Preparing for a Bosh-free future

Okay, what am I missing here?

Last week, the night of the draft, Bryan Colangelo sat at the podium discussing Ed Davis and whatever else was on his mind and said, and I quote:

“I’m not going to sit here and tell you I’m confident Chris is coming back.”

Last night, I understand he went on the radio and said it’s not likely that Chris is coming back and all heck breaks loose?

Semantics, people. Old news.

Here’s the deal: Barring some seismic shift in the NBA landscape, Chris Bosh is not returning to Toronto. He’s gone. Out of here. Entirely by his choice, mind you. But it’s bye-bye. Finished. So long. See ya.

The radio revelation was nothing, I have the feeling the Raptor hierarchy has felt for weeks that they’d better start hoping Bosh wants to go somewhere there’s a really good sign-and-trade deal possible because the “coming back” ship has sailed.

So, what next?

Well, I can assure you the front office is doing its due diligence on a handful of places he might land – nothing official, mind you; but checking contracts and fits and what have you – because the time has come to get ready to move.

Trouble is, I don’t see fits in either of the top two destinations, Miami and Chicago.

There is zero interest in Michael Beasley, there is no way in the world the Bulls are giving up Joakim Noah (although I hear Kirk Hinrich might have been a person of interest) and you’re looking at bits and pieces and trade exceptions if either of those franchises are the Bosh landing spot, I can imagine.

But the thing is: They are prepared to move on and everyone else should be, too.

I guess the door isn’t absolutely closed on a Bosh return but I’ve got it at 1-99 at the moment.

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So, what of Bosh?

Let me say this: Not only won’t he be The Man if he goes to the Heat or the Bulls, if he goes to either city with LeBron, as some reports indicate, he’s won’t even be second fiddle.

He’ll be the third guy on a three-man team and that runs counter to everything he’s said and, to me, says something about him.

And maybe he realizes it as the free agent season opens, maybe he says, “hey, wait, I’m me, I cannot thrive in the shadow of LeBron and Dwyane or LeBron and Rose” and decides one of the five or six other suitors are a better fit.

I can imagine the Raptors are hoping that, too, because there are far better sign-and-trades out there elsewhere than there are with the Heat and Bulls.

We’ll get into them tomorrow because I need to figure out what those other teams are.

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Now, this was a classic moment in sports bar history.

Post-grad (yes, Super Son got the piece of paper and got out of there before they’d realized what he did, taking with him the Music Award in what was a first in the history of Clan Smith) I drop Super Uncle off home and decide to wander into this Real Sports place down by the arena.

Good spot, bazillions of TVs, exceptional wait staff, and as Pucks-centric a moment as I’ve ever experienced.

They’ve got this ginormous TV above the back bar (I prefer the quieter front one, actually) and about 10 p.m. on Monday, after the Jays game as over, what was it showing? NCAA hockey.

Taped, old, who-gives-a-rat’s-bum NCAA hockey.

Air Force vs. Connecticut, I believe.

Surely in the name of all that is good in world someone just momentarily lost the clicker, I’m hoping.

Unreal.

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To get ready for the summer league, the Heroes Of The Harcourt are holding a mini-camp here for whatever team they put together starting about July 6 at the Air Canada Centre, I think it is.

It’ll be the usual suspects – DeRozan, Weems, Davis, Alabi, Dorsey and whatever other free agents they’ve plucked out of the ether – and one other guy.

Jarrett Jack.

Yeah, I’m told, as of now, Jack not only plans to come back to take part in the two-day practice session but that he’s probably going out to Vegas, too, just to hang around with the guys who are there.

Kind of impressive, no?

Now, I still think there’s a possibility he’s somewhere else when training camp starts but it seems as long as he’s a Raptor, he’s really a Raptor.

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Spain-Portugal? Could be epic.

Hope the writing’s mostly done by then because if it is, I think there might be a chance to sneak away and check out the last – and possibly best – game of the round of 16.

Who do we like?

