continue their inexorable march to destiny? What’s a guy to do?

Oh, wait. His job.

But first, there’s this.

As much as there is wrong with FIFA – and Calamity Kelly and C Young have been all over it all tournament – the thing that maybe irks me the most is the two-yellows-one-suspension thing.

Man, if you thought the seven-technicals-in-a-playoff-year NBA program was draconian, how about that soccer stuff?

There has to be a better way, no?

Maybe three? Or even four? Or the slate gets wiped clean every two games, meaning you get one in one game, none in the next and start over in the third? There you go, solving the world’s sporting problems one basketball blog digression at a time.

You’re welcome, Mr. Blatter. Tomorrow we’ll do video replay if you like.

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Oh, that Dastardly Doc Rivers Offspring got ‘em.

Check this one out to see the latest on the Canadian junior men down at the worlds qualifier in San Antonio.

Seems Austin Rivers lit the Canucks up big time in the semis; Canada’s already qualified for next year’s worlds and gets Argentina this afternoon for third place.

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Back to Bosh for a bit, we’re on Bosh, here’s one for you:

All we’ve heard for months is the Bosh-to-NY-for-David-Lee-sign-and-trade stuff, right?

Well, how about this?

If Lee doesn’t want to come to Toronto, it isn’t going to happen.

Lee, who made $7 million last season, is an unrestricted free agent and is sure to be pursued by any one of 10 teams who would be able to offer him a raise. Or he could ask for a sign-and-trade deal to any team he wants.

The Knicks really have no control over him whatsoever after midnight tonight; that he’d be included in any Bosh deal with New York – if there is one – is far from a slam dunk.

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Mail? Pretty full yesterday but a whole lot of fancy-schmancy free agent questions about specific players that could very well be moot before I get around to finishing off the weekend file.

Take another shot by clicking here if you like.

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One word of caution as we get into the meat of this free-agent frenzy and it’s as much a defence of this space as anything.

If we learned one thing last summer, it’s that nothing is done until it’s done. You will hear reports trickle out that this is a done deal or that’s a done deal, according to various sources and many of them will be absolutely correct.

But some won’t be and it’s a difficult time for all concerned. It’s hard to figure out what’s right and what’s wrong; I can’t do it with 100 per cent accuracy and I don’t think too many of us can.

Here? Here we will use an appropriate measure of checks and counterchecks.

I’ll say this now so it’s out there: We in this business should be far, far, far more concerned with getting stuff right than we are with getting it first.

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Now, in the first football-free day in I don’t know how long, there’s stuff to do that may keep me away from here for chunks of the morning and early afternoon. It will, in some way, keep me sane because it won’t be another eight hours of incessant comments but I will get to them. Promise.

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Comments

[Martin]

Dear Doug,

I don't understand why it's wrong for star players to conspire and have a summit, when the owners are allowed to do so all the time...perhaps it's just a shifting of powers that people are uncomfortable with...

I enjoy your writings very much..thanks for taking the time to write..

-Martin

[DougG]

Several reports suggest "the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors have reached agreement on a sign-and-trade deal that would send Chris Bosh to South Beach in exchange for Michael Beasley, Mario Chalmers and Joel Anthony."

I wonder if there is any substance to that rumour?

[james]

This is also a good metaphor for capitalism versus socialism.

“I’m better than you, I make my team better than yours, we play hard, we play fair and may the best man win.”

The heart of sports should not be:

“I’m not quite as good without you, it’s easier to join you rather than try to beat you and, to hell with making my own way in this world, I’m taking the easiest possible way out.”

[Mike H]

TSN is reporting a sign and trade is done with Miami.. which includes Joel Anthony who is not on the team anymore? Way to go TSN.. May want to check their facts before they report anything

[Jay]

http://www.tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=326147

bosh is gone as of midnight and we get back beasley, chalmers, and anthony..not a bad deal...