I’m big on Spain for the usual vacuous reasons, I’ve been there, love Madrid, love Barcelona and a nice glass of Sangria never hurt. Not to mention the food.

Yep, I choose my sides carefully and after much deliberation.

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Ryan Gomes.

Like him?

Not sure how many of you have been following what’s going on with him but the serviceable backup (who I quite like as a player, by the by) was traded from Minnesota to Portland and will either be traded or waived by 3 p.m. Tuesday to save the Blazers some money because his contract is not fully guaranteed if he’s released by that time.

I will tell you this: I know from league sources that the Raptors have made a call to see if there’s a trade fit and while it’s doubtful that gets done (it’s in Portland’s best interest, really, to waive him) I know Toronto will see if it can get something done with him in free agency.

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What the heck, let’s get this started early this week because I’ll have some down time waiting for calls to returned and comments to be posted.

If you want to get into the mailbag, click here. But I caution you, by the time it gets up Sunday morning, free agency will be underway so maybe that’s not a topic for questions right now.

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Comments

[James]

Sorry to post again, but I had another question.

With the changing of the GM in Portland, would this change the availability of Greg Oden? Sure he has been banged up, a lot, but with two years left on his Rookie deal, would he be worth the risk? Would his past performance allow him to be had at a bit of a discount?

What are your thoughts on the former #1 pick?

Blogger's note: No idea if he can play; he's always facing major reconstructive surgery

[J.r]

Any chance of somehow landing Deng in a S&T ?

Blogger's note: At $51 million over the next four years? I'm sure the Bulls would love to do that.

[alan]

the one thing that truly bothers me about this team and the fan base that follows it is the constant bashing of bryan colangelo. i will grant that he has made a mistake or two over his tenure, but to say he has been terrible is a misconception. the situation he inherited was less than favourable to say the least. take a look at the roster that was inherited:
araujo, andre barrett, bonner, bosh, calderon, antonio davis, joey graham, mike james, darrick martin, mo pete, jalen rose, pape sow, villanueva, aaron, alvin and eric williams, and loren woods. we had just made two critical and horrible personell decisions (araujo, carter trade). at that time, we should have been rebuilding, but instead had to find a way to compete now, both due to fan pressure and keeping our up and coming star happy. personally, i think that colangelo has done a decent job with this team considered with what he faced coming into the position. the one glaring error he had made was the jermaine o'neal trade, which in hindsight wasn't as bad as it seemed at the time, considering how tj ford ultimately fared in indiana. turk wasn't a horrible acquisition at the time. only now in hindsight does it seem so. at the time he was a clutch player who was good for 16 and 6. maybe not worth $10M, but that WAS the going rate. our only other real alternative at the time - paying marion that money - and would we have fared any better? marions stats - 12 ppg, 6 rpg, 1.4 apg. compared with turk - 11.3, 4.6, 4.1.
faced with losing bosh, and still having a decent young core - i'd like to see what bc can do now facing the rebuild that the team should have experienced 5 years ago.
my contention is that colangelo hasn't been great since taking over here, but he has been FAR from the horrible that some might want to think. i think now is when we really see what this gm can do.

[Hedon't]

Like I said Doug Im giving up my season tickets I'm not a hypocrite.
This franchise already made the mistake of letting McGrady walk
for nothing 10 years ago in 2000... And here we go again. I'm very
disapointed that Triano was brought back and the fact that there willing
to bring back that malcontent Turkoglu (Probably because nobody wants
him) is the final straw. It's been 15 years Doug of Incompetent management
enough is enough. I've wasted enough money and time on this franchise.
I am tired of this team being run like a joke. I'm putting my foot down
as a customer Im unsatisfied with the product.

[ad]

Ideally for the Raps they would want Bosh to ask for a trade to the Lakers or Rockets or any team over the cap since they have more leverage. The teams that are under the cap have less to offer. Also, if Im the Raps I would demand Noah if the Bulls really want Bosh. If they wont give him up then they can trade him somewhere else. That wouldnt work though if Bosh told the the Raps he only wants to go to CHI but thats not likely to happen.

[Jade]

I wonder how some of the people here will be if the Raptors become like the Leafs and have not won a championship for over 40 years.
At the end of the day, it's up to the players to win games. Think about it....Mid-year the Raptors were in the 5th spot with a small chance to get at Boston. The team is on a roll but then comes the All-Star Break, injuries happen to Calderon, Turk, Bosh's season ends and Raptors miss the playoffs by one game. Throw in the fact that 9 new players were thrown in the mix at the beginning of the season. Unfortunately, the same team won't be around this year to learn from their mistakes and improve.
I expect the Raptors to do well as the rest of you but to throw in the towel on a GM who makes moves to correct deals that didn't work out and is always looking to improve the team is a bit radical. A lot of people thought O'Neal was a good trade (especially considering who we gave up) but that didn't pan out and it turned out to be Turk who was coming off an awesome year with Orlando. Hindsight is 20/20 but did anyone really think he was going to have a not so impactful year as he did?
Raptor Nation: Would you rather be the Clippers, Nets, 76'ers, Pacers, Kings, Timberwolves, etc?

[KX]

So I guess the "most thorough and cautious medical staffs in the world" were the big influence behind taking Joey instead of Granger?

[Ben]

Take on Deng, but steal Noah;)

[der bomber]

Bosh has been here for 7 years and still pronounces the second "t" in Toronto. That alone convinces me it's time for him to go. His talent will be very difficult to replace, but the team will be just fine without him.

[Kwong]

Hi Doug, not sure if I would agree with you on your point about Bosh ... to quote "He’ll be the third guy on a three-man team and that runs counter to everything he’s said and, to me, says something about him."
As good as he is, Bosh is no Wade or LeBron, and as hard as he tried, he knows well he can only carry the Raptors so far. Whether he be a second guy or third guy on a team, if that's what it takes to get him a ring and he's willing to put aside his pride to get that ring, that's all that matters to him as a professional basket player .... We need look no further than Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen and the path and sacrifice they took to get their first ring.

[doug]

I am amazed at how emotional people get over a guy leaving a team (well within his rights) and how that anger is directed towards a GM that can't or won't get him to stay....the GM tried , Bosh chose not to end of story...what he gets now for him and what he would have got last Feb. before trading deadline is no different.....but i am a true believer in this, if I were a GM and I had a marquee player that wasn't committing to my team and he had a year left in his contract i would trade him then or seek out a trade for him, as last summer Colangelo would have received back fair value for Bosh plus it removes the uncertainity from not only the fans, but also more importantly the team....but that being said i am not upset in the least Bosh is leaving, is he a good player yes, is he a player if signed here to max dollars going to lead the team as the main guy to a championship no, not even close...I much prefer the many pieces model, 6,7,8 guys that are talented and that play as a team and inter-changeable parts not dependent on one main cog.....so to me I want to see the future and I hope Hedo is part of it as without Bosh slowing down the offense which was irritating how the ball stopped many times waiting for him to decide what he was going to do with it....I think Hedo would thrive and i think he is realizing that as well....

[Tim]

Wow, some poeple really get mad at this stuff. Its funny that Colangelo says everyday it looks less and less likely that bosh will be back. It also feels more and mroe everyday that the toronto fanbase is being punched in the gut. Im one to roll wit the punches but this one seems to hurt.
I read an interesting piece about the difference between where we are from now and where we were when Colangelo started this "make-over." That he says this team isnt far off at the end of the season and you look at the roster with the probable departure of Bosh and shake your head.
What do you think is Colangelos approach? Rebuild? Try and bandaid this like very other year?
I like Colangelo but do agree with many fans that he needs to tone down his ego and do whats best for the future and not just talk about it.

[sean]

Hey Doug,
If Toronto is such a great city and as you previously mentioned the first two things that big players think about is Money and Winning, and Toronto is willing to pay the tax to win, then why do we never talk about Bosh staying in Toronto and Lebron or Wade coming over? What is it that Miami and Chicago have that we don't?