[Leaf fan in Van]

Well, well, well...Mr. Smith - if I had known all along that you actually AGREE with my sentiments of the past 4 months (although you prefer to ignore the majority of them) I would not have been so difficult a poster. Your first thoughts in this latest blog are eerily similar to my post on Monday, and your promise to deal with my thoughts after July One (not saying you're looking over my shoulder ala 9th grade Match)...I think that I can find it in me to call a truce. Now, it still hasn't happened; however, if it all goes down like we suspect can you speak about the next bargaining agreement, and what the owners will do to stop this madness from happening again? Thanks!

[steve]

"The point is this: People I talk to in the Raptors organization think the list of suitors is far longer than just the three or four cap teams we’ve been hearing about for months.

It may indeed turn out that he decides on the Heat, Bulls, Knicks or even the Nets but don’t at all count out some other franchise getting into the fray and making things interesting."

lol- i've been making this point for weeks while you've insisted we have to take players back from the team bosh goes to you. you are hilarious.

[James Online]

Michael Beasley will choke PJ Carlesimo three games into training camp.

[Paul B]

MIA qualified Anthony the other day. Perhaps he signed, or will sign, as part of the deal. Can't imagine he wouldn't want to play in Canada.

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=612860564]

I really hope it's not true. Now I am not opposed to Lebron and Bosh saying lets go to Team A. What I am opposed to is that we can't trade Star for Star. Makes sense? Instead this rumor suggests we get back Beasley????? Are you kidding me? Not even worth salami and onions.

[Michael B]

This comment refers to the now rumoured sign and trade with the Heat. I find it hard to find any truth to this; I don't think Chris Bosh would wait four years to get to free agency to agree to a sign and trade the day before the period opens. It just doesn't make any sense.

However, you did say in your tremendous blog not to believe all the rumours that come flowing out of the media.

[Shawn]

Doug, isn't this a form of tampering? There's no way that Miami and Toronto could have agreed on this "deal" as reported by the Miami reporter and TSN prior to July 1st...am I wrong?

What's the point in even having a tampering rule if agents and players can do the dirty work of the organization (ie Wade and his agent recruiting Bosh on behalf of Riley).

Blogger's note: You're right, we'll see what happens, if anything, if this turns out to be true.

[LeeZ]

This LeBatard dude in Miami who "broke" the "story" about Bosh going to Miami: a) do you know him, or of him? and b) what kind of credibility does he have, as far as you know?

Blogger's note: Wouldn't know him if I ran over him with my truck, as a guy once said.

[Andrew Gregg]

Hi Doug:

I can't really blame Bosh, James, Wade and whoever else for colluding to play together. If it happens, I'd love to be in that city for next season. You have to admit it will be exciting. But is it an automatic championship? No way. You need stability to win. Last I checked Chicago has a rookie coach and some front office turmoil. Last year the Nets were flirting with the worst record in the history of the NBA and their GM might be leaving. And the Knicks have so thoroughly gutted their roster that it will take time to re-build a decent bench to back up the super stars. Also, Isiah Thomas says that Lebron should go to NYC and I think we've all learned to do the exact opposite of what Isiah says.

As for Bosh--I'll miss him, but I don't blame him. He did everything he could here. The fundamental problem--at least the way I see it--is that CB4 was never the right guy to build a strong team around. He's the Pippen, not the Jordan. But I find his tweets a bit odd--one day he wants to be the man, the next he wants to wait and see what James is going to do, and then today he says he's not waiting for anyone--he's going to make up his own mind.

And then there's this in the Chicago paper today:

"Chris Bosh...apparently has decided to be Ed McMahon to LeBron's Johnny Carson..."

How's he going to react to that one?

I can't imagine what this unprecedented flurry of attention does to a man's ego. I know I'd like it--people fighting to give me a pile of money. I wonder, though, if Bosh has the right people around him, to help him make the best choice. To me, it's either Miami, where he can be Wade's wingman, on a good team, with a strong GM who will do anything to win. Or, as you said Doug, the Spurs, where he can help revitalize an aging front line and play under one of the NBA's best coaches.

In the end we lose--but then again, we probably should lose. The Raptors had a bunch of choices to make over the past few years and not very many of them have been very good. We still don't have the back court sorted out, Bargnani is still a work in progress, we still don't have a reliable slashing scorer and in my opinion, we have a weak and wounded coach. Looks like this will be Coangelo's legacy. It was pretty nifty that he came here at first. But after all this time, you have to ask: what was the point?