Blogger's note: Cap room

[Baljit]

I suggest following the 2011 draft list top 100 prospects because the Raptors will be a lottery team it all starts at the top now doesn't it.

[John S]

@ Jade

The Nets, 76ers and Pacers have all made the finals within the last 10 years and the Kings and T-Wolves made it to the conference finals within that time as well.

The only team that I wouldn't want to be would be the Clippers because of their terrible owner Donald Sterling and the incompetence shown in their front office for years with Elgin Baylor.

[Hedon't]

To the poster Alan...Colangelo inherited a team that had a 22 year old
budding superstar in Chris Bosh, The Runner up of the Rookie Of The
Year in Charlie Villanueva, The first pick in the draft, and tons of Cap space.
Colangelo capped out the team on a bunch of Euro League Cast offs and
never won a playoff series in a weaker Conference. He has not addressed
Defense or rebounding while he's been here as the Raps were one of the
worst defensive teams in NBA history last year. Because of the horrific
contracts of Calderon, Turkoglu, and Bargnani the Raps have no flexibility
right now. Also because of the terrible Jermaine O'Neal for Shawn Marion
trade the Raps have to give Miami a First Round draft pick that could be
a top 5 Lottery pick. There is no more excuses for Colangelo. People need
to eat crow and admit he's one of the worst GM's in the NBA right now.
He might be a classy likable guy but facts are facts. He's run the team
into the ground.

[mdc]

If it was easy for a GM to put together a winning team, there would be 30 winning teams in the league. The reality is, only half the teams can get to the playoffs, only 1 in 4 gets past the first round, and only 1 team in 30 can win the championship. It seems to me the excitement of the game is in the process of assembling the team; watching the development of young players; playing and competing to win against the odds but often failing; and trying to get better and do better the next time. Life is a journey, not a destination. Constantly lamenting the fact that BC has not brought the team to the Promised Land in four years time seems unrealistic, defeatist and pointless. Enjoying the process, the challenge, the ups and downs, and being positive and hopeful, is more fun.

[Skiff]

"All he can do is put a competitive team on paper on the floor, and he's done that every year."

HAHAHA...I'd love to see your definition of competitive. Is it teams that routinely lose by 20 points and are hoping other team's injuries will let them creep into the playoffs. If so, then well done BC.

Listen, I don't hate BC, I don't think he's an awful GM, I just think that others have done more with less and there's a lot of excuses made for him. This is 4 straight playoffless seasons, and the one time we got in, he had the least to do with the build of the team, and we were still embarrassed. Can ANYBODY show me what's been successful with BC so far? Give me 1 hour and i'll have a list of 10 gms who have done more with less in the last 5 years.

I just think it's time to move on with a new GM with a plan they will hold to. BC's plan changes every year and look where it's got us...no cap flexibility and a roster of guys who'd be lucky to crack the starting lineup on 75% of the teams that made the playoffs!! If anyone actually thinks we're getting anything other than spare parts for Bosh or Turk, you're out of your tree.

Truth hurts folks, but there really isn't much to look forward to with this club in it's current setup!

[Sharkey]

Once the dust of this year's collapse settled we all knew Bosh was gone. But why boo him? This is not Vince who dogged his way out after signing a big contract, this is a guy who took a shorter-term deal for less money than he could have gotten on the free-agent market three years ago -- and remember, Bosh, LeBron and Wade all took the same under-market contracts to try and win where they were. He gave everything he had to the Raptors and us, the fans, and it just didn't work. So we have to move on. But he did something not many other star NBA players have done: he gave Toronto and Canada a chance. Damon didn't do that at the beginning, T-Mac didn't do that in three years here, Vince took the money and ran, Steve Francis refused to set foot in Vancouver, and Hedo ... well let's not even go there. Bosh is the only superstar to profess his love for Toronto and Canada and go out of his way to come here (or stay here) and try to win as a Raptor.
As fans of the Raptors and Blue Jays, being the lone Canadian teams in American sports leagues, we have this inferiority complex. We think players look down on Toronto because we're north of the border, and the media ignores us because we're Canadian. So it's only natural we would have that inferiority complex. That's also why the stars that stay here are beloved in a way that perhaps no other city can. Just look at the Blue Jays: Joe Carter, Robbie Alomar, Roy Halladay, even Paul Molitor, and you can go further back to the Stieb/Bell/Moseby days. These guys could have balked at Canada, or left quickly (see Halladay), but they didn't. And we love them unconditionally for that. That's why it was so hard to let go of Doc.
And then suddenly, the same thing happens and Chris Bosh is going to be booed and hissed? Come on people. What happened to showing some love to a superstar who actually embraced being in a different country, and did whatever he could to be a part of something special here? Maybe we're just stuck on autopilot from the departures of T-Mac and Vince and Damon, and for fans out west the Steve Francis draft. We boo because they didn't care. Well folks, whether you want to face it or not, Chris Bosh did care about Toronto. And he still does, even when he's wearing a different uniform. In my opinion, if you are a true Raptors supporter you'll stand up and blow the roof off of the ACC when he returns next year, and show him some love. I know I will. And then after the opening tip we can give him the Vince treatment, but at least we'll have shown him some love in return for what he gave us over the past seven years: a superstar who cared about Canada.

[Some Guy]

Doug,
apologies if you already commented on this, earlier or somewhere else, but any thoughts on Turkoglu's "clarifying" comments to the Turkish media (and referenced in The Sun) that he doesn't want to leave Toronto and only wants the offence to be structured to use him more effectively?

Blogger's note: Haven't seen them

[n]

I will boo Bosh because he was playing with the Raptors ever since the All-Star Break. Bosh never mans up to anything, which is another reason why I would boo him. Heck, I booed him when he was in Raps uniform everytime he held the ball up at the top of the key trying to figure out what to do with it (eating away previous shot clock secs). If he did not want to be here, he should have told Colangelo prior to trade deadline. Now he is not sure whether he wants to be a S & T? Get out of here Bosh. Your next team will regret forking out $130 million contract once your knees start to give in.

[gdr]

Isn't it funny that CB4's last shot in a Raptors uniform at the ACC will be the missed lay-up vs G.S. Warriors that would have won the game and essentially qualified them for the playoffs. What could have been......

[Adrian]

Also, "perfect storm for Bosh to leave"? What a crock. I don't even know what to say. This guy does not even understand it's ALWAYS the perfect storm for FA's to leave this town. It's never the way it looks. It's never about the weather. It's never about the people. It was a perfect storm for Carter to be traded for nothing, as well.

But people never remember that it was the perfect storm. All they remember is that another player wanted out of Toronto. None of these events are put in context when you look back on them down the road. I'm sure there's always an explanation. There's always a yeah but. It doesn't change a thing. This free agent loss will be lumped in with the rest and the team will be set back another 10 years fighting the "Nobody wants to play in Toronto" argument. The explanations, the excuses, the why- it doesn't matter, Mr. Colangelo.

[GM]

If I recall correctly, Bosh was more than happy with Colangelo's acquisitions last summer. He was all excited about getting Turkoglu and even called the guy personally. He was also excited about getting his old college teammate Jarrett Jack. Then you throw in Reggie (who had a reputation for being a good defender) for Kapono (who had a reputation for being the opposite), Antoine Wright (who also had a reputation for being a good defender) and getting Amir Johnson and Sonny Weems as good young developing talent, and you can't put all this blame on Colangelo. It just didn't work out. So it's not as if Colangelo didn't try to put the right pieces around Bosh, and it's not as if Bosh wasn't happy with what he did. It's only true that it didn't work out the way either of them wanted it to. That happens.

I think it's for the best if reactionary fans give up their season tickets. I agree with mdc: the enjoyment is in the process, the journey.

[Mike U]

Everyone (especially BC) is too dumb to realize that's it's a Coaching issue. Bosh mentioned he wants a better leader coach-wise.