AG, Toronto

[doug]

this may turn out to be true...the Bosh to Heat sign and trade but I am dubious as Dan Labatard is a complete windbag, he makes Jay Mariotti seem tame and likable..which isn't easy so I wouldn't count this as a done deal...

[doug]

he's on PTI quite often as a fill-in for Kornheiser, he's off the wall in many of his statements and just a protypical image of a "american", loud, and irritating...i'd rather listen to a hundred vuvuzeulas then him, whenever I see he is co-hosting I turn the show...but who knows he may be right or it may just be another case of him doing what he does best, shooting off his mouth without it being loaded...

[The J]

Just a couple thoughts on your Rant (not that I disagree but I think a couple of other things should be considered).
1. As one fellow commenter pointed out, the owners are being just as corrupt. Spending the last few years gutting their teams to create salary space (especially the Knicks) can not be considered "good for the sport" or in the interest of "competition" (the Knicks and Nets have not competed for quite some time). Also gutting these teams and presenting the idea that they could sign multiple Max players isn't ethical either. They planted the seed in these players heads first. People have been using the Bird/Magic/Jordan example. But never did a team free up so much space that they could call them up and say "you can all come here and form a super team". Would they have done it? Probably not, but they were also already on high quality teams with high quality teammates, none of the current big three have that.
2. The Lakers were formed by a god awful gimme trade (Gasol from Memphis), and the Celtics trade wasn't much better (KG from Minnesota). These trades were always suspect (trades from those who used to be connected to the team), and have shaped the balance of power for the last three years. After all they were one KG injury away from playing 3 years in a row in the finals. This can be considered only slightly better than this collusion, and really enforces the need to pair superstars to win (not to mention Kobe-Shaq and MJ-Pippen before them).
3.There is no guarantee that they will win if they combine. Whether the rumoured sign and trade is true or false, the Heat would have essentially 1 player outside of the big three and most of their money locked into the big three. So how do they build around them? I read an analysis that to win the big three would still need: One pass first/good shooting PG, Shot-blocking defensive centre, and a high scoring wing of the bench, not to mention some role players. How do they find all this with no money left? And of course will three players who like to have the ball in their hands be able to share?

[Steph]

I think this is the best blog of the year, without trying to diminish you're past ones. Congrat's.

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=612860564]

@ Andrew Gregg, I like your comments. Wheres the Like button. lol

[Raptoronto]

As much as I hate this it isn't much different than what Boston pulled off, it's just that the long term impact on the league will be greater. Frankly the KG and Allen moves opened the door to this...yes, the circumstances were different (Seattle and Minny were looking to off-load both guys) but the essence of the "deal" set a precedence of players conspiring to build a championship team. Also doesn't help that the new big three had to compete with the Celtics in the Eastern Conf...why wouldn’t they get together to take down the aging big three? Welcome to the new NBA.

[capt kirk]

Eh Doug sure hope your getting your rest this might go on for weeks. All this movement by the Heat makes me wonder who is going to play when Bosh and Wade need rest? They have no bench which was evident in the Celtics matchup and they keep shedding cap space for inevitable luxury tax burden for years to come. Please tell me J O'neal does not resign with Miami and BColangelo got back our lottery protected pick then we all can rest.

[Lake Simcoe]

Can we say that it is exactly what those guys in the top of Madison square want?
Think of the TV rating in final, which might hit 99.99%!!

[Lorie]

So, Doug, will midnight find you hunched over your keyboard awaiting the official launch of the Free Agency Frenzy? (And on a serious note, thanks for your thoughtful "rant" in the blog today..."right" trumps "first" in my mind, too.

[Mike]

Luis Scola is a dream scenario? I'm so depressed.

[Michel G]

chris states: "I think it will suck for fans, but i kind of respect that he's (i.e. Bosh) willing to give up salary and prominence as "the guy" on his team to win some titles." The funniest thing I've heard throughout this process is the notion that any of these premier free agents will accept anything but max money. I think people sometimes forget that basketball is first and foremost a job to these men